Achi news desk-
But for Mrs Nairn, two things are impossible to discuss: the partnership must find ways to cut costs, but this cannot come at the expense of the partner colleges’ commitments to their communities.
“The sector is difficult, there’s no two ways about it.
“We are only going to see further tightening of the sector in Scotland. A number of organizations are now looking at their structure and how they are operated and we are no different. As with all organisations, we have to transform and evolve and be flexible.”
He said the structure of UHI – which serves 40,000 students spread across 12 partner colleges and 70 learning centers – created plenty of difficulties. Populations, industries and resources are not evenly spread across its area and partner colleges operate as separate companies.
The executive office distributes government funds and a portion of each college’s funding feeds back to the executive committee. The central team monitors academic and financial performance and has degree awarding powers for each of the college’s higher education programmes.
As a tertiary institution, UHI offers courses and qualifications at almost all levels of education. Students who left high school without their full qualifications can enroll on entry courses at a UHI college, and if they wish, can work their way through to a PhD without having to leave that campus.
Mrs Nairn said that the power of that option had revolutionized the Highlands and Islands. It has played a significant role in retaining talent in the region while recruiting new talent and creating new economic opportunities.
Read more: Colleges are at the heart of UHI’s founding and mission
The overlap between centers of higher education, further education and specialist learning, such as the Highland Theological College in Dingwall or the Scottish Association of Marine Science in Oban, creates opportunities and challenges.
“It will be very different in Shetland than it is in Inverness,” he said. “Or even very different in Skye to how it is in Fort William.”
“And these are the things we need to balance as a partnership. Whatever we do, it must be based on local provision for our students, with learning and teaching delivered where it is most needed.”
Read more: State of Scotland’s Colleges: Find all articles in this series here
Mrs Nairn said the “fairly mind-bending” logistics of the UHI partnership were just some of the inherent obstacles to simpler funding. The rural locations that are essential to UHI’s mission can cut both ways.
Although it is more expensive to provide education in rural and island locations, he says, there are government funding streams and incentives that prioritize the areas that UHI calls home.
Innovations and refurbishments at the UHI campuses in Shetland and Stornoway have benefited from government funding. At the same time, UHI Inverness was given a boost to build a new life sciences center with a combination of funding from the UK, Scottish and Highland Councils through the Inverness and Highland City Region Deal in 2021.
Still, there are pockets where the wealth could be spread more effectively. UHI Perth will hold one of a number of picket lines across the country this week as lecturers go on strike in support of a new pay deal. But in Perth, staff and students have highlighted more specific concerns.
As reported in the Courier, UHI Perth’s ongoing financial review aims to close a £4 million budget gap, putting 70 jobs at risk. It may also close the campus nursery, a vital resource for students with children who need childcare to pursue their studies.
At UHI Moray, there were fears recently that a cornerstone art program might be put on hiatus. It was decided to continue with it as usual, but students are wondering if cost pressures mean this is just a delay.
Meanwhile, UHI Inverness is financially stable and the new UHI North, West, Western and Hebrides, formed from a recent amalgamation of 19 campuses, is using its regional partnerships to combine resources more efficiently.
Read more: Colleges stay alive by staying relevant, here’s how one does it
Concerned lecturers from UHI Perth have regularly claimed that the structure of UHI, which duplicates administrative posts across all colleges and the central office, creates too much overhead and jeopardizes the colleges’ key resources – staff, curriculum options and , ultimately, students.
They have also called for a better system for collaboration and support between campuses, so that colleges like Perth are not left to fend for themselves.
Without offering a direct answer, Mrs Nairn acknowledged the difference across UHI’s partners and said that the 2030 project will, among other aims, seek to better share the wealth between partners and the central office.
“Like any large organisation, there will be pockets of duplication. It goes back to the point about being effective and efficient. In the 2030 strategy, we have publicly committed to moving towards a more integrated organisation.
“That has been clearly mapped out and part of that will involve sharing resources where we can. There is no single view yet on what that looks like, but what it means is that, in reality, there are probably different ways of doing things that can share the wealth across the organization.
“As part of our evolution, we will start looking at these things.”
Being innovative while keeping an eye on the sector’s “significant and serious funding challenges” will be crucial if UHI – a remarkably young institution in terms of Scottish colleges and universities – is to see another 50 years.
Walking the tightrope between the interests of individual colleges and the general health of the university partnership is a challenge linked to the UHI system. Still, Mrs Nairn insisted it must be embraced.
“We’re not a college, and we’re not a university, in fact we’re much more.
“One of the things that makes us different, which we are really proud of, is that many of our courses and programs speak to our culture and heritage. It leads back to that basis on which we were founded. We were established for our communities.”
Read more: One student chose to study from home and it’s paying dividends for her community
He said combining financial efficiency with the “sense of place” that makes each college a draw for students and business partners will be the backbone of UHI’s new strategy.
“There is no danger that UHI will be broken up or look different. All the reasons why we were founded are as true today as they were before. The basis in community, a sense of place, social impact and economic development, those are still true and probably more than ever.
“Any change would be based and rooted in our communities.”
He said it would take a crystal ball to know exactly how the next few years will play out for UHI. The 2030 strategy is still in its early days. However, it sets specific targets to simplify the courses offered, harmonize resources and the curriculum offered between campuses, and continue to support the high levels of choice and academic performance that drives UHI.
Read more: Can Scotland’s youngest college offer a road map to sustainability?
The whole organization will face difficult decisions, just as some of the partner colleges already have to do. But remaining agile and open to the needs of students and businesses will be key to the continuation of the young partnership.
And UHI and its colleges must survive, said Mrs Nairn.
“Because we are so interconnected with our communities, what we do has a huge impact on our future populations. (The new strategy) is about doing the best we can for future generations now.
“Without UHI, the region would be much poorer intellectually and from a social point of view. The fact that I can say we have a university campus in Stornoway or in Shetland, that’s a really powerful message and business and industry are getting on board.
“If it wasn’t there, our young people would leave and it would encourage depopulation.
“UHI acts as an anchor institution. It drives investment and tells stakeholders like the Scottish Government that we are a region worth investing in.”
