That is how James Fraser, UHI Millennium Institute's newly-appointed principal of the prospective university of the Highlands and Islands sees the future.

Mr Fraser is presently deputy principal and secretary at UHI — which comprises two research units and 13 colleges, of which Inverness College is one — and will take over from Professor Bob Cormack on his retirement later this year.

Mr Fraser lives in Kiltarlity with his wife Sheila, an Inverness lawyer. He joined UHI in September 2002, having previously been secretary at the University of Paisley.

Brought up in Inverinate, near Kyle of Lochalsh, he was educated at Plockton High School and subsequently gained a first class honours degree in mental philosophy from Edinburgh University and later a master of education degree from the Stirling University.

He began his career as a lecturer in English and liberal studies at the former Inverness Technical College and later moved into senior management roles over 23 years with Stirling University, the former Queen Margaret College — now Queen Margaret University — in Edinburgh, the University of Paisley, now the University of the West of Scotland, and UHI.

"One of the big attractions of coming here was to steer the UHI Millennium Institute into university status and I thought it was a wonderful thing to be associated with," Mr Fraser said.

"I'm really quite passionate about this project because the Highlands and Islands, for a long time, has needed and wanted a university.

"Although it's been great that young people from the region have had the opportunity to go away and study, we would like youngsters to have the choice of staying here. To develop an economy you really have to have a university at the centre of it, and to move the Highlands and Islands on from where it is now you need a strong university with lots of good teaching and research. A university is necessary for developing new economic activity — and that's where UHI can play a part."

It is estimated that over recent years about 30,000 people have left the Highlands and Islands to go to university, while demographic studies carried out by various bodies, including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, have found that people are more likely to secure employment in the place where they have studied. The shortage of young people staying in the Highlands and Islands has therefore had a detrimental effect on the region's economy, which has resulted in the loss of young entrepreneurs to the area.

But Mr Fraser believes the development of UHI will change that. "We want young people to have the chance to stay in the Highlands and Islands," he said. "We want to offer courses and activities that are so attractive they will want to stay here because they will want to do what ever it is we can offer to them. But at the same time of course, we also want to be an institution of lifelong learning.

"These young people are the people who have the energy and enthusiasm to create new enterprises and also create new jobs.

This is where the blend of a university is important.

James Fraser has high ambitions for the University of the Highlands and Islands. Alasdair Allen

"On one hand you want to train people so they can do things. On the other hand, you have got to have research so you are spinning out new opportunities, and therefore young people will ask to become part of, or develop a small business which will benefit the economy."

The UHI has had a mixed past and was knocked back by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) in May 2006 when it applied for degree-waarding status. The QAA was unhappy with the way UHI was managed and the uneven student experience across the different campuses.

But last year the UHI was recommended to be given taught degree awarding powers, endorsed by the Scottish Government and subsequently awarded the powers by the UK Government Privy Council in August.

It means students are now able to graduate with a UHI degree instead of having to rely on the Open University to award undergraduate degrees.

The prospective university was also recognised last year for the quality of research and was classified as world-leading in three areas — Celtic studies, archaeology and earth systems sciences.

Talks are continuing between UHI and the Strathclyde University about offering a masters in business administration, while the QAA and Scottish Government are still looking at fast-tracking UHI's progress to full university status.

Mr Fraser explained there was a two-year framework UHI was working towards becoming a university and hoped a firm target date would be set by November. The newest university in Scotland, Queen Margaret University, took about 20 years to gain full university status. But Mr Fraser hopes UHI will be awarded its title by 2011, given the backing it is receiving from Strathclyde, Aberdeen and Edinburgh universities. They act as sponsors for UHI and are helping to build its research capacity.

"In five years' time we will have a new campus in Inverness and it will have a more vibrant and bigger research activity than it has now," Mr Fraser said.

"We will hopefully have more students from outwith the region, more foreign students and it will probably have a bigger diversity of staff than it does now, with international staff members.

"Our ambition is to have a campus in Beechwood that is worthy of the Highlands and Islands — and the kind of campus that will attract international students.

"It will be the kind of campus that will allow us to link up even more closely with Lifescan and Raigmore, and of course Beechwood will have space for the university to develop in Inverness over many years.

"There will be space for residences, a sports base — all the things students want from a university. I have high hopes and high ambition for it."

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---