Distinguished parliamentarian and humanitarian, the Rt Hon George Reid MSP has been appointed an Honorary Professor with the School of Law in the Faculty of Law, Business and Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

Professor Reid's new advisory and teaching role with the University starts immediately and will expand once he retires as MSP for Ochil and Presiding Officer for the Scottish Parliament in May next year.

The announcement comes in the week when Professor Reid delivers the penultimate speech in this year's prestigious Stevenson lecture series on the theme of "Citizenship in Scotland". *

Sir Muir Russell, Principal of the University of Glasgow said: "George Reid has been at the forefront of Scottish political discourse for three decades and as a Presiding Officer in the Scottish Parliament has secured a unique place in the history of the country. He is not only a respected parliamentarian at both Westminster and Holyrood but has a vast experience of political, civic and humanitarian duties globally and we are delighted he has accepted our invitation to share that wealth of knowledge with students and academics as an Honorary Professor with the University of Glasgow.'

Professor Reid said: "I am thrilled to be honoured by the University in this way and look forward to taking up the position with the School of Law next year. The University of Glasgow has a world-class reputation and ambitious aspirations and I am excited to be joining it at such an exciting time in its history. I bring over 30 years of practical, hands-on, political experience and a wealth of case studies to my new role with the Institute. Among the research areas I am particularly interested in pursuing will be the changing nature of civic society and its engagement with political institutions - not just in the UK, but in Europe and North America as well. I'm also keen to carry out academic research into the re-emergence of civic structures in post-Communist society, having spent so much time in Central and Eastern Europe and the Caucasus."

* Professor Reid delivers his Stevenson lecture on "Citizenship in Scotland" at 6pm on Thursday 23 November in the Sir Charles Wilson Building, at the junction of Gibson Street and University Avenue. The last Stevenson lecture in the current series, "Islam and Citizenship", will be delivered by Professor Mona Siddiqui on Thursday 7 December.

Stevenson lectures are free and open to all without ticket. Each lecture will be followed by questions and discussion and there will be an opportunity to informally meet the speakers at a reception after the lecture.

Martin Shannon (m.shannon@admin.gla.ac.uk)

Curriculum Vitae for the Rt Hon George Reid MSP

Summary:

Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and Member for Ochil. Convener of the Parliamentary Bureau and Corporate Body. Former Member of the House of Commons and of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and the Western European Union. Former director, International Red Cross and Red Crescent. Privy Counsellor.

Personal:

? Born 4 June 1939, Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, Scotland

? Married to Daphne MacColl, two daughters, four grand-daughters.

Education:

? Abercromby School and Dollar Academy

? University of St Andrews (First Class Hons MA, Modern History), postgraduate work in United States, Sweden and Switzerland (International Relations, Conflict Studies and Humanitarian Law)

Media Experience:

? Reporter, features writer and correspondent for British and foreign newspapers

? Reporter, Producer and Executive Producer with STV, Granada TV and BBC

? Produced over 200 television documentaries including Emmy prizewinner, Contract 736

? Founding editor of international review, Red Cross, Red Crescent, published quarterly in 164 countries in English and French.

? Author of many contributions to academic publications and humanitarian journals.

Political Experience:

? MP (SNP) for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire 1974-79 and Member of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and Western European Union

? Member of the Government Steering Group for the Scottish Parliament

? MSP (SNP) for Mid Scotland and Fife and Deputy Presiding Officer 1999-2003

? MSP for Ochil and Presiding Officer (non-party) 2003?

? Member of a wide range of parliamentary, inter-parliamentary, enterprise, humanitarian and governance working groups and commissions

? Considerable experience of issue management.

Civic Experience:

? Director of Public Affairs of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva, 1984-1992

? Director of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC/IFRC) Worldwide Campaign for the Victims of War 1992-4

? Served in Armenia as Chief Delegate and in Ethiopia, Mexico, Mozambique, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan, South Africa and Zimbabwe

? Special adviser to the World Blind Union, World Federation of the Deaf, Inclusion International and Rehabilitation International 1994-7

? Considerable experience of governance, fund-raising, institutional development and communications. Good French, conversational Russian and Spanish.

