I reached the Principal’s office through a smaller utility stair. The steps were narrow. The walls plain. The fluorescent light sharp and colourless. It led to the same place, but without ceremony. The landing outside the Principal’s suite was quiet, carrying a faint scent of drying plaster. A building designed to project confidence was, for now, under careful management.
The University feels similar at this moment. The community is still reckoning with the death of Ethan Brown, a tragedy that has prompted renewed scrutiny of the University’s bureaucracy and mental health support. International student recruitment has slowed across the sector, tightening budgets.
Frustration persists over the University’s decision to maintain investments arms-linked companies, against the wishes of the student body. The structures remain, but the routes through them feel different.
It is into this situation that Professor Andy Schofield has taken up the role of the University of Glasgow’s fifty first Principal.
When we sit down, he speaks with steady assurance. “Everywhere I go on campus, the reception has been very positive,” he says. “People have been warm and generous with their time. I am still learning, but I have been encouraged by the welcome.”
The Emily Test
When asked directly whether the University will commit to the EmilyTest, Schofield confirmed that steps to join the network are now underway.
“I have met obviously with Duncan and his very first conversation with me was exactly around the EmilyTest,” he said, referring to Student Representative Council President Duncan Calvert. “This was not something I was aware of before I came here. But on the back of that conversation with Duncan, I met with the Emily Trust.
The Emily Test was established in memory of first-year student Emily Drouet, who died in 2016 following sustained abuse from a partner. Several institutions in Scotland, including Strathclyde and Aberdeen, have already undergone external evaluation and implemented the framework. Glasgow, despite its involvement in the Fearless Glasgow partnership, had not pledged its commitment until now.
“The first step is clear.”
“It seems to me from talking to Fiona [Drouet, CEO of the Emily Trust] that the first step is to join the network. And so I have told the senior team that that is exactly what we need to do. By talking to the network we can pick up the best practice. What steps happen after…I am dependent on that network conversation.
“Obviously nobody could fail to be concerned about gender based violence and the horrific consequences it has had for people and the Drouet family is a case in point. Making sure this University is doing all it can to minimise that is really important. The EmilyTest could well be a very important step in that.”
Schofield’s confirmation marks the first clear institutional shift of his tenure. The timeline for the implementation of the work is unclear.
Support Systems and Waiting Times
Students continue to report long waits for counselling support. In some cases, particularly for gender based violence survivors, waits have extended to several months.
An investigation by Hillhead Review found that average waiting times for ongoing mental health support had risen 600% in two years, with some students reporting no contact at all after referral. Several students reported waits of nearly a year for GBV-specific counselling.
When asked whether current provision is sufficient, Schofield acknowledged the scale of the issue.
“I think you know it would be concerning that times are rising,” he said. “I would say that the need that we are seeing in the generation of students that we are taking on now is getting ever greater. That could be connected with cost of living, the challenge of Covid, and widening access.
“Our support mechanisms must stay in step with the student’s needs. No student seeking help should be left without timely support. That will require attention.”
The University has pointed to the addition of school-based support officers, a dedicated safeguarding team and its partnership with the NHS. However, students continue to report extended gaps between initial assessment and follow-up care.
Schofield stated that joining the EmilyTest network will form part of a broader effort to clarify support pathways and improve response systems, while noting that full implementation will take time.
Divestment
I asked Schofield about the University’s continued investments in arms-linked companies despite an overwhelming student mandate in favour of full divestment.
“This is not my decision,” he said. “This was a Court decision. It was an issue that caused significant debate and a range of views were listened to and heard. There was not a universal view, but on balance, the University, through Court, made a decision that it was not the right thing to make a blanket disinvestment around defence companies.”
He noted the University’s position as a publicly funded institution:
“We are funded largely by the taxpayer. To make a statement that says we will withdraw from anything associated with defence puts us at odds with the taxpayer, and starts to limit choices on campus.”
I noted that 70% of staff and students polled supported divestment in the Socially Responsible Investment consultation, and 89.3% of students polled backed divestment again in the SRC referendum. I asked whether the repeated mandate alters the balance.
“At the moment, we have an elected government that sees the defence of the country as one of its top priorities,” he said. “In a global situation where the likelihood of conflict coming close to these shores is increasing rather than decreasing.”
He also referred to Glasgow’s local economic context:
“Many of our neighbours are significantly involved and dependent on the defence industry for their work.”
The University’s stance, in short, remains unchanged.
Climate Commitments
Hillhead Review uncovered that the University has continued to increase carbon emissions year on year since the pandemic, reporting above the target within the latest available data. The rise has been driven primarily by business travel returning to and exceeding pre-pandemic levels, and by gas consumption linked to campus heating.
I asked whether Glasgow remains on track for its 2030 net-zero target.
“Well, I am not in a position yet to say whether we are right or wrong,” he said. “We set a target, as I understand it, with a particular date.”
He spoke about his previous experience at Lancaster:
“We mapped out a route to carbon net zero which had two phases in it. The 2030 date was tied to Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Scope 1 and 2 tend to be the ones that you are in control of, your actual energy use on campus.”
He emphasised the role of major structural decisions:
“The path is not always as straightforward as you think it is. The importance of a big ticket item happening can make all the difference.”
Staff Relations
Schofield drew a distinction between formal negotiations and everyday contact.
“One is the formal negotiation process where we have set up a joint negotiating committee,” he said. “I do not sit on that. I do not sit on it here. I did not sit on it in Lancaster. That is different from the daily conversations you have with members of staff, many of whom are unionised.”
On the wider financial pressures:
“The sector is going through some real difficulties. If you do not get inflationary rises in your income and you are trying to do the same activity, something has got to give. We have relied on international students to make up the difference. If you do not have that anymore, you cannot support the staff number. That is just a basic equation.”
On pay:
“Nobody is comfortable with wage rises not meeting inflation. I think staff deserve to be paid more. That is not the same question as ‘can I afford to pay more?’”
He summarised his approach going forward:
“All I can do is be open and honest and transparent with people. These are the facts. These are the things that are movable and negotiable.”
The latest BNOC: Rico the cat
Before we finished, I mentioned the quiet discussion among students about a new feline presence around campus.
“There is a new cat on campus,” Schofield said. “His name is Enrico Fermi. Rico. He determines his own future and what he chooses to do and not to do.”
When I left, I passed the South Stair again.
The plastic sheeting was still in place.
The building, like the institution it houses, is being worked on.
Work continues.
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