St Andrews chooses Ministry of Defence analyst Dr Arthur Bernhoff as rector
A Ministry of Defence analyst has won the race to become the next rector of the University of St Andrews, defeating actor Brian Baumgartner and Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannan after a tightly watched contest that drew unusual attention well beyond campus politics. Dr Arthur Bernhoff, a St Andrews graduate who lives locally, secured 3,135 votes in the fourth round and will take up the post on 1 November.
The result hands the university a representative with institutional memory, local roots, and a profile that differs sharply from the celebrity candidates who helped push the election into the national spotlight. Bernhoff described himself as “present, listening, and effective” during the campaign, a promise that now carries the practical weight of student representation on the university court.
Turnout reached just under 45%, almost double the participation seen in the 2023 rector election and the strongest response in recent years. In university governance, turnout is not a decorative statistic. A higher vote share means the student body has sent a clearer signal about the kind of advocate it wants speaking for it at the boardroom level, especially at a time when tuition pressures, accommodation shortages, and student welfare issues continue to shape campus life across the sector.
A contest shaped by campus politics and public attention
Bernhoff finished ahead of Baumgartner, best known for playing Kevin Malone in the US version of The Office, who came second with 1,553 votes. Manivannan, the Scottish Green MSP who came third with 1,243 votes, was eliminated in the third round. The fourth-round win confirms that the contest was never simply about profile alone. It also reflected the role of the rector as a university figure meant to represent student interests rather than a ceremonial celebrity appointment.
At St Andrews, the rector is elected every three years to serve as a student voice on the university court. The post has historically attracted figures with cultural or public reputations, including authors JM Barrie and Rudyard Kipling. Bernhoff will become the 56th person to hold the role, and he is set to be formally installed at a ceremony in 2027 before taking part in the traditional student “drag” around the Fife town.
For students, the office matters because it links symbolic leadership with governance access. The rector does not run the university, but the position can shape how student concerns are carried into senior decision-making, from wellbeing services to the broader climate of academic life. Bernhoff’s pledge to stay close to students suggests a conventional but important approach: regular contact, visible representation, and a willingness to translate student frustrations into institutional pressure.
Manivannan’s candidacy collided with a separate political controversy
The election was also marked by outside intervention after actor and former rector John Cleese urged students not to vote for Manivannan because of comments the MSP made about rape in a podcast last year. In that discussion, Manivannan described the “demonisation of rape” and said the crime existed on a “spectrum,” remarks that drew criticism from the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance and prompted a backlash from Cleese.
Manivannan later apologised for any hurt caused, saying the comments had been “maliciously” edited and that the original language had been abstract. The episode added a combustible layer to an already unusual contest, pulling questions of public accountability, language, and sexual violence into a university election that normally turns on student priorities rather than national debate.
The controversy also sharpened the contrast between the candidates. Baumgartner offered global recognition and the curiosity that comes with an American television star entering a Scottish university race. Manivannan brought parliamentary experience and political visibility. Bernhoff, by comparison, offered a quieter and more conventional proposition: an alumnus with a professional background in analytical government work and a local stake in the institution’s future.
What Bernhoff’s victory signals for the university
Bernhoff currently holds an analytical role with the Ministry of Defence and remains a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office deployable civilian expert. Those credentials may appeal to students looking for a rector who understands systems, bureaucracy, and the mechanics of accountability rather than one built primarily around public recognition. In a university setting, that kind of background can matter when the job involves listening to student concerns and carrying them into formal governance structures.
His victory also suggests that, even in a crowded and media-driven contest, a substantial share of voters still chose the candidate most closely tied to the university itself. Alumni status, local residence, and familiarity with St Andrews likely helped reinforce that connection. Bernhoff said the campaign gave him a chance to reconnect with the university and hear directly from students about their experiences, and he framed his future role around helping students from all backgrounds build strong foundations for life after higher education.
The result leaves the university with a rector who enters office amid more scrutiny than usual and with a clear expectation to remain visible. A higher turnout can deepen legitimacy, but it also raises the bar. Students who engaged in this election did so with unusual intensity, and that creates pressure for the new rector to remain more than a symbolic figurehead.
What happens next will depend less on campaign language than on how often Bernhoff shows up, how effectively he carries student concerns into court discussions, and whether the office can keep its relevance in a university environment where representation is easy to promise and harder to prove over time.