The University of the Highlands and Islands has announced the appointment of Dr Beth Mouat as its first islands' strategy director.
This new post will lead the delivery of its islands' strategy which sets out the university partnership's plans to enhance its activity for the benefits of staff, students and communities across Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.
A native Shetlander, where she is joint head of marine science and technology at NAFC Marine Centre UHI, Dr Mouat says she is excited to have the opportunity to take forward such an important islands-focused project:
- Degree Show dates: December 2020 – 5 January 2021
- Venue: Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre
- Graduating Students: Katherine Taylor and Hector Start
- UHI Art Degree Online Exhibition in partnership with Art North: 16th December - https://artnorth-magazine.com/uhi-degree-show
Like many other events and celebrations, the Lews Castle College UHI annual Degree Show was postponed in May this year due to COVID-19. This impacted on art colleges nationally, creating a situation where students only option was to exhibit their work digitally or, like Uist-based students, delayed in the hope that the situation would allow for public exhibitions at a later date. That time has arrived, with the 2020 Degree Show opening to the public on Saturday 5th December at Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Arts Centre. A culmination of four years of work, Degree Shows are an important bridge between art college and a student’s onward career as a professional artist.
This year, two graduating students from the BA (Hons) Fine Art now have the opportunity to hold their Degree Show. Katherine Taylor and Hector Start have studied with Lews Castle College UHI for five years, starting with a 1-year NC Art & Design course before progressing onto the BA (Hons) Fine Art. Both relocated to Uist from Moray after leaving school and have lived and studied in Uist since. Their art practice has developed over that time, taking very diverse paths in terms of their studio practice and theoretical concerns. However, both are firmly influenced by their experience of living in Uist and their connection with the environment around them.
The University of the Highlands and Islands is one of 17 Scottish universities that have come together to create a new online training course to raise awareness of gender-based violence in colleges and universities.
The university developed the first open access resource which is tailored to support the implementation of gender-based violence training for all staff in Scottish colleges and universities. The course builds on the work of the Scottish Government's Equally Safe in Higher Education Toolkit and carried out in partnership with Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education - Scotland.
Course author and former Equally Safe in Higher Education national lead Dr Anni Donaldson said: "We are launching the resource as part of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, the United Nations' annual global campaign ‘UNiTE by 2020 to end violence against woman', which started on the 25 November.