SRUC plans new £35m campus in Dumfries & Galloway

Scotland’s rural collage SRUC is planning to invest £35 million in a new facility in Dumfries & Galloway as part of proposals to create a new rural university by 2022.The “state-of-the-art” facility, which has received business-case approval from the Scottish Funding Council, would be located at SRUC’s Barony campus.SRUC said the new rural university will be a magnet for delivering educational excellence, a global leader in research and innovation, a fully integrated partner with industry and driving the growth strategy for Scotland’s rural economy.The first stage in the transformation will see SRUC move to a faculty-based model, with three new faculties located across Scotland: North, (the Faculty of Agri-Food & Business), Central (the Faculty of Rural Science & Policy) and South & West (the Faculty of Pasture-based Agriculture, Forestry and Biorefining).The model was identified via a thorough and extensive review as the best structure to deliver tangible benefits at a local and national level.The investment strategy also includes a phased withdrawal over four years from SRUC campuses at Riverside in Ayr and Crichton in Dumfries & Galloway. SRUC currently maintains a small presence at these campuses and is in full consultation with unions and other stakeholders.