Hollywood actor Brian Cox took on a new, challenging role as he arrived in Dundee for the first time since being elected rector of his hometown university.
The 63-year-old Troy and Bourne Supremacy star is in town to meet and greet the student body that elected him to the post with an overwhelming majority back in February.
Mr Cox had previously said in a video posted on the Dundee University Student Association website that he would fight against the “insidious nature” of cost effectiveness superseding educational values.
But he was in a much more conciliatory mood on Tuesday, saying his visit was solely a fact-finding mission.
Mr Cox — who has two meetings scheduled with university principal Professor Peter Downes — said he wanted to hear first-hand the concerns of students and staff.
He said any fights with university management, which marked out the rectorial style of his predecessor Craig Murray, would be for another day.
He said the most concerning thing for him was the uncertainty of the election and the prospect of massive cuts in public spending.
“I don’t want to pre-judge anything — I think that is pointless,” the Manhunter star said.
“I have to see what the lie of the land is then get a real sense of where to take it from there.
“Once I know what is going on I can be as reactive or pro-active as I want.
“If I do feel something needs fighting for then I will, but I think one doesn’t want to dissipate at the same time.
“You have just got to fight the battles you can win and leave the ones you can’t.”
Mr Cox said he hoped to leave the city with a better understanding of what the university’s needs were as a whole.
“I’m here to meet everybody — the president of DUSA, the executive and a few faculty members — and I’ll be going to various things to get the lay of the land,” he said.
“I don’t have any agenda — my only agenda is to get on the ground and find out what is going on and what the need is.
“Once I have established what the needs is I will do my best to help whatever does have that need.”