Aamer Anwar to be Installed as Rector on 19th April

Human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar will be officially installed as Rector of Glasgow University during a ceremony that will take place in Bute Hall on Wednesday 19th April at 5:30pm.

The University of Glasgow’s recent rector election in March saw a voter turnout of 8210, approximately 25% more than in previous years.

With 4458 votes, Aamer Anwar saw a clear victory with over 3000 more votes than runner-up Lady Hazel Cosgrove, earning 54% of all votes cast. Now, nearly a month since the election, Anwar will be officially installed as Rector on Wednesday 19th of April during a ceremony that will take place in Bute Hall at 5:30pm.

With his involvement in left-wing politics and a history of campaigning for human rights, Anwar’s student career at the University of Glasgow saw him lead a protest against racism at the university’s Dental School, which lead to the introduction of anonymous marking across the university, creating fairer and more equal opportunities for students.

As a prominent lawyer, Anwar recently received the award for ‘Scottish Lawyer of the Year’ in March of this year for his work within the legal system. Notably, his most prominent case was in the trial of the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar, which was only the second case in Scottish history in which one person has been tried twice for the same crime. Anwar acted on behalf of Chhokar’s family, and it was on the second trial that a successful conviction was made.

Following his declaration as Rector, Anwar said: “I have been inspired by the thousands of students that I have met in the last three weeks whilst touring lecture theatres, student unions, interrupting lunches and holding street meetings. I also want to thank all those student groups and societies that spoke out in support of my campaign”.

Replacing Edward Snowden as Rector, Anwar promises to be a more physical presence on campus, in order to better represent student concerns from the most senior position available on campus.

In a university-wide email, SRC President Ameer Ibrahim invited all students to Aamer Anwar’s installation as Rector on Wednesday evening. For most students, the installation of Rector will only happen once in their undergraduate career.