Academic Experience:

? Editor, University of Uppsala, of Caught in the Crossfire for Victims of War Campaign

? Editor, with UN and African and European Universities, of The World Disability Report.

? 54 lectures in last eight years at leading universities in UK, Europe and North America on Devolution, Civic Society, Political Engagement and Issue Management. Many contributions to British Council, EU and UN colloquia and to academic publications on same issues.

? Regular contributor to academic work of Carnegie Foundations

? Chair of Scotland?s Futures Forum, founded to engage academics, artists, free thinkers and wealth creators in the Devolution process.

Other Interests and Awards

Patron of the Scottish Disability Forum, the Hansard Society Scotland, the Royal Commonwealth Society Scotland and (Vice-President) of the Earl Haig Fund; member of the British Council Committee Scotland; Pirogov Gold Medal of USSR; Doctor of Laws, University of St Andrews; Doctor of Queen Margaret University College; other academic awards pending.

ADAM SMITH RESEARCH FOUNDATION

The Faculties of Law and Financial Studies and Social Sciences have an outstanding research reputation. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (2001) all departments were rated at grade 4 and above, with five 5-rated departments (Accountancy and Finance, Economic and Social History, Politics, the School of Law and Urban Studies) and one department achieving the highest rating of 5* (Central and East European Studies).

The Adam Smith Research Foundation positions the work of the Faculty's researchers, and their collaborators, firmly in the top ranks of social science research. Its purpose is to foster interdisciplinary research and attract the best home and international Research Fellows, postgraduate students and distinguished international Visiting Fellows. Drawing on our distinguished research traditions over several hundred years, the Foundation promotes interdisciplinary, leading-edge research and contribute to shaping future research and policy agendas.

The Adam Smith Research Foundation provides a vehicle to promote and sustain research within the UK, European and international arenas. The Foundation promotes the engagement of staff in key policy debates and in shaping policy for the future. It provides the environment in which to foster further links between the Faculty's disciplines and also, crucially, support the development of interdisciplinary research both within and beyond the University.

The five key interdisciplinary research themes reflect the strength of research within the Faculty. These are as follows:

? People, Places & Change encompassing research on: neighbourhoods, cities and regions, both in the UK but also notably Central & Eastern Europe & China; historical changes & their policy impacts.

? Legal and Political Thought encompassing research on: history of legal and political thought; constitutional theory and practice: conceptual and normative analysis of contemporary issues.

? Public Policy, Governance & Social Justice encompassing research on: regional governance in the UK and EU, applied policy; inequality, social identity & social exclusion

? Macroeconomics, Business & Finance encompassing research on international finance, exchange rates, financial policy; international banking

? Work, Ethics & Technology encompassing research on: employment; professions and their obligations; impacts of E-business and E-Services

ADAM SMITH

Adam Smith (1723-1790) entered Glasgow University at the age of fourteen. He studied under some of the leading scholars of the day, especially Francis Hutcheson, the Professor of Moral Philosophy. In 1740 Smith was awarded a Snell Scholarship to study at Balliol College, Oxford. Later Smith reported that he found Oxford a far inferior pedagogic institution to his alma mater. After a period of free-lance lecturing, Smith returned to the University, first as Professor of Logic in 1750 and then two years later as Professor of Moral Philosophy, a post he held until he left academia in 1764.

The seeds of Smith's two great books were sown in his professorial years. The Theory of Moral Sentiments appeared in 1759 and drew on his lectures. Although the Wealth of Nations was published in 1776 we know, from student notes that have survived, that he had already considered many of its leading themes at Glasgow as he lectured on 'those arts which contribute to subsistence, and to the accumulation of property, in producing correspondent movements or alterations in law and government'. In 1787 Smith was elected Rector of the University and in a letter of thanks he remarked that he remembers his professorial days as 'by far the most useful and therefore as by far the happiest and most honourable period of my life'. The Foundation seeks to honour his Enlightenment legacy with independent, original research that impartially advances utility and enhances social happiness or well-being in the Information Age.

First published: 19 November 2006