St Andrews University’s 600th anniversary academic celebration was hailed a once-in-a-lifetime success as the festivities came to a spectacular climax.
A torchlit procession, followed by a £10,000 fireworks display on Saturday night, rounded off two days which saw the university welcome some of our generation’s greatest thinkers, including former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Other eminent academics awarded honorary degrees included inventor of the worldwide web Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, and Dame Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace.
Principal Professor Louise Richardson said: “I couldn’t be more proud. This weekend we have demonstrated what makes us great: the talent of our staff and graduates, the support of the town, and our ability to bring people together.
“This has been an absolutely fabulous couple of days, and what a way to end it.”
The event served not just to reflect on the university’s rich history but also to look forward to the future of further education.
An academic summit chaired by Professor Peter Bruce set out to answer the call of Mrs Clinton, who said: “Today our democracies are under stress. It is more important than ever that we rally behind what started here.”
Leading the rally, academics gathered in Younger Hall to discuss the way ahead, debating the challenges posed by issues including globalisation, information technology and the need to move away from the current “corrosive” auditculture.
The celebrations reached a conclusion as the university’s papal bull cycle relay teams arrived back into St Salvator’s Quadrangle to rapturous applause, having completed their 1,600-mile journey from Spain to St Andrews.
Their journey retraced the route travelled by the papal bull that granted Scotland’s first university its authority.
The fireworks display saw rockets shooting from St Andrews pier, watched by more than 400 spectators on the East Sands.
Vice-principal Professor Peter Clark said: “Never, in my estimation, has the university ever been stronger than it is today.
“That strength is largely due to the extraordinary support of the town, the people who work here, and our students.
“It is thanks to them that we have been able to demonstrate, year after year, the quality we can produce, and to prove what can be achieved if we all get together and stick to our motto: Ever to Excel.”