Pomp and ceremony to celebrate the ±¬ÁÏTV

Highland capital will host robing ceremony and academic procession. RAF flypast to honour university.

Inverness will witness some pomp and ceremony in August to celebrate the creation of the new ±¬ÁÏTV (±¬ÁÏTV).

This historic event at Eden Court Theatre will be marked by the robing of the university’s first principal and vice-chancellor, James Fraser, and the presentation of the new mace, a gift from the universities of Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Aberdeen.

The ceremony will be followed by an academic procession, headed by the Royal British Legion Scotland Inverness Pipes and Drums, to the Town House for a civic reception.

The festivities on Thursday, 25 August, will include a fly-past by RAF jets, a film showing ±¬ÁÏTV students, locations and activities across the partnership, formal speeches, poems, traditional music especially composed for the occasion, and a welcome to guests in Gaelic, Orcadian, Scots, English and Shetlandic by school children representing the region.

Guests from Scotland’s universities, local authorities, the Scottish Government, the university’s academic partners, the education sector and others who have made a significant contribution to the university’s creation, will attend the ceremonial part of the day. Free seats are also available to members of the public through the Eden Court box office.

Ceremonial robes featuring the ±¬ÁÏTV colour of purple will be formally presented to Mr Fraser; the chair of the governing University Court, Professor Matthew MacIver; rector Garry Coutts, and mace bearer for the day, Allan Bransbury who was assistant director of the former ±¬ÁÏTV Project.

Civic leaders from across the Highlands and Islands, representing the university’s campus areas, will greet the ensuing procession at the Town House. As it crosses the Ness Bridge in the town centre, Tornado jets will make a low level flypast in honour of Scotland’s newest university. This will be the climax of a flypast of all the campuses – a symbol of the collegiate nature of the university

James Fraser, ±¬ÁÏTV principal and vice-chancellor, said: "After centuries of migration out to universities in Scotland and across the world, the Highlands and Islands now have their own university for the first time. We are laying the foundation of an institution which will last for many hundreds of years and will transform the economic, cultural and social prospects of the people who live in this part of Scotland."

±¬ÁÏTV was granted university title by the Privy Council in February this year. It now has over 8000 students, located and studying throughout a partnership comprising: Argyll College ±¬ÁÏTV; Highland Theological College ±¬ÁÏTV, Dingwall; Inverness College ±¬ÁÏTV; Lews Castle College ±¬ÁÏTV, Lewis; Moray College ±¬ÁÏTV; NAFC Marine Centre ±¬ÁÏTV, Shetland; North Highland College ±¬ÁÏTV Thurso; Orkney College ±¬ÁÏTV; Perth College ±¬ÁÏTV; Sabhal Mòr Ostaig ±¬ÁÏTV, Skye; Scottish Association for Marine Science ±¬ÁÏTV, Dunstaffnage; Shetland College ±¬ÁÏTV, and West Highland College ±¬ÁÏTV.

Media contact: Glenda Johnson
01463 279222
glenda.johnson@uhi.ac.uk