The following address was given by the newly appointed Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, at today's Commemoration Day ceremony:

Principal, Members of the University, Honorary Graduands, Honoured Guests and Friends

I am delighted, proud and honoured to have been elected as the 42nd Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, my alma mater, and as Sir William Kerr Fraser said at his Inaugural Address it is a time of very mixed emotions for me; happiness, awe, fear, to name but a few.

I was particularly impressed by the turn out for the vote. This University has many supporters, it has a massive amount of goodwill, and this must be something we should build on. I should like to thank all who supported me, and in particular my family. Sir Neil MacCormick was a most worthy contender.

I should also personally like to thank Sir William Kerr Fraser and Lady Fraser for the huge support they have given to the University over many, many years.

May I also congratulate our Honorary Graduands today, some old friends and some new ones.

Being here today brings back many memories, all happy, and all associated with a great deal of fun. Next door in the Randolph Hall I took my medical Oath.

Although I am a Vice Chancellor, becoming a Chancellor will be a new task for me and giving up the "vice" will be remarkably easy. I will have to learn new skills.

In Durham students at graduation are not capped, but hands are shaken. This gives an opportunity to exchange a few words. Here are some of the offerings I have been given.

For example, thanks, thanks very much, thanks very very much, congratulations, nice to meet you, Hi, Ta, cheers, cheers mate, you must be very bored, I like your tassel, can I buy you a drink, thanks for a wonderful few years, Bless you etc.

Can you imagine what Glasgow students might say!

Looking back to our beginnings is always instructive. The Papal Bull of 1451 set out the basic mission as we might now call it. Let me highlight three major points,

1. The value of learning
"Amongst other blessings which mortal man is able to attain, it is to be reckoned not among the least, that by assiduous study he may win the pearl of knowledge, which shows him the way to live well and happily, and by the preciousness thereof makes the man of learning far to surpass the unlearned, and opens the door for him clearly to understand the mysteries of the universe."

I have always believed in the value of learning. Learning keeps you young and happy.

2. The range of subjects to be taught
It is "...very desirous that a University, with every lawful faculty should be set up ... where the simple [are] instructed, equity in judgement upheld, reason flourish, the minds of men illuminated, and their understandings enlightened"

This is a university with a broad range of subjects.

3. The link to the community and its international character.
... "the suitableness of this city, which as we have heard, is said to be particularly meet and well fitted for multiplying the seeds of learning and bringing forth of salutary fruits, not only for the advantage and profit of the said city but also of the indwellers and inhabitants of the whole kingdom of Scotland, and the regions lying round about."

The University is part of the city, the region, the nation and the world.

At the start of the 21st century education, and the universities, are increasingly important. They act not only as a source of knowledge, essential in a science based knowledge economy, but also in encouraging the development of social and cultural activities. With science and the social sciences, the arts and humanities, universities are at the very heart of civil society. As it also says in the Papal Bull, let "a nourishing fountain of learning spring there". That is what we are, and I will return to that phrase later.

There is a myth about, perpetuated by the Glasgow Herald Diary, that Chancellor's are like bidets, no one knows what they are for, but they add a touch of class. In the case of Glasgow, of course, this would be a "touch of style". I am happy of course to add some style and this gown does wonders for that, but being a Chancellor, I hope, is more than that. Harold Macmillan had another view. When asked about the function of the Chancellor he said in his laconic way "without a Chancellor, there cannot be a Vice-Chancellor". Remember that Vice Chancellors.

The University has an ambitious mission, set out in an important document "Building on Excellence", to be:
ﾷ In the UK's top 10 universities and the top 50 in the world
ﾷ An international leader in research
ﾷ Renowned internationally for research led learning
ﾷ A leading postgraduate institution ﾷ A university which attracts the very best staff
ﾷ A great place to study, research and work.

May I congratulate the Senior Management Team for all their hard work in preparing this document and in driving the University forward into the future. I would clearly like to be fully involved in delivering this agenda. The Chancellor, of course, does not get involved with the day to day management of the University; that is for the Principal, Court and Senate.

So how can I help to deliver the strategy? Here are five possible issues which the Chancellor could be part of and which fit into "Building on Excellence" and as part of that programme of improvement.

