Principal (academia)
The principal is the chief executive and the chief academic officer of a university or college in certain parts of the Commonwealth.
In the United States, the principal is the head of school at most pre-university, non-boarding schools.
Canada
[edit]Queen's University,[1] the satellite campuses and constituent colleges of the University of Toronto, and McGill University[2] in Canada have principals instead of presidents or rectors, as a result of their Scottish origins. In addition, Bishop's University,[3] and the Royal Military College of Canada also have principals.
England
[edit]Many colleges of further education in England have a principal in charge (e.g., Cirencester College[4] and West Nottinghamshire College[5]).
At collegiate universities, the title of principal is used for the head of college at many colleges. These include:
- The heads of Homerton College and Newnham College at Cambridge University.
- The heads of almost all of the colleges at Durham University (the exception being Hatfield College).
- The heads of all colleges at Lancaster University.[6]
- The heads of Royal Holloway (vice-chancellor and principal),[7] Queen Mary (president and principal),[8] the Royal Veterinary College (president and principal),[9] the Royal Academy of Music[10] and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama[11] at the University of London.
- The heads of Brasenose, Green Templeton, Harris Manchester, Hertford, Jesus, Lady Margaret Hall, Linacre, Mansfield, St Anne's, St Edmund Hall, St Hilda's, St Hugh's and Somerville at Oxford University.[12]
South Africa
[edit]In South Africa, the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997 defines the principal as "the chief executive and accounting officer of a public higher education institution."[13] The definition allows for the alternative nomenclatures of vice-chancellor and a rector, and these terms are in widespread use (the term vice-chancellor is more common in English-medium universities, whilst the term rector tends to be used in Afrikaans-medium universities). The exact name in a particular university will be defined by the Institutional Statute. The same act defines the chancellor as the titular head of an institution.
Scotland
[edit]In Scotland the principal is appointed by the University Court or governing body of the university and will be chairman or president of the body of academics. In the case of the ancient universities of Scotland the principal is president of the Academic Senate. The principal also holds the title of vice-chancellor, but their powers with regard to this position extend only to the awarding of degrees, as both the vice-chancellor and chancellor are titular posts.
United States
[edit] | This section needs to be updated. (July 2014) |
In 1999, there were about 133,000 principals and assistant principals in the United States.[14] In the early decades of public education,[clarification needed] the full title was "principal teacher", which accounts for the present-day title having an adjectival form, essentially being a shortened version of the original full title. Yet the terms head(master/mistress) and head of school are still used in older schools, such as in Louisiana and some southern small towns. School principals in the United States are sometimes required to have school administrator licensing, and often, a master's degree in educational administration.[15][16]
References
[edit]- ^ Office of the Principal Archived 2005-09-14 at the Wayback Machine, Queen's University, Canada.
- ^ The Principal and the Vice-Chancellor Archived 2017-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, McGill University, Canada.
- ^ "Principal Michael Goldbloom, C.M. - Bishop's University". Archived from the original on 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
- ^ A New Principal for Swindon College Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Swindon College, UK.
- ^ Janet Murray, The college principal Archived 2017-05-10 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian, 3 June 2008.
- ^ "Senate membership" (PDF). Lancaster University. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ "Senior Leadership Team and Governance". Royal Holloway. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "Who's who". QMUL. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "Latest message from the President & Principal". RVC. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "Senior management". RAM. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ "Strategic Management Team". Royal Central. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Colleges and Halls A–Z Archived 2010-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, University of Oxford, UK.
- ^ "Higher Education Act 101 of 1997". 4 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ Digest of Education Statistics 2001
- ^ "Online Schools Offering Education Administration Degrees". Retrieved 12 July 2013.
- ^ Kate Rousmaniere, The Principal's Office: A Social History of the American School Principal (State University of New York Press; 2013) 197 pages