As long ago as 1653, Sir Thomas Urquhart put forward ambitious plans for a Highland university. Although his plans foundered, his dream has survived for more than three centuries. In 1992, campaigners developed a visionary perspective, and the UHI initiative was born - its aim, the creation of a new kind of university which would meet the unique requirements of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Not only is this a place of extraordinary cultural heritage and environmental diversity, it contains some of the most remote communities in Europe, with a population dispersed among over seventy-five islands in addition to the mainland. It is a region which demands a very different kind of higher educational institution from the established universities. Now, a university of, and for, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland is at last beginning to take shape. In our recent strategic plan we identified the the aim of achieving university status soon.
Address: Executive Office, Ness Walk, Inverness, Inverness-shire IV3 5SQ
Phone: (0)1463 279000