At its General Assembly in 2022 the United Reformed Church, with whom the College is associated, made the following apology
We, the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, mindful of our own
history and that of our antecedent bodies, wish to confess and apologise for our
role in transatlantic slavery, and the scars which continue to blight our society, our
Church, and the lives of black people in our midst and around the globe today.’
Some of the early benefactors of the Scottish College were enriched by the transatlantic slave trade.
In this regard, the College notes the report presented to the University of Dundee and, in particular, the findings concerning the wealth of the Baxter family, merchants of that city.
Mary Ann Baxter was a significant benefactor to the University's predecessor institution and also to the Scottish Congregational College.
The report finds that, while the Baxter family "did not trade in or own slaves themselves, they were indirectly linked with slavery through the production and export of manufactured goods to transatlantic markets, and particularly clothing worn by enslaved people."
The College acknowledges this history, associates itself with the apology by the United Reformed Church's General Assembly, undertakes to find ways to better understand the implications and demands of this history for our present day mission, and commits itself to act in the light of this discernment.