The governing bodies of the University of Aberdeen and SAC have now agreed to explore further opportunities for closer collaboration in Education & Training, Research & Development, and Consultancy Services. Discussions will take place over the next few months between them, with the intention of bringing forward proposals in the autumn for consideration by the Aberdeen University Court and the SAC Board.
Announcing the discussions, SAC’s Principal, Professor Karl Linklater, said: “Both SAC and Aberdeen University have a long tradition of service to Scotland’s rural areas. By working closer together we hope to develop new opportunities, and to provide new and expanded services to our clients throughout Scotland.”
Supporting the new initiative, Professor C Duncan Rice, Principal of Aberdeen University, said: “Nothing is more important to Scotland and other modern democracies than the health and prosperity of rural communities. That health depends on understanding a range of scholarly issues that goes beyond the core industries of farming and forestry. My hope is that by working as partners, Aberdeen and SAC will become dominant in providing Scotland and indeed the international world with teaching, research, and technical expertise in all aspects of the future of the countryside.”
Any new association would not replace existing links with other organisations, and SAC’s network of Education, Research and Consultancy support facilities located throughout Scotland would not be affected. For example, SAC will continue to have strong links with Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities, to deliver Education courses from Edinburgh, Ayr and Aberdeen, and to develop the potential for delivering courses from the Crichton Campus in Dumfries. Likewise, the collaborative links between SAC, Elmwood College, Oatridge College and Barony College within the Open Rural College of Scotland (ORCS) will continue to be a key development area for SAC. SAC believes that these developments will be strengthened by a closer relationship between SAC and Aberdeen University.