Interviewing the new principal

[op]

I am in the privileged position to be able to interview the new principal Dr Louise Richardson. I want to make it worthwhile and therefore would like to know if anyone has any specific questions that they would like answered? (Please keep it sensible/clean!)

[Jormungand]

The price of accommodation will be increased in the 2009-10 academic period by between £400 and £600 depending on residence, and there are ongoing plans (admittedly delayed) to demolish Fife Park. Considering that the university is already failing to meet state school intake targets, is this really an appropriate way to cut down on the number of students coming to the university?

[Fawksie]

Could you ask her what possible use she has for a ten-bedroomed house? Is the six-bedroomed Braetrees not quite capacious enough? Does she not find it a touch wasteful of time and money to evict Art History and refit the house for her own personal benefit?

[Bizarre Atheist]

Where does she think St Andrews has the capacity to develop in the next x years? Specifically...

Will it ever be possible for us to claim 3rd, or even 1st or 2nd, in the Sunday papers' league tables or have we reached a ceiling of potential already? Are the top spots doomed to be forever Oxbridge?

Are our admissions procedures rigorous enough or would she ever consider introducing interviews?

Can the town cope with the size of the University as it is, let alone how big it will be after new medical buildings/accommodation/library/golf courses/bowling alley in the Union?

and finally...

Does she know what Raisin Weekend is? What are her thoughts?

[What?]

Would she ever approach Marks and Spencer about putting a Simply Food store in town?

And yes, I know they're closing stores. But we live in hope.

[RandomMusings]

What role does she see for the Students' Association within the town, the wider-population, the student body and the university? What kind of support would she like it to receive?

.... does she ride a bike to work? (cue epic fail in my search for the photo of brian cycling)

[munchingfoo]

When she moves into the Scores, surely doing anything but walking to work will be overkill?

[elyettoner]

Will she consider putting student welfare before profit and statistics?

[Hennessy]

I second the art history question. Will she be needing the whole car park as well? Silly plan, silly people.

[munchingfoo]

You do realise of course that the art history building used to be the Principle's house, right? From what I gather, the downstairs will be turned into offices and meeting rooms for official University work. There's hardly an overwhelming number of carparking spaces, given it's proposed usage, especially since half of them have been given over to the MUSA.

[Fawksie]

Existing layout
Proposed layout

I'd personally want at least one parking space for each bedroom, wouldn't you? Maybe a few for the help.

[Ian Sutherland]

When she moves into the Scores, surely doing anything but walking to work will be overkill?

Let's face it, anything but walking from *Braetrees* to College gate is overkill... something our esteemed ex-principal couldn't quite grasp, despite many hints being dropped on his head from a great height. (Ah, memories of the -- admittedly ephemeral -- "Buy Brian a bike" campaign.)

Incidentally, what was Braetrees used for before Brian moved in? Was it a private residence that the university bought?

[sejanus]

You do realise of course that the art history building used to be the Principle's house, right? From what I gather, the downstairs will be turned into offices and meeting rooms for official University work. There's hardly an overwhelming number of carparking spaces, given it's proposed usage, especially since half of them have been given over to the MUSA.

Yes, and a substantial sum of money was spent transforming it from the Principal's House into Art History less than 10 years ago - I can't help but feel that at some point, money has been wasted!

[exnihilo]

It was transformed into Art History because of the presence of a certain somebody, who then decided he preferred Geography. Part of the rationale was the security concern that was presented by the old Art History being scattered across half a dozen sites. The house was always in two halves in a sense, there were larger public rooms and then a warren of smaller ones. The money that was spent on transforming it would have had to be spent in any case as it was in a state of disrepair. That it is now being transformed back into a residence, and a working one at that, was something which was envisaged once the numbers of Art History students dropped back down to less moronic levels. Braetrees was indeed a private residence bought by the University and I would imagine it will now be sold.

[A slightly miffed Economics student]

That it is now being transformed back into a residence, and a working one at that, was something which was envisaged once the numbers of Art History students dropped back down to less moronic levels.

Ahem. You do realise that Art History is moving to a larger building?

I do find it funny that Art Historians are feeling like victims over this, first your department gets an upgrade and is moved to an enviable redecorated residence on the scores. Then, with the arrival of a new principle, instead of moving it back to North Street someone opts to move it to an (arguably) more enviable (but bigger) residence just down the street and next to the castle. Think yourselves lucky!

[exnihilo]

And shedding the other associated buildings, no?

Oh, and it's principAL.

[A slightly miffed Economics student]

Oh, and it's principAL.

Browser autocorrected my typo!

Associated buildings?

[Dave the Explosive Newt]

I wonder what a flag room is for?

Anyway-

Given:
a) rising costs of tuition fees
b) decrease in junior doctor jobs in Scotland
c) insufficient facilities to teach clinical medicine
Is a 6-year medical course partly based in St Andrews sustainable into the future?

This is to say that I don't see it all collapsing in the immediate future but I do think things need to be done to keep the Bute at the cutting edge in 10, 15 years time. The Calman report suggested an increase of 100 students per year at St Andrews (hence new facilities etc), however more recently the Scottish Government took steps to freeze numbers in order to ease the applications crisis facing junior doctors coming out of medical school.

[careba2010]

One that always seems to pop up at the AGMs of Socities which I attend

"Whats your favourite type of Gin?"

[Georgina]

The principal has open office hours every other Wednesday, so perhaps some of these questions could also be expressed to her directly. She's keen on communicating directly with students, and after all, how can she know what concerns students unless they tell her.
Check here for dates and how to make an appointment:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/principal/