University of the Highlands and Islands
The University of the Highlands and Islands is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 10 colleges and research institutions spread around Inverness, the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Perthshire regions of Scotland. UHI offers further education, undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes which can be studied at a range of locations across the area and online. It has 31,000 students, including 19,779 further education students and 11,210 higher education students.
History
While UHI is Scotland's newest university, many of its 10 colleges and research institutions have longer histories, the earliest having been founded in the 19th century. The UHI network has had a unique structure and the way that it has evolved as a multi-campus institution has been constrained by a legislative framework that deals with further and higher education separately. Technology has played an important part in connecting the partner institutions.In April 2001, it became known as the UHI Millennium Institute, following the Scottish Parliament awarding Higher Education Institute status. By 2004 full-time deans had been appointed to its three faculties, with experienced figures having been attracted from other academic bodies.
University degrees were authenticated by the Open University Validation Service, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Aberdeen until 2008 when the UHI was given taught degree awarding powers by the Privy Council under recommendation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education ; Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma courses are awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
University status was awarded by the Privy Council in February 2011, and UHI became the University of the Highlands and Islands.
Key dates
- 1992 – UHI Project established
- 1996 – Millennium Commission funding awarded
- 1998 – Open University confirms degree validation backing
- 2001 – Higher education institution status granted
- 2002 – Research funding awarded
- 2005 – Application for taught degree awarding powers lodged with the Privy Council
- 2008 – Granting of Taught degree awarding powers
- 2010 – Decision made to relocate to a new campus at Beechwood farm
- 2011 – Awarded university status as the University of the Highlands and Islands
- 2012 – Princess Royal installed as Chancellor of the UHI Court
Organisation and administration
Clive Mulholland became Principal and Vice-Chancellor in June 2014, after his appointment to this post was announced in February 2014.
Professor Todd Walker became Principal and Vice-Chancellor in 2021.
Anton Edwards, a marine physicist, took over as Rector in June 2014.
The University's coat of arms is designed to reflect important aspects of UHI. A compass rose with a fleur-de-lys indicating north denotes University's northernly location and two open books symbolise learning, the 13 hazel leaves represent UHI's partners, and a tree associated with wisdom in Celtic and Norse tradition.
UHI has an annual income of £137 million.
UHI is organised into two faculties, the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business, and the Faculty of Science, Health and Engineering.
UHI Court
The Court consists of up to 20 members including graduates, academic and support personnel, university sponsor representatives and a majority of independent members. From the independent members the party elects its President and Vice-Chair. The Court assigns many of its academic responsibilities to the academic board.Academic Council
The Academic Council is the main Higher Education disciplinary authority in UHI. Specific tasks are assigned to a number of committees;- Quality assurance and enhancement committee
- Academic titles review board
- Comataidh Ghàidhlig
- External partnerships steering committee
- Research committee
- Research degrees committee
- Research ethics committee
Foundation
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business has three subject networks;- Business, management and leisure
- Creative and cultural industries
- Humanities, education and Gaelic
From August 2013 UHI has benefited from allocation of student teacher places, allowing postgraduate diploma in education to be offered, and the success of this has led to the number of places being increased.
Faculty of Science, Health and Engineering
The Faculty of Science, Health and Engineering has three subject networks;- Engineering and the built environment
- Applied life studies
- Science, technology and the environment
The Energy and Technology subject area offers a range of academic programs up to, and including Masters level, together with various subjects taught at HNC/HND level.
UHI has links with the new Centre for Health Sciences located behind Raigmore Hospital. This is being funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Government and Johnson and Johnson. UHI purchased the Centre for Health Science in Inverness from Highlands and Islands Enterprise in a £9.83m deal. The building includes a research centre. Phase I of this opened in early 2007, phase II and phase III were opened in 2009. The University of Stirling has moved its nursing and midwifery operations from Raigmore Hospital to the CfHS. A BSc Oral Health Science was set up in 2008, and was based on two campuses, the Centre for Health Sciences and Dumfries Dental Centre. In 2011 a third campus was added in Stornoway. In September 2016 the Nursing and Midwifery Council approved the transfer of the pre-registration nurse BSc nursing programmes in Inverness and Stornoway to be provided by UHI.
