Rector of the University of Dundee

The Rector of the University of Dundee is elected by the matriculated students of the University. From 1967 (when the University gained independence from the University of St. Andrews) to 2010, the Rector was automatically a full member of the University Court (the University Governing body). The Rector also had the right to appoint an Assessor, who was also a full member of the University Court. Following changes made to the University Charter in August 2010, the Rector must choose to take up full membership of the University Court or appoint an Assessor who has full voting rights.

If the Rector chooses not take up full membership of Court, he retains the right to receive Court papers and attend its meetings but not to vote. The present holder of the position is Mark Beaumont, who assumed the position on 25 January 2016.

Aside from his official duties to the university, the Rector is charged with the responsibility of representing the students of the University who elect him for a three-year term. The Rector is officially installed in a ceremony soon after his election by the University's Chancellor or, in his place, the Vice-Chancellor.

The position of Rector in the ancient universities of Scotland dates back centuries and is one of the oldest offices in academic governance in Scotland. To this day, it exists only in the ancient universities of Scotland and at the University of Dundee, which inherited some of the traditions and governance structure from the University of St Andrews.

The modern Rectorship evolved and was given legal status under the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889. Prior to 1967, the University of Dundee was an integral college of the University of St Andrews and styled as Queen's College, Dundee, or University College, Dundee. The Rector of the University represented students at all the constituent colleges of St Andrews, including Queens College, Dundee. Therefore, before its independence, the Rector of the University of St Andrews was Rector and the appropriate official for covering what was to become the University of Dundee.

...
Wikipedia