Солтүстік Шотландияның Жоғары Оқу Орталығы

University in northern Scotland

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) (Oilthigh na Gàidhealtachd agus nan Eilean) is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 12 colleges and research institutions spread around 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.

While UHI is Scotland's newest university, many of its 12 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 (tDAP) by the Privy Council under recommendation from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA); 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.

The Princess Royal was officially installed as Chancellor in June 2012. 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.

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.

The Foundation creates a link between UHI and its communities and contains a maximum of 120 members. In addition to the Rector, Principal and Vice Chancellor, President of the Student Association and Chair of the Court, the Foundation also includes members from academic partners, employees, students, industry, alumni, external organisations and individuals.

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business has three subject networks; Theological Studies, and Scottish History, all reflect the distinctive nature of the region, its past, present and future. The Centre for History is based in Dornoch and teaches a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees via videoconference to students around the UHI network and worldwide. The faculty also offers an interdisciplinary course in Scottish Cultural Studies, which received the 2005 Times Higher Education Supplement Award for Most Imaginative Use of Distance Learning. Other postgraduate masters programmes cover the culture, literature and history of the Highlands and Islands, Material Culture and Gàidhealtachd History, Orkney & Shetland Studies, and Viking Studies. The business school offers distinctive programmes such as Scotland's only degree in Golf Management,. The School of Adventure Studies delivers courses in Adventure Tourism Management, Adventure Performance & Coaching, Adventure Education & Marine Coastal Tourism using Lochaber, the UK's Outdoor Capital as a living research laboratory. From August 2013 UHI has benefited from allocation of student teacher places, allowing postgraduate diploma in education (PGDE) to be offered, and the success of this has led to the number of places being increased.

The Faculty of Science, Health and Engineering has three subject networks; is an example of a multi disciplinary programme from this Faculty. The programme has professional accreditation from the Institute of Economic Development. The Faculty also offers postgraduate studies, including an MSc in Sustainable Rural Development. This Masters programme also has professional accreditation from the Institute of Economic Development. 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.

UHI conducts its research through a collaboration of twelve colleges and academic institutions. These institutions are defined as academic partners which can operate as an autonomous body. Due to UHI's regional characteristic, academic partners can determine their own strategy and they are authorised to make their own investments and manage recruitment independently.

In early 2018, UHI awarded the Institute of Health Science and Innovation an Institution status in recognition of the scale and success of the pre existing cluster of health research. The Institute includes representatives from around the UHI collaboration, but most of them are located at the Inverness Centre for Health Science. Institute activities can be divided loosely into three major themes: Disease Management, Smarter Health, and Rural Health and Wellbeing.

Opened 2000, The ERI is located in the town of Thurso. The Environmental Research Institute (ERI) is part of North Highland College UHI, which is one of 12 partners in UHI. Its research is focused into three areas; Renewable Energy and Environment, Carbon Water and Climate, and Environmental Contamination and Ecological Health. The Centre for Energy and the Environment is affiliated with the ERI.

The Agronomy Institute performs work on the production and promotion of new crops and plant products in the Scotland's highlands and islands. The Institute cooperates with growers, end users and other research organisations.

Based on the Orkney Mainland, the UHI Archaeology Institute also has research and teaching staff in both Shetland and the Western Isles. Throughout Scotland, the Institute integrates teaching, scientific research, and applied industrial research and consultancy. The institute's commercial arm, ORCA, provides Northern Scotland archaeological and conservation services from archaeological excavations and assessments to environmental consulting services, underwater archaeological invasion.

Founded in 2007, Institute for Northern Studies operates at UHI Orkney, Shetland and Perth from three main locations. Research areas are Viking Studies, Medieval and modern history and culture of the Highlands and Islands, Links between Scotland and the Nordic world, The history and culture of the Scottish islands within the North Atlantic region, Highlands and Islands Literature, Island Studies, The languages and dialects of Orkney and Shetland, and Pictish studies.

Language Sciences Institute seeks to revitalize minority languages. The LSI will expand on the work of the Soillse project, with a special emphasis on the traditional Gaelic speaking communities of Scotland.

Founded in 2012, the Institute specializes in work on molecular genetics to help conserve and maintain all rivers and lochs biodiversity, including fish stocks. The researchers work with local communities, wetlands and fisheries managers, businesses and government agencies to provide scientific support for the protection, restoration and sustainable management of wetlands biodiversity.

The Highlands and Islands Students' Association (HISA) is based on Church Street in Inverness. They previously were based at the Executive Office on Ness Walk. HISA represents all higher and further education students across UHI and its 12 partners. HISA hosts events including Sports Day, Freshers, Student Elections, HISA Awards and Regional Council. All UHI students aged over 16 are automatically a member of HISA. The Union supports more than 60 clubs and societies.

The students' association, HISA, offers sports clubs including badminton, basketball, boxing, climbing, football, golf, mountain biking, mountaineering, paddle sports, snow sports, sub aqua, wind and wave, and more. UHI's Sporting Blues awards programme was launched in March 2017 and honors its students' sporting accomplishments. The Elite Athletes Fund supports athletes who are currently studying at UHI or one of its colleges and participating at national or international level in their chosen sport and representing the university/college where possible. A new sports complex to be situated within the Inverness campus with facilities targeted at both students and campus based staff, but also available to the broader community in and around Inverness, is being planned. A wide variety of sports and activities will be offered at the centre.