In August 2015, UHI Inverness, one of the main collaborators at UHI, opened at the Inverness Campus. The £50m 18,500 sqm facility offers further and higher education courses including Life Sciences education and research.
The £6.5 million Alexander Graham Bell Centre for Digital Health is a Moray College UHI centre for excellence in digital health and Life Science for the North of Scotland and beyond, providing facilities for, and expertise in, digital health and life science research and education. The centre was officially opened by the Princess Royal in June 2014. UHI received a £9 million grant from the UK Government for this project.
The new life sciences innovation centre is a collaborative project between UHI and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The total size of the building is projected to be 2700m². The new innovation centre aims to promote the development of education and research. The new centre will also collaborate with the proposed Elective Care Centre also planned for Inverness Campus.
Constituent institutions and campuses
UHI has 10 individual colleges and each college/research centre has its own campus in different locations. As colleges offer different programmes, not all courses are available at every campus. Some campuses such as SAMS have tiny student populations all studying similar courses, whereas other campuses, such as Inverness College, teach diverse disciplines.Some UHI colleges have student accommodation on their campuses while others do not. Argyll College does not have a single campus; staffed learning centres are located in Oban, Lochgilphead, Helensburgh, Campbeltown, Islay, Dunoon, Rothesay and Arran. Lews Castle College campus is set in 600 acres of parkland beside the principal harbour town of Stornoway. North Highland College UHI has four campuses spread throughout the north of Scotland. There are two campuses in Caithness; main campus in Thurso and one in Wick. Moray College UHI has its main campus in the ancient cathedral town of Elgin. The Elgin campus is home to Scotland's fifth art school and the only one located in a non-urban environment. West Highland College is located in Fort William. Orkney College UHI is principally based in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands with a second campus in Stromness and learning centres based on the smaller islands. UHI Perth is situated in the city of Perth on the southern edge of the Highlands of Scotland. The Scottish Association for Marine Science UHI is located on Dunstaffnage bay on the west coast of Scotland, three miles from the seaside town of Oban. Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI is situated close to the sea on the southern peninsula of Sleat on the Isle of Skye. Shetland College and NAFC Marine Centre merged in August 2021 to become Shetland UHI, with college bases in Lerwick and in the historic village of Scalloway. In 2015, Highland Theological College opened up temporary classrooms in Glasgow, using rooms in the central offices of the United Free Church, offering Central Belt students a campus environment in which to study. In 2019, permanent premises were opened in Paisley town centre, utilising the Wynd Centre building. This is the most southerly of the UHI campuses.
In 2023, UHI North Highland, UHI Outer Hebrides and UHI West Highland merged to form UHI North, West and Hebrides. It has 19 campuses and centres, as far north as Thurso, as far west as Uist, and south as a far as Kinlochleven.
| College | Founded | Main campus location | Other campuses |
| UHI Argyll | 1997 | Dunoon, Argyll and Bute | |
| Highland Theological College | 1994 | Dingwall, Highland | Paisley, Renfrewshire |
| UHI Inverness | 1960 | Inverness, Highland | |
| UHI Moray | 1971 | Elgin, Moray | 1) Linkwood Technology Centre, Elgin; 2) Biblical Garden, Elgin. |
| UHI North, West and Hebrides Alness, 2) Auchtertyre, 3) Barra, Outer Hebrides, 4) Benbecula, Outer Hebrides; 5) Broadford, 6) Cnon Soilleir Dornoch, 8) Gairloch, 9) Halkirk, 10) Kilchoan, 11) Kinlochleven, 12) Mallaig, 13) North Uist, 14) Portree, 15) Strontian | |||
| Orkney College UHI | 1995 | Kirkwall, Orkney | Stromness, Orkney |
| UHI Perth | 1961 | Perth, Perth and Kinross | |
| Sabhal Mòr Ostaig | 1973 | Sleat, Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides | |
| SAMS | 1884 | Oban, Argyll and Bute | |
| UHI Shetland | 1970 | Lerwick, Shetland | 1) Scalloway, Shetland; 2) within Mareel in Lerwick |