The University of Glasgow's Crichton Campus in Dumfries is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Ted Cowan of the Scottish History Department as Director Designate of the campus from 1st November this year.

On secondment from his department, Professor Cowan will succeed Rex Taylor as Director and Associate Dean (Crichton) in the Faculty of Arts from 1st August 2005 and will act as his Deputy between now and next year.

As a 'Doonhamer' (son of Dumfries) himself, Professor Cowan has taught regularly at the campus since its opening in 1999. He said:

'To be appointed Director Designate is a great honour as is the opportunity to return home. We must now ensure its longevity, as an institution of Higher Learning, famed afar for its uniqueness, originality and cutting edge innovatory approach to university education, both in its own right and as an essential part of the exciting Campus of Tertiary Education with our other partners.'

'My twin aims are to facilitate the raising of the excellent research profile of Crichton staff and of the Campus as a whole while simultaneously attracting increased numbers of students from both home and abroad to participate in our unique and much lauded learning programmes.'

Crichton will remain dedicated to principles of social inclusion, as well as being rooted in, and identified with, the local community in the Southwest and the Borders.

Plans include the provision of innovatory short courses for part-time students, the further development of graduate research degrees, the establishment of intensive professional residential courses for specialists and full support for existing plans to establish an on-site library.

'Crichton must flourish and the word be spread for the benefit of the people of Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders,' explains Professor Cowan, 'as well as for the country as a whole, and the faith invested in the project by the University of Glasgow and its partners.'

'Ted Cowan is an energetic researcher with an international academic reputation, as well as a gift for popularising his subject,' explains Professor Chris Morris Territorial Vice-Principal Arts and Social Science.

'He will bring both this academic standing and intellectual leadership and his ability to communicate his new role to the Crichton Campus, as well as his considerable experience in leadership of Scottish History both at the University of Guelph in Canada, and in the University of Glasgow. I am delighted that he has chosen to crown his distinguished career with the challenging role of taking the Campus to its next phase of development, following upon the visionary leadership of Rex Taylor.'

For more details please contact Mike Findlay in the University Press Office on 0141 339-3535.

Dumfries & Galloway Council purchased the Crichton Estate in 1995; at this time 6,000 signatures were collected in support of a local university; and in 1997 SHEFC awarded a strategic change grant of ?1.8M. The first multi-institutional campus in Scotland, it is home to the Universities of Glasgow and Paisley, Bell College and Dumfries & Galloway College. Located within a historic and award-winning 85 acre estate of parkland and gardens, the Campus has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful in the country.

Awarded the SQA Partnership of the Year award in 2003, the development of the Crichton University Campus leads towards the opportunity to create Scotland's first campus for tertiary education.

First published: 29 October 2004