University celebrates 40th year

The university started out with just 160 undergraduates

Staff and students at Stirling University have been celebrating its 40th birthday.

The campus, which opened in 1967, was the first new academic institution to be built in Scotland in 400 years.

Since then, it has become one of Scotland's leading universities, and has been ranked highly for graduate employment and student experience.

A number of events have been organised to mark the occasion, including a series of lectures and a reunion.

Stirling University was built on the Airthey estate near Bridge of Allan, and was officially opened by the Queen in 1967.

Very exciting

It is now home to more than 9,000 students, but started out with just over 160 undergraduates.

Psychology Professor Peter McEwen delivered the first lecture and told BBC Scotland it was a race against time to open.

He said: "It was very exciting. We had a lot of problems to solve and the campus itself was wonderful.

"It was entirely unbuilt on when I came first of all.

I came looking like a pop star and went out looking like Rasputin Falkirk East MP Michael Connarty

"We watched it going up, wondering if it was being to be available by the time the students arrived."

Professor John Stewart, who was involved in student recruitment, added: "Initially, for many of those who came in 1967/68, it was a bit of a leap of faith because the details of the courses were not fully worked out at that point."

Falkirk East MP Michael Connarty worked as a builder on the campus before starting his studies there and remembered it was very politically active.

"I came looking like a pop star and went out looking like Rasputin," he said.

"People were encouraged here to be analytical, not just of subjects, but also of the politics of the time.

First year student Finlay Harnden said he chose Stirling University for much the same reasons as his predecessors.

Students were encouraged to be analytical

He said: "When I applied for university, I wasn't really too sure what I wanted to do, and Stirling's got a bit of a reputation for being really flexible about their degree programmes."

Fellow undergraduate Adam Robinson added: "I'm in sports myself and they've just built a new track and a new swimming pool, so it's the prospects were just really good."

Current principal Christine Hallett said Stirling University had worked hard to establish its reputation.

"We're now fifth ranked in the UK for retention," she said. "That means people who come to study here leave with the degrees that they came to study.

"We're right at the top in employability, so Stirling graduates are sought by employers across Scotland and beyond.

"We're a proud and ambitious institution."