'Sustainable' joint campus opens
A new Scottish joint university and college campus will be one of the most "modern, environmentally friendly and sustainable" in the UK.
The £81 million University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) Ayr Campus is to be unveiled.
The official opening of the 18,000 square metre site on the Craigie Estate next to the River Ayr will be attended by Education Secretary Michael Russell, SAC board chairman Lord Jamie Lindsay and UWS chancellor Lord Robert Smith.
Mr Russell said: "Both the college and the university have had a long and fruitful relationship with the town of Ayr and this new development will see their presence greatly enhanced through even closer collaboration. This kind of joining up, which will have benefits for both institutions and their students, is precisely the kind of partnership we want to see as we reform post-16 education in Scotland."
The new campus was developed in consultation with Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, to create what the university said will be "one of the UK's most modern, environmentally friendly and sustainable higher education learning environments".
The main building has been given an "excellent" environmental rating, with sustainable strategies used in its design and operation.
SAC principal Professor Bill McKelvey said: "By joining forces, the institutions have created a campus that brings great benefits and opportunities for the students who study here, to our staff, to the wider community and to the two institutions as a whole.
"SAC looks forward to the additional opportunities for collaboration with UWS that this campus opens up. There are exciting opportunities ahead for developing the curriculum and for developing and promoting the campus as a key resource for all of the communities of the West of Scotland."
The Scottish Funding Council contributed £27.8 million to the building of the joint campus.
Chief executive Mark Batho said: "There is overwhelming evidence that new buildings lead to better learning. This wonderful new campus now gives staff and students from both institutions the opportunity to demonstrate that."
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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