Chair of Robertson Trust celebrated at UWS graduation

The Chair of the Robertson Trust has been recognised as part of University of the West of Scotland’s summer graduations.

Mark Batho, who was also previously a Vice-Principal at Abertay University, was celebrated as part of a ceremony taking place at Paisley Abbey today (Tuesday 2 July).

Mark Batho has been the Chair of The Robertson Trust since 2021, joining as a Trustee in 2017. The Trust is Scotland’s largest independent grant giver and, under its current strategy, disburses £25 million each year to help organisations in Scotland – mainly charities – in their work to address the causes and impact of poverty and trauma. As part of this work, it runs a scholarship scheme to support students from deprived backgrounds to enter and to thrive at university – a scheme which currently helps over 600 students in Scotland.

ABOVE: Mark Batho 

Mark retired in July 2020 from his post as Vice-Principal (University Services) at Abertay University where he was responsible for the main administrative and support services of the University. He also served for five years as the Chief Executive of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, the body responsible for allocating public funding to Scotland’s universities and colleges; and before that he worked for nearly 30 years as a civil servant with his last role as the Director of Lifelong Learning for the Scottish Government – a position which shaped his continuing interest in post-16 education.

Before retiring, Mark had served on the governing bodies of several diverse organisations, including Creative Skillset, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Association of Marine Science.

Dr Emily McIntosh delivered Mark Batho’s laureation speech, which reflected on his inspirational career to date.

Discussing his Honorary Doctorate from UWS, Mark Batho said, “It’s a great honour to receive this award from an institution whose values align so closely with my own and those of the Robertson Trust. I hope my award can inspire an awareness among those graduating in social science or educational disciplines of the work that is being done to increase the opportunities for everybody, regardless of their background or circumstances, to shape their future lives through education.”

Professor James Miller, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UWS, said: “Graduation is the pinnacle of the University calendar. It gives us the opportunity to both reflect on the amazing achievements of our students and to celebrate this most important of milestones with their friends and families, as well as the whole UWS community who have supported them throughout their time at university.

“We are delighted to present Mark Batho with this Honorary Doctorate. His work through the Robertson Trust to alleviate poverty and trauma is completely aligned with our ethos as Scotland’s leading university for widening participation.”