before the first charge of 80 to 90 students began their education. His appointment was guaranteed for one year; should the college be successful, it was agreed that he should be advanced to the highest post or title that might be created. Rollock's salary was fixed at 40 pound Scots, and the council also agreed to "sustain him and one servant in their ordinary expenses". The tuition fees for the sons of burgesses were set at 40 Shillings, and other students paid three pounds or more; Rollock would be given an augmentation not exceeding 40 merks should the fees not afford him a sufficient salary. When the university opened, Rollock was the sole instructor for the first-year students; as regent, he was expected to tutor the 1583 intake for the entirety of the four years of their MA degree, and teach all subjects himself. Rollock had drawn up the curriculum and was joined in November by a second master, Duncan Nairn of Glasgow, to do some preparatory teaching. The first year focused on Latin and Greek grammar; the second year featured authors from classical antiquity and arithmetic; year three added Hebrew, ethics, logic, and physics; and the fourth year exposed students to more logic, physics, geography and theology. Rollock's curriculum was deeply influenced by humanist ideals which had also taken root at the universities of Glasgow and St Andrews, but a pioneering course on human anatomy was an innovation. From May 1585 to February 1586, Rollock was forced to close the college due to an outbreak of plague. In 1586, the Town Council agreed to make Rollock the university's first principal, which meant that after his first class graduated in 1587, he no longer had to perform everyday teaching. The young university grew quickly, which necessitated the appointment of additional regents for subsequent student intakes. In November 1587, the Town Council and local presbytery agreed that Rollock could focus on teaching theology and preach on Sundays, and he was consequently appointed as Professor of Theology with a salary of 400 merks. Rollock instructed students in divinity if they wanted to become ministers after graduating, and saw himself both as an educator and as a spiritual guide to his students. Following his example, the posts of Principal and Professor of Theology remained linked until 1620. Later years and church roles Rollock had begun to preach informally at St Giles every Sunday