MSP SPEAKS UP FOR CRICHTON (Jim Hume)

MSP SPEAKS UP FOR CRICHTON

September 6, 2007 12:00 AM

Jim Hume, MSP for the South of Scotland, today spoke up for the Crichton campus in Dumfries during the debate in the Scottish Parliament.

Jim Hume said:-

"I campaigned on this issue for a number of months before the election and have continued to do so since then.

"The Crichton Campus in Dumfries has seen one of the finest campaigns undertaken by the dedicated staff and students ever and tribute should be paid to those involved for their work and for their achievement in marching from Crichton to Glasgow over a five day period.

"The £1.5m package from the Scottish Government is of course welcome and will ensure that new undergraduate liberal arts students will be recruited by Glasgow University for the next academic year.

"The Crichton could be described as the jewel in the crown of the South West and its importance to the area and indeed the whole of the South of Scotland cannot be understated.

Therefore I would urge the stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, to come up with a detailed marketing plan for the campus, and its courses to ensure a continued long term demand.

"Separately, I am seeking advice from Glasgow University about its future marketing and recruitment strategy.

The MSP continued:-

"The Crichton has succeeded in attracting young people into University Education from Families where that has not been the norm and also importantly it has overwhelmingly passed expectations in encouraging age and gender groups back into education where many other campuses and universities have struggled to do so. Praise indeed has to go to this campus for being Scotland's first multi-institutional Campus."