Dame Anne Pringle Elected as New University Chancellor

Dame Anne Pringle has been elected to serve as the new Chancellor of the University of St Andrews after winning the majority vote of support against candidates Lord Mark Sedwill, Lady Walmsley, and Dame Barbara Woodward.

A total of 5,210 votes were cast out of the University’s 7,000 registered alumni and senior staff, yielding a high voter turnout of over 73%.

Succeeding the late Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, Pringle is the first woman in the University’s 600-year history to hold the office of Chancellor, the highest position in the University. She is a St Andrews alumna, having graduated in 1977 with a Master of Arts Honours degree in French and German. Pringle previously held the position of Senior Governor of University Court from 2016 to 2020.

In a news update published on the University of St Andrews website, Pringle said, “I would like to thank my nominators and supporters for their loyalty and belief in me.”

“For more than six centuries St Andrews has championed curiosity and courage, tradition and innovation and scholarship in the service of society,” Pringle continued. “As Chancellor, I will be an unwavering advocate for a university that is outward-looking, principled, and bold in its leadership, a place where talent is recognised wherever it is found and where ambition is matched by opportunity.”

In an email to the wider University community on 24 February, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Dame Sally Mapstone said, “Anne has been a steadfast supporter of St Andrews, and exemplified strong and wise leadership through a period of significant change and challenge [...] she will be a fantastic and most able Chancellor, and I am greatly looking forward to working with her again.”

“I extend my warm thanks to the three excellent candidates who contested this election with Anne for their commitment to our university and willingness to serve,” Maptone continued. 

Pringle assumes the chancellorship straightaway, with the date of the formal installation ceremony to be decided later this year.

Photo provided by the University of St Andrews