Laureation address: Roger Thompson HBA
University Medal
Presented by Robert Fleming, Director of Development
Wednesday 22 June 2022
Vice-Chancellor, it is my privilege to present Roger Thompson for the University Medal.
Roger Thompson is an outstanding individual whose selfless support for the University of St Andrews over three decades has been transformative in the lives of hundreds of students.
In 1989, Roger pioneered the creation of a fund to support an exchange between the University of St Andrews and universities in Canada. In 1992, the Canadian Robert T Jones Jr Scholarship began financing transatlantic student exchanges, initially between St Andrews and Western University, Ontario, and from 1996 also with Queen’s University, with Roger serving as the first Chair of the Foundation.
The Foundation commemorates one of the greatest ever golfers, Bobby Jones, who won 13 of the world’s foremost golf championships by the age of 28 and, in 1958, was given the Freedom of the City of St Andrews. Inspired by the pre-existing Robert T Jones Scholarship with Emory University in Atlanta, Roger sought to establish a Canadian equivalent of this programme for three main reasons: first, to foster international collaboration and friendships; second, to honour the history of St Andrews and of golf; and third, most importantly, to provide students with a life-changing experience and an enriching education to enable them to succeed both while at university and beyond. Canadian Bobby Jones Scholars are selected based upon the strength of their academic attainment and personal statement, not on golfing skill. Successful applicants have their tuition fees waived and they receive a scholarship to cover all living expenses. In this way, the Foundation ensures that the most promising students are granted this opportunity regardless of their background or previous experience with the sport.
One past recipient of a scholarship enabling an exchange with Queen’s University in Ontario, was Susan Stewart, now Director of the Open University in Scotland. Susan was the Scottish Government’s First Secretary for Scottish Affairs at the UK Embassy in Washington DC in 2001 – a role that she directly attributes to her time spent studying abroad. Describing her year at Queen’s University, she writes:
“I hadn’t even been on a plane before flying to Toronto to study at Queen’s University and that year transformed my life. It was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with Canada and Kingston. A year later, I returned to St Andrews much more intellectually confident and with a more rounded perspective. I will always be grateful to St Andrews not only for the first-class education I received but for the opportunities to study abroad, which I would never have been able to do without their generous scholarships”.
Roger has been heavily involved with facilitating such educational experiences since the Foundation was established. Today the Foundation’s assets are in excess of $5m Canadian dollars, and this astonishing sum is owed to Roger’s diplomacy and service in championing the scholarship, to which he is also a significant donor. The time that he has spent soliciting donations and increasing financial reserves will ensure that students will enjoy and benefit from this scholarship for many years to come, in addition to the almost 350 students who have already done so. His desire to support the University extends wider still, and Roger was a donor to the Canada Room as part of the refurbishment of the Students’ Association building during the 600th Anniversary Campaign. Roger has been a consistent supporter of the University of St Andrews for the past thirty years, working not only with the current Principal, but her three predecessors.
Vice-Chancellor, in recognition of his accomplishments as a benefactor to the University of St Andrews, and to mark his three decades of support to the Canadian Robert T Jones Jr Scholarship, I ask you to present the University Medal to Roger Thompson.