Graduation Address: Professor Brad Mackay, Deputy Principal
Tuesday 2 December 2025 – morning ceremony
Of hedgehogs and foxes
Vice-Chancellor, colleagues, families, supporters and, most importantly, graduates, it is an honour to speak to you today as Deputy Principal and Vice-Principal for International Strategy and External Relations and, on occasion, Professor of Strategy in the Business School.
As a Professor of Strategy, I am professionally obligated to take any human experience, including graduation, and turn it into a framework. So, in that spirit, I offer you one final strategic framework for life after St Andrews, courtesy of Isaiah Berlin: The Hedgehog and the Fox.
Berlin, borrowing from the ancient Greek poet Archilochus, wrote:
“The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”
Now, this may sound abstract, but fortunately you have spent time in a town where foxes and hedgehogs coexist quite peacefully. On occasion, students and locals, ‘town and gown’ as we sometimes say, do as well, particularly after the return of all those Raisin receipts that were borrowed. By the way, the amnesty is still in effect…
Still, based on my observations, both hedgehogs and foxes do share one trait: they have a strong night-time presence. As, I should note, do many of you. But, what does this have to do with life after graduation?
Let us start with the foxes. Foxes are curious, agile, adaptable. They roam widely. A fox might join several societies a week, play two or three sports, and juggle a joint honours or a Masters degree with the finesse of someone who believes deadlines are mere suggestions. Foxes excel at creativity, multitasking and, when needed, evading hall wardens, puzzled professors and club convenors. Foxes thrive on variety. They know a little about everything, and they use it brilliantly.
Hedgehogs, on the other hand, know one big thing. They are purposeful. They go deep. They commit. They can explain their experiment, dissertation, or thesis topic with such devotion that you are unsure whether to applaud their brilliance… or stage an intervention.
But, in all seriousness, we must acknowledge that you graduate into a world facing extraordinary, interconnected challenges:
- a climate crisis, like disease, that has not gone away because some might wish it has, and demands bold imagination, innovation and serious expertise
- a tsunami of technological change that, whilst transformative, asks for adaptability, ingenuity and, increasingly, our humanity
- geopolitical tensions and neo-mercantilist trading policies that call for collaboration, diplomacy and principle
- social inequalities and dignified employment that require not just awareness, but imagination, entrepreneurialism and empathy
- democracy under pressure from would-be authoritarianism, for which the Ukrainians are so valiantly fighting, on behalf of us all, requiring our courage, resolution and remembrance of what our forefathers sacrificed so much for so that we could live in freedom
These are not small challenges. They are not even medium challenges. In strategic terms, they are what we politely call ‘wicked’. And yet, these challenges present enormous opportunity too. We live in a world that is full of possibility, progress and potential.
This is where our foxes and hedgehogs matter. For our foxes, adaptability, industriousness and willingness to say, ‘I’ve never done that before, but I’ll give it a go’, will be essential for shaping a world that is shifting beneath our feet. For our hedgehogs, depth, focus, long-term thinking and the ability to keep going when others lose their nerve are equally vital.
As Churchill once said:
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
But the real magic, and what a St Andrews education has given you, is the ability to be both. To think broadly and deeply. To imagine new possibilities and commit to seeing them through. To hold values that are grounded in integrity, and visions that are expansive.
One of the great strengths of this University is that it has prepared you to listen and synthesise, not just to decide and choose. You have learned to explore widely, across disciplines, cultures and ideas, and to pursue something with genuine rigour, whether in chemistry, philosophy, business, biology, international relations, mathematics, classics and beyond.
The world ahead needs both foxes and hedgehogs. It needs those who can navigate complexity, make connections and dream up what does not yet exist. And it needs those who can cut through the noise and commit to something that matters deeply and, sometimes, for a very long time. If you can balance the curiosity of the fox with the clarity of the hedgehog, you will have a strategic advantage that no matrix concocted by a strategy professor can capture.
And the truth is, you already have. You survived the demands of a St Andrews degree. And you have thrived in an international community that values thoughtfulness, dialogue and the ability to see the world from another point of view, skills the world badly needs.
But you have also not done this alone. Your families, friends and supporters provided encouragement, patience, gentle nudges, sometimes less-than-gentle nudges, financial support and, crucially, emotional support. They have made today possible, and they are immensely proud of you, as are we. Graduates, let’s show them our appreciation.
Today, you join a global family of St Andrews alumni. You carry our values with you: community, courage and curiosity. Yes, I did just turn your graduation into the three ‘C’s. And to add one more, wherever you go next, go with confidence. The world you enter is challenging, uncertain, sometimes overwhelming, but also full of possibility. Remember our motto, ever to excel. You are ready.
Be foxes when the world needs agility, inventiveness and the courage to try something new. Be hedgehogs when it needs clarity, conviction and a steady focus on what truly matters. And know that you do not have to choose one forever. Your degrees, not to mention the long Scottish nights, have taught you to live comfortably in the grey.
In my role, I spend a lot of time ‘representing the University externally’. Graduates, after today, you share that job.
Congratulations! Go out there and make a real difference. And as the wonderful Scottish phrase says, haste ye back.