Following the publication of the second annual report of the Commissioner for Fair Access, a spokesperson for Universities Scotland said: “There’s a lot in this report that’s designed to keep the pressure on universities and we’ve come to expect that from the Commissioner but there is also a clear recognition of the amount of progress made…
News
June
03
2019
The economic contribution made by Scottish universities
On Friday (31 May), Universities Scotland were asked to respond to comments made at a seminar about the economic contribution made by Scotland’s universities. Part of our response was printed in Saturday’s edition of The Times. The full statement from our Director, Alastair Sim was: “We’re all working towards the same goal, which is to…
May
31
2019
Augar: The view from Scotland
Our Director, Alastair Sim, reflects on the Augar Review of post-18 education and funding and what the recommendations mean for the Scottish higher education sector. Scottish university leaders have been waiting for the Augar Review with some anxiety. Their interest is much greater than you would expect from the Review’s very brief reference to devolved…
May
30
2019
Augar Review recommendations: Any changes in fees in England has implications for Scotland
Responding to the publication of Theresa May’s review of post-18 education and funding (the ‘Augar review’), Universities Scotland is calling on the government and next prime minister to consider fully the potential consequences of the recommendations for universities and students in the devolved nations. Commenting on the report, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland, said:…
May
29
2019
Director reacts to Report on Widening Access 2017-18
Reacting to the publication of the Scottish Funding Council’s Report on Widening Access 2017-18, Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland said: “Today’s annual report is vindication of the actions taken by universities to widen access over the past decade. Universities, students and wider society are benefiting from having more students from disadvantaged areas in our…
May
17
2019
Behind the scenes at Going Global part 2
Samantha Lister is back with the second and final part of her blog from Berlin. Samantha is Assistant Registrar at the University of St Andrews and is currently attending The British Council’s Going Global conference in Berlin. This year, 12 Scottish universities are participating in the annual conference for leaders of international education where local, national,…
May
15
2019
Behind the scenes at Going Global
The British Council’s Going Global is an annual conference for leaders of international education where local, national, regional and global agendas meet. This year, 12 Scottish universities are participating in the conference. To give you a flavour of what’s happening at the conference, we have a series of blogs from Samantha Lister, Assistant Registrar at…
May
15
2019
Connected Scotland and Scottish universities Going Global in Germany
Connected Scotland partners, Scottish higher education leaders and the Scottish Government Minister for Further Education, Higher Education & Science Richard Lochhead are in Germany this week to promote Scotland and develop strong partnerships with institutions and business in Europe and Germany as part of the British Council’s Going Global conference. A delegation from twelve Scottish…
May
09
2019
Colleges and universities receive 50,000 stickers to help students experiencing gender based violence and mental health issues
A new resource to help students experiencing gender based violence and mental health issues has been launched at Edinburgh Napier University’s Bainfield student accommodation by the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science alongside the college and university sectors. Over 50,000 stickers, which detail specialist helpline numbers for people experiencing gender based violence and…
April
30
2019
The college-to-university route strengthens, with record numbers of students given full credit for their college study
New figures published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) today set out a positive picture about the extent of collaboration between colleges and university to support learners to seamlessly progress from Higher National qualifications direct into a degree at university. Known as “articulation”, this route can support widening access and where possible, it reduces the…