Sir Alastair Muir Russell was born on 9 January 1949 and is a Scottish retired civil servant and former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, and Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland.
10 Facts About Muir Russell
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Muir Russell joined the Scottish Office in 1970 and became Secretary of the Scottish Development Agency on its establishment in Glasgow in 1975.
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Muir Russell was Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Scotland from 1981 to 1983 and was seconded to the Cabinet Office in 1990.
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Muir Russell was appointed Permanent Secretary at The Scottish Office in May 1998, and to the Scottish Executive since its establishment in 1999.
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Muir Russell took office as Principal of the University of Glasgow on 1 October 2003, but attracted much criticism for his handling of the 2006 lecturers' strike, as well as attempts to close the University's Crichton Campus in Dumfries and for receiving pay rises which were much greater than the rate of inflation.
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Muir Russell retired in October 2009, and was succeeded by Professor Anton Muscatelli, former Vice-Principal of the University and former Principal of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.
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On 7 October 2008, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill announced Sir Muir Russell would succeed Sir Neil McIntosh as Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland for a three year appointment.
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Kenny MacAskill 8.
Muir Russell is married to Eileen Mackay, a former Scottish Office civil servant who left the civil service and became, amongst other interests, a director of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
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Muir Russell was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2000 and holds honorary degrees from the University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh and the University of Strathclyde.
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Muir Russell was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2001 Birthday Honours.