Lady Rita Rae appointed Rector

Published: 29 April 2021

Lady Rae to become UofG's first standing female Rector

On 21 April, UofG students voted to appoint The Honourable Lady Rita Rae as Rector. Lady Rae will become the first standing female Rector in the University’s history.

The Rector works closely with the SRC to champion student issues across the University, including holding surgeries for which any registered student can make an appointment.

Lady Rae was successful over two other candidates, former journalist and current MP John Nicolson, and Councillor Junaid Ashraf. She will take office on 30 April and will serve a three year term in the role.

Over the course of a distinguished legal career spanning five decades, Lady Rae has worked as a lawyer, judge and former Senator of the College of Justice. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University in 2019 in recognition of her contribution to Scots law.

Following the election, Lady Rae recorded a Facebook Live session with SRC President Liam Brady.

Speaking about the election result, Liam Brady said: “We are delighted to welcome The Hon Lady Rae as our new Rector. It was a close-fought election, but students were clearly impressed by Lady Rae’s wealth of experience and willingness to both listen to students and advocate for the issues that they are facing. The SRC looks forward to working closely with her over the next three years to represent students across the University.”

Further information about the role of the Rector, and about Lady Rae’s manifesto and priorities


First published: 29 April 2021