First the establishment of a Cultural Quarter with its heart in the University. Just think about what we have. Our recent investments in new buildings on the Avenue have transformed the architectural look of the West End, and our iconic Gilbert Scott building continues to be a pole of attraction for tourism. In the University of Glasgow our libraries, museums and galleries, our contribution to music, drama and literature, is outstanding. What a contribution we make, and can continue to make. Link this to Kelvingrove Park and the Art Gallery, the new Transport Museum and the Botanic Gardens and the University would at the heart of a major world class cultural centre.

Second, to make strong links with the city and the wider community. This we already do in areas such as regeneration, economic development, and in improving quality of life. Universities and their staff are often undervalued and sometimes even taken for granted. In that comment I include colleagues from our sister Institutions in the Universities of Strathclyde, Paisley and Caledonian University and other Scottish universities represented here today together with the Glasgow School of Art and the Scottish Agricultural College. Yet they contribute in so many ways to improving the quality of life of people near and far. In science and engineering, the social sciences, medicine, biomedical research, and sport (think about the tremendous contribution the University can make to the Commonwealth Games bid), all contribute to the city and the nation in making Glasgow and Scotland a civilised place where opportunities for all can flourish. Universities are a public good and their resources of skills and expertise belong to the wider public. To do this we need to link to other universities in Scotland and beyond and develop partnerships at home and abroad-the international dimension again.

The economic contribution of the Universities in this city is staggering. Together our Annual Turnover in more than half a billion, with 50,000 students and over 13,000 graduates each year-a wonderfully talented group of young people. Their contribution to the economy of the city is huge.

But the contribution to making Glasgow flourish goes further than this. I am proud that the University has achieved Fair Trade status as has the City. The environment and sustainability are related issues. The very name Glasgow is derived from "Glaschu" the "dear green place". We want the city to be environmentally aware and the University to contribute to its image as a green place.

Third, widening participation. Glasgow University has a centuries old tradition of providing those with talent, the "lad o' Pairts", with an opportunity to realise their potential from whatever background, and I'm sure this will continue. Outreach into the community is part of this and I am particularly concerned with encouraging greater interest in science. Education is fundamental in changing the lives of people here and abroad. Initiatives to develop new ways of approaching disadvantage, exclusion, poverty remain of huge importance and I know that the University will wish to continue its involvement in this area and I would like to help.

Fourth, the University should continue to develop new models for research. It will maintain its international excellence, its commitment to interdisciplinary research, and its emphasis on knowledge transfer. We may need new models for this, and to free up our staff to be entrepreneurial-academic entrepreneurs; looking for new ways of dealing with difficult problems, taking some risks, linking with business, seeing new opportunities. This means breaking down barriers, releasing our staff. Universities are creative industries.

Fifth, the Universities are ideal places for debate and discussion. Universities should be places where discussion is encouraged on the kind of city and world we would like to live in, as the Union Debating Society has encouraged over decades. As a contribution to this I would like to ensure the involvement of the University in debating the great issues of the day, with the people who shape the future to raise the profile of the University the City and Scotland.

The relationship between the University and the city is an important one, and is a theme I will develop further in the Trades House lecture in July this year.

The motto of the city is "let Glasgow Flourish", and if I return to the Papal Bull of 1451, which said "let there be a flowing fountain of the sciences so that all may drink." The University can help the City flourish by providing the "spring" to help nourish and that we should flourish together, grow together, blossom and bear fruit like a vigorous plant, a green symbol of growth and energy and in doing so contribute to making Scotland the best small country in the world.

The city and the university watered by the Clyde, nourished and cherished by the people of Glasgow, proud of their city, proud of their university. Clyde built, an international symbol of quality.

There is an interesting quote at the frontispiece of one of the 500TH anniversary books:

SCOTIAE POPULO HEREDITATIS NOSTRAE HEREDIBUS
DO SHLUAGH NA H-ALBANANN LUCHD-SEILBH AR DILEIB

TO THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND, THE HEIRS OF OUR INHERITANCE.

The University of Glasgow is not my University, or your university, it belongs to the city and the people of Scotland and the world.

The University of Glasgow is of international significance. It has an enormous heritage and a clear vision of the future. It has ambition, and it will achieve its goals. I shall do all that I can to support that vision and to uphold the traditions and values of scholarship and learning and to contribute to raising its profile nationally and internationally.

VIVA VERITAS VITA-RESURGAT IN GLORIA, ALMA MATER

Chancellor, Professor Sir Kenneth Calman (Chancellor@gla.ac.uk)

First published: 21 June 2006