UHI Millennium Institute to achieve university status in weeks

The marathon project of creating the uniquely Scottish University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is only yards away from the final tape.

Following a Board meeting last week, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) will be formally advising the Scottish Government that it has assessed UHIMI as fully meeting the quality and standards that the title of ‘University’ carries with it.

This is the last major hurdle in achieving the aim of becoming a university and will see the highlands and islands of Scotland with their own university.

It comes after a rigorous review by a QAA scrutiny panel, drawn from the higher education sector and means a final decision could be reached within weeks.

Until it acquires the formal title of University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), the institution will continue under under the tongue tripper name of the University of the Highlands and Islands Millenniun Institute (UHIMI).- with its magnetic necklace of constituent colleges around the periphery of this vast mainland and island territory.

This come-to-me-go-from-me of a title was intended at the same time to foreground the aspiration of university status while declaring it hadn’t got there yet.

The emergency of the UHI brand will be a relief and a release. If the new and inspirationally individual university focuses on centres of excellence, it has the ability to be a national leader in most of these and more. It has:

• the internationally recognised  marine sciences research and teaching affiliate at SAMS in Dunstaffnage in Argyll
• the worldwide archaeological per-eminence at Orkney College, with the richest cluster of archaeological remains in the UK at hand
• the highly successful and innovative Gaelic language college in Skye – Sabhal Mor Ostaig (with its associate on Islay in Argyll – Ionad Chaluim Chille Ile)
• It runs courses with heavyweight industry connections and support – such as those at Lews College in Lewis.

Welcoming the announcement of UHI’s clearance to proceed to the final gate of university status, Education Secretary Michael Russell says: ‘I very much welcome the news that the QAA has assessed UHI as meeting the quality and standards that university title carries in Scotland.

‘This is a tremendous achievement for UHI and is a key step in achieving its long held ambition of university title.

‘The opportunities that university level learning has to offer the Highlands and Islands are considerable not only in terms of its economic future but also in terms of the social and cultural benefits this can bring.  UHI is already playing an important role in enabling people across the region to access higher education without having to leave the area.

‘I recognise that this positive assessment by QAA is the result of an enormous amount of work from staff across the UHI network who must be delighted to have their efforts recognised in this way’.

The Scottish Government held a public consultation earlier this year after UHI’s initial application to the Privy Council in May 2010. The results of that consultation are now being considered by Ministers who will make a recommendation before the final decision is made by the Privy Council early in 2011.

James Fraser, current principal of UHIMI, says: ‘It would be an understatement to say we are delighted, but we must contain our celebrations until a final decision is made by the Privy Council.

‘To be considered worthy of university title by the QAA is a marvellous achievement and I must pay tribute to our staff, both past and present, and to our supporters who have brought us to this stage.

‘We very much hope that the people of the Highlands and Islands will have something wonderful to celebrate in the new year when they finally have a university of their own’.

And we all very much want to see it blaze its trail as a flaming hope for the sustainability of the highlands and islands and of Argyll.

And Argyll College?

Argyll now needs Argyll College, a constituent of UHI, to up its game academically and start developing excellence in areas that will draw student s,their coming expertise, with business and industrial spin offs to this place.

After several rocky periods and relaunches, the college has stabilised and become secure. That has been a considerable achievement. Now it needs to step into the Seven League Boots of folklore.

It’s a question of ambition – the key determinant of growth of which Argyll possesses remarkably little. Yes, it will need serious investment – but with the right judgment and the skills and determination to make it happen, there is no reason why Argyll College could not, for example, specialise in engineering research, development and teaching associated with marine energy.

That is a permanent energy source with which Argyll is spectacularly well endowed. The marine science expertise at SAMS is already present in Argyll and could be partnered with a college focused on engineering development. Campbeltown is the obvious place for this.

The town – with its merchant grandness, has the capacity to accommodate and expand in response to a student population. It also has the developed resources to support a specifc lifestyle for such students – based on sporting activities on land and water and in music.

And there is plenty of room for spin off manufacturing development at the former RAF airbase at Machrihanish, now the subject of a determined bid by the community to buy it from the MoD, which is disposing of it.

Then,  Kilmartin Museum is about to start a consultation process on it own future. Here in Argyll is a small museum recognised for its excellence. It has, following Orkney, the second largest and most significant collection of archaeological remains in the UK, spread across the breathtaking Kilmartin Glen.

It has to be possible for Argyll College to partner with Orkney Colleges in hosting some of the course units in an archaeology degree.

This is a time for boldness and imagination. Who would not respond to the excitement of such far reaching initiatives as these,  focused on being the best?

It’s always easier to find reasons for not doing something. Today Argyll needs to rise to challenge and find reasons for action and routes to making it happen..

Why not?

NOTES: The power to grant consent for the use of university title lies with the Privy Council under Section 49 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992.

In the case of a Scottish institution submitting an application for university title the Privy Council seeks the recommendation of Scottish Ministers.

To inform their recommendation to the Privy Council, Ministers are able to draw on the evaluation by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and the Scottish Government’s public consultation exercise on the award of university title to UHI.

UHI was awarded taught degree awarding powers on 1st August 2008.