Former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy elected rector of Glasgow University

Kennedy said he was 'delighted' to be elected rector

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Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has been elected rector of Glasgow University.

Mr Kennedy - who is the MP for Ross, Skye, and Lochabar - beat human rights lawyer Aamar Anwar into second place.

Mr Kennedy is a former student and president of the Glasgow University Union (GUU) and has continued as a prominent member of the Liberal Democratic party since his resignation as leader in 2006. He won over 2300 first choice votes in the online election.

Speaking to The Journal, Mr Kennedy said: "I am delighted to have been chosen by the Glasgow students to be their Rector. I am proud to have been a student at Glasgow University and have very fond memories of both the university and of the city.

"I'm now looking forward to being able to give something back."

Mr Kennedy’s new portfolio includes representing the student body and chairing the university's court. His predecessor, Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, never practised his role as court chair because of restrictions on movement imposed by the Israeli government.

However, Mr Kennedy’s campaign focused on his ability to be a working rector, with his online manifesto claiming: “The last three years have made some people forget what a rector is meant to do.”

He told The Journal that he believed he would be able to balance his parliamentary duties with the role, saying: “I very much intend to be a working rector, and expect to be on campus to chair the court. I travel through Glasgow at the beginning and end of most weeks, on my journey between my constituency and Westminster. This will allow me to be on campus and attend meetings regularly."

He added: “I want to be the type of Rector who listens to students and takes up the issues that are most important to them. I aim to be a strong voice for the students of Glasgow University."

The attendance of the rector appears to have been important to students voting in the election.

Student Jamie Reekie told The Journal: “After three years having an absent Rector, Glasgow's students really needed someone who could be active and would work for them - and Kennedy seemed to fit that bill the best.”

Mr Reekie added: “With his past experience as President of Glasgow University Union, he'll have a better idea as to the workings of student politics than the other candidates, which has to be a help.”

Amongst Kennedy’s other supporters were GU President Dave Calder and Glasgow University Sports Union President Kerry Anderson.

Miss Anderson echoed Mr Reekie’s belief that Mr Kennedy’s time in the GUU will help him in his job. She said “As a former student of the university, and an ex-President of the Glasgow University Union, Charles Kennedy is in a unique position to understand the best way to represent the students here at Glasgow.”

There has nonetheless been some disquiet in the student population over Mr Kennedy’s election. He has been accused of opposing moves to allow women membership of the GUU as a member of the union’s board in the late seventies.

The GUU was the last single-sex student union in the UK when it allowed women to join in 1980, although Mr Kennedy has always denied that he opposed the move. Women had previously been members of the Queen Margaret Union, which remains to this day a Glasgow University student union along with the GUU.

The position of rector at Glasgow University dates back to the 17th century. Currently only St Andrews, Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow retain the largely symbolic post, which is elected by the student body.

Previous Glasgow rectors include Winnie Mandela and TV hardman Ross Kemp. Kemp was famously asked to resign by the Student Representative Council after a number of SRC members expressed unhappiness at Kemp’s lack of interest in the role.

Broadcaster Hardeep Sing Koli, and Green Party MSP Patrick Harvie also stood in the election, finishing third and fourth respectively. Mr Kennedy formally takes up his role on 10 April.

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