23 Facts About Sally Mapstone

Sally Mapstone was born in 1957 in Hillingdon, Middlesex, England, and grew up in West London.

Sally Mapstone read English language and literature at Wadham College, Oxford between 1975 and 1978, graduating with a first-class honours Bachelor of Arts degree.

Sally Mapstone then returned to the University of Oxford to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy degree at St Cross College.

In 1984, Mapstone was appointed lecturer in Medieval English language and literature at Worcester College, Oxford, and Randall MacIver Junior Research Fellow at St Hilda's College, Oxford.

On 1 September 2016, Sally Mapstone took up her position as the 11th Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, and was formally installed in post on 29 November 2016.

Sally Mapstone was deputy chair of the University of Oxford Council and its General Purposes Committee, and served as a member and chair on a broad range of Oxford committees and boards.

Sally Mapstone took a strong interest in diversity issues at Oxford, and launched the university's mentoring scheme for senior women, Ad Feminam, in 2012.

Sally Mapstone served as the only British representative on the steering group for the pro-vice rectors for teaching and learning of the League of European Research Universities, and was lead author on an advice paper, Online Learning at Research-Intensive Universities, published by LERU in 2014.

Sally Mapstone has taken forward the university's plans for the acquisition of the Madras College site, a former high school site on South Street in St Andrews, overseen a review of the university's processes for promotion, launched a new university nursery, and sponsored and launched a new mentoring scheme for senior academic women, the Elizabeth Garrett Mentoring Programme.

Sally Mapstone led the university through its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In June 2020, Sally Mapstone discussed racism and the Black Lives Matter movement in a weekly update to students.

On 12 June 2020, Sally Mapstone offered a public apology on behalf of the university for its past failures in supporting BAME students and staff, the first Scottish Principal to do so.

In 2022, Sally Mapstone worked with Saints LGBT+ to record a video welcome for new students at St Andrews in which she reaffirmed the university's support for trans students.

Sally Mapstone was elected Vice-Convener of Universities Scotland in 2020 for a two-year term.

Sally Mapstone was then elected Convener for a two-year term that commenced in August 2022.

Sally Mapstone's research is primarily on Older Scots literature of the 14th to 17th centuries and on book history.

Sally Mapstone has published on Chaucer and Malory, and on Shakespeare, as well as on later Scottish writers.

Sally Mapstone is past president and honorary president of the Scottish Text Society.

Sally Mapstone is a member of the advisory board of Studies in Scottish Literature, a member of the editorial board of Scottish Studies Review, and an honorary fellow of the Project for the History of the Book in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh.

Sally Mapstone was elected a fellow of the English Association in 2013.

Sally Mapstone received a silver medal from the University of Helsinki, whose international advisory board she chaired from 2015 to 2021.

Sally Mapstone was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Aberdeen in 2019 for her contribution to the field of Older Scots literature and for her record of leadership in higher education and widening access.

Sally Mapstone was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in June 2022 for services to higher education.