The University Chancellor

A shadowy figure lurks in the halls of academia. A mysterious entity with total power and yet – seemingly -no distinct role. Most of us will glimpse this being no more than two or three times in our brief stay in the echelons of higher education; the majority of us will however be rewarded with a handshake from him or her at the end of our degree efforts. The University Chancellor is undeniably important, but why? And who are the elite group of people who are chosen for such a role?

What is a University Chancellor?

Every university has a Chancellor and a Vice-Chancellor. In business terms, the Vice Chancellor is the executive head of the university, according to Universities UK. If they’re running the business then, the Chancellor is the non executive director – a trustworthy figure who takes a vague ‘overseeing’ role, while the Vice Chancellor and the rest of the management actually steer the ship.

Chancellors aren’t paid and don’t have any executive official powers. The role of Chancellor varies depending on the institution and the person involved; it is possible to be a hands-on Chancellor, but, says Tessa Blackstone, Vice Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, even those who are little more than figureheads are extremely important to their institutions. The ambassadorial aspect is an inevitable and vital function of a Chancellor.

With this in mind, those Chancellors drawn from the ranks of the royal family must be the most efficient at raising the prestige of the university. The Duke of Edinburgh has been Chancellor of Cambridge University for more than 30 years and is simultaneously Edinburgh’s Chancellor; the University of London has Princess Anne, and the University of Wales’ Chancellor is Prince Charles.

Blackstone also notes the rise of the celebrity Chancellor. Huddersfield attributed a 25% rise in undergraduate applications to interest in its Chancellor, Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart, she says.
Other universities that have chosen high-profile Chancellors include Liverpool John Moores, which recently appointed ex-Queen guitarist (and poster boy for career-changes?) Brian May; Durham, whose graduating students will surely forevermore cherish a photo of them accepting a degree from the eminently likeable author Bill Bryson; and Nottingham Trent, whose students will collect their degrees from Parky himself. I can only imagine the seething mass of envy the proud mums and grans collectively become. For a university that wants to heighten its profile, a Chancellor with the X-Factor is often the way forward.

Blackstone identifies another benefit of the Chancellor: that of being a role model for students within the university. Chancellors are generally high achievers and well-respected public figures, and even celebrities such as those mentioned above are undeniably leaders in their field. Feeling inspired by your uni's Chancellor?

What does a University Chancellor do?

So what does this varied range of people (from Floella Benajmin of Playschool fame – Exeter, to Menzies Campbell – St Andrews) actually do?

It does vary from uni to uni, from an honourary position to a more hands-on role. Durham university, for example, identifies the Chancellor’s duties as including:

Ceremonial - at graduations, receptions etc.
Pastoral - an affection for and an interest in students and staff.
Scholarly - a commitment to the world of learning, teaching and 'culture'.
Ambassadorial - carrying the Durham banner at home and abroad.

The university also notes however that ‘duties can be as varied as the postholder likes. They can involve attending other university events with staff, students or graduates, or being an ambassador for the university around the world.’ Bill Bryson appears to be embracing his Durham role, even taking part in a litter pick around the city earlier in the year.

Sheffield Hallam says that its Chancellor – fertility expert Lord Robert Winston – ‘advances the interests of the University in all his spheres of influence. He is the figurehead of the University and as such appears at major public occasions such as degree ceremonies.’

Oxford Brookes says that Chancellor and director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti (who has just taken over from broadcaster Jon Snow) ‘dedicates time to being an ambassador for the University, presiding at graduation ceremonies, and giving the annual Chancellor's public lecture’.

And Kingston University makes it clear the role of Chancellor at the institution is ‘largely ceremonial..Most of the running of the University is undertaken by the Board of Governors and the Vice Chancellor’.

So are Chancellors worth having? Absolutely. For prestige, publicity, fund raising... But, most importantly: what would the pomp and circumstance of the degree ceremony be without the near-mythical giver-of-degrees, he of big hat and crazily-coloured robe? Yes, in the end, the Chancellor is the Father Christmas of university.

(A relatively random list of) universities and their Chancellors