Ladies and Gentlemen, you have a great past: 5 Nobel Laureates and 525 years of academic excellence. Your future, I know, will be greater still and, as your very proud Chancellor, I will be cheering you on every step of the way.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a huge pleasure to be with you all once again. Coming to this university, and to this city, has always felt a bit like coming home to me. Firstly, because my father’s family came from this part of Scotland, secondly, because my husband and I are lucky enough to spend precious time each year in Aberdeenshire and finally, because ten years ago, I received the great honour of being installed as Chancellor of this very special University.
Since then, I have watched with pride as you have gone from strength to strength. Your many achievements include the opening of the new Rowett Institute and this outstanding Science Teaching Hub; receiving two Queen’s Anniversary prizes for world-leading healthcare and environmental research; and being named fourth in the United Kingdom for overall student satisfaction.
My achievements as Chancellor over the last decade seem rather modest in comparison. I was told in 2013 that one element of my role was to defend the University so that “raven wolves do not invade the College and its flock”. Perhaps more by luck than judgement, I believe that not a single raven wolf has, as yet, made its way into any of the Linklater Rooms. But I do assure you, I have taken the greatest interest in all your work and have sung your praises at every given opportunity.
Ladies and Gentlemen, you have a great past: 5 Nobel Laureates and 525 years of academic excellence. Your future, I know, will be greater still and, as your very proud Chancellor, I will be cheering you on every step of the way.
Thank you.
