Volunteer MUSA blogger, Vanessa Silvera, discusses the first two female Principals of the University of St Andrews.
Over the past six centuries, several remarkable women have played an integral role in shaping the history and identity of St Andrews. Two such women are Louise Richardson and Sally Mapstone. They became the first and second female academics to take on the role of Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, a position that had historically always been held by a man.
Louise Richardson, born into a large Irish-Catholic family, revealed her ambitious nature from a young age. Despite growing up with the expectation of not aspiring to be anything other than a housewife, she pursued a B.A. in History at Trinity College, Dublin and went on to obtain an M.A. in Political Science from UCLA and another M.A. and PhD in Government from Harvard. Her research focuses on international security and terrorism, a subject on which she has lectured and written extensively about. Among her published works are: When Allies Differ: Anglo-American Relations in the Suez and Falkland Crises (1996), What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat (2006), The Roots of Terrorism (2006), and Democracy and Counterterrorism (2007). Richardson is also a recipient of several awards including the Levenson Prize and the Abramson Prize while she was a professor at Harvard.
From 2009 to 2016, Richardson served as Principal of St Andrews and in that time left her mark on the university’s 600-year history. Under her administration, St Andrews ascended the league tables and priority was given to projects such as the new Students’ Association, Sports Centre and Music Centre, enhancing the overall student experience. Moreover, through her 600th Anniversary Campaign, she garnered a significant amount of funding and alumni engagement, and as a result, bolstered the university’s recognition worldwide.
London-raised and Oxford-educated, Sally Mapstone became St Andrews’ second-ever female Principal. Taking the helm from Richardson, her installation took place on September 2016, a victory for both the university and in a broader sense, for feminism within academia. Before assuming the role, Mapstone spent a large part of her career at Oxford, most recently as Professor of Older Scots Literature and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education (2011-16). Furthermore, she has authored or co-authored several books and is currently the Honorary President of the Scottish Text Society and head of the University of Helsinki’s international advisory board.
Like her predecessor, Mapstone is committed to widening access and diversity in academia especially for women. In an article published by The Courier, on the topic of diversity and equality, Mapstone states “we are still not there yet”. Even though over half of the university’s student body is female, a mere 20 per cent of the professors are women, according to The Equality Challenge. Understanding the importance of women in leadership positions, she is in the midst of launching several schemes such as a mentoring program for senior-level women to achieve their highest potential. The future may be uncertain, but what is certain is the positive impact of female leaders as role models for future generations of young women.
By Vanessa Silvera
Museum Collections Blog 