I recently joined the School of Pottery as a new member of staff. Before coming to St Andrews I conducted research at the internationally renowned School of Handicraft and Pottery. My main interest is with east European pottery.
The University of St Andrews
St Andrews is Scotland's oldest university, founded in 1411, and is the third
oldest in the UK. As befits an institution of this antiquity, parts of the University
are still housed in fine mediaeval buildings. Academically, the University is
divided into three Faculties - Arts, Divinity and Science - and academic departments,
and their staff, are members of these. Academic subjects such as French and
German are grouped together to form Schools, which are the managerial and financial
units within the University. Currently there are fifteen such Schools. IT Services
is one of the major service units in the University; others include the Library,
Estates and Buildings, and Residential and Business Services.
The University offers a wide range of undergraduate subjects such as Classics, Modern Languages, History, Philosophy, Management & Economics, Physics, Biology, Psychology, Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Geography & Geology and English. At present, student numbers are approximately 6,000 including both undergraduates and postgraduates. Students largely live in University-owned halls or flats, or in private accommodation in towns or the surrounding villages. St Andrews has a small number of students who live in parental homes. Staff numbers are approximately 1,800. Of these about 350 are academic with a further 80 on academic-related grades and over 200 contract research staff funded from external sources. On technical grades there are approximately 140 staff (some of whom are also funded from external sources) and about 285 on clerical grades. The remainder of staff work in Residences, or in the Estates and Buildings departments.
The University is proud of its academic standing which in recent years has seen it obtain the highest Teaching Quality Assessment rating amongst Scottish universities and the highest cumulative Research Assessment rating. It is also highly placed across the UK when it comes to its graduates gaining employment.
The University is situated in the City of St Andrews, in its own sheltered bay on the north east coast of Fife. It is approximately 45 miles north of Edinburgh, and 13 miles south of Dundee. It commands exceptionally fine views of the Angus coast and hills, with the Grampian Mountains beyond. Although remote in spirit from the grime and noise of industrial Scotland it has excellent road communications and is 5 miles away from Leuchars rail station, which is on the main UK east coast line.
The city is a pleasant mix of fine mediaeval, eighteenth and nineteenth century buildings, with some more modern structures. Despite its population, 17,000, the city has many amenities only associated with larger conurbations. There is a good range of local schools, shops and other facilities. In addition to the benefits associated with a rural environment, there are opportunities to attend or participate in theatre, classical music making, contemporary music and much more. Along with tourism and golf, the University plays a major role in the life of St Andrews.