SAC Chief Executive and Principal, Professor Bill McKelvey will announce, on Friday (4th July), that SAC will be designated a Higher Education Institute (HEI) at the beginning of August 2008.

SAC's Ayr Campus at Auchincruive

The HEI announcement will form part of Professor McKelvey’s speech which will be delivered at SAC’s 2008 Graduation Ceremony, which will take place in Bute Hall, at the University of Glasgow, on Friday 4th July 2008.

SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) has, until recently, been in the unusual position of being the last remaining Central Institution that provides tertiary education in Scotland, and has been directly funded, for Education, by the Scottish Government, via the Rural Affairs Department. Two years ago SAC took the decision, in conjunction with the Scottish Government that SAC should change. SAC aspired to become a Higher Education Institution in its own right, seek to become a Fundable Body, and to join the other Scottish HEIs under the umbrella of the Scottish Funding Council. By 1 August 2008, SAC will become a Higher Education Institute, as well as a full member of Universities Scotland, the organisation which represents the interests of HEIs in Scotland.

In his speech, Professor McKelvey will say, “This is a significant achievement which has resulted from a great deal of hard work by a whole range of staff across SAC in order to meet the stringent criteria set for teaching quality, for institutional governance, and for disciplinary excellence, set by the Quality Assurance Agency, Scottish Funding Council and by government. I want to congratulate everyone involved across the organisation.

I am ambitious for the future of this organisation; it has a key role in the Nation’s future. But we fully recognise that we can only achieve our ambitions by working in a spirit of partnership with a range of other organisations.”

Lord Jamie Lindsay, SAC Chairman said, “I welcome this milestone in SAC’s history. It will ensure that SAC continues to play a pivotal role in the continuing development and success of our many stakeholders in the land based industries.

I congratulate all of the SAC graduands on doing so well in achieving excellent results. Today’s graduates are tomorrow’s future, and I’m pleased that SAC is playing such a vital part in shaping tomorrow’s ;and managers, researchers and scientists, and with HEI status, SAC will continue to do so for many years to come.”

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