Principal (academia)

{{Short description|Chief executive or chief academic officer}}

{{For|any other use|Principal (disambiguation){{!}}Principal}}

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

Queen's University,[http://www.queensu.ca/principal/ Office of the Principal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050914014623/http://www.queensu.ca/principal/ |date=2005-09-14 }}, Queen's University, Canada. the constituent colleges of the University of Toronto, and McGill University[https://www.mcgill.ca/principal/ The Principal and the Vice-Chancellor] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309065537/http://www.mcgill.ca/principal/ |date=2017-03-09 }}, McGill University, Canada. in Canada have principals instead of presidents or rectors, as a result of their Scottish origins. In addition, Bishop's University,{{cite web |url=https://www.ubishops.ca/about-bu/principal/index.html |title=Principal Michael Goldbloom, C.M. - Bishop's University |access-date=2017-09-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807042216/http://www.ubishops.ca/about-bu/principal/index.html |archive-date=2015-08-07 }} and the Royal Military College of Canada also have principals.

England

Many colleges of further education in England have a principal in charge (e.g., Cirencester College[http://www.swindon-college.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=553&Itemid=152 A New Principal for Swindon College] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724085746/http://www.swindon-college.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=553&Itemid=152 |date=2011-07-24 }}, Swindon College, UK. and West Nottinghamshire CollegeJanet Murray, [https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/jun/03/furthereducation The college principal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510235754/https://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/jun/03/furthereducation |date=2017-05-10 }}. The Guardian, 3 June 2008.).

At collegiate universities, the title of principal is used for the head of college at many colleges. These include:

Scotland

{{See also|Ancient university governance in Scotland}}

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

{{update section|date=July 2014}}

In 1999, there were about 133,000 principals and assistant principals in the United States.[http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002130.pdf Digest of Education Statistics 2001] In the early decades of public education,{{Clarify|date=September 2019}} 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.{{cite web|title=Online Schools Offering Education Administration Degrees|url=https://www.elearners.com/online-degrees/education/administration-leadership/|access-date=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

References