Doors are open at new UWS campus
Students have moved into £110m facility
The wait is finally over – the University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) new multimillion pound Lanarkshire campus opened its doors this week.
After two years and £110 million of investment, students are now in the facility at Hamilton International Business Park.
And it is one of the UK’S greenest university campuses, powered exclusively by renewable energy from the nearby Blantyre Muir wind farm.
Professor Craig Mahoney, principal and vice-chancellor of UWS, said: “The opening of the UWS Lanarkshire campus is a momentous occasion in our university’s history, and has been delivered on time and on budget – an extremely proud moment for everyone involved in the highlyambitious project.
“The new campus will give students and staff access to some of the most advanced teaching and research facilities in the UK. It will also have a tremendous impact on the local community, with estimates suggesting the campus will result in a £443 million boost over the next 25 years.
“The way students learn changing. With direct access is to knowledge at their fingertips in the form of smart devices, students need a campus which is flexible and responsive to learning in all its forms. UWS Lanarkshire is equipped with first-class facilities to support the changing nature of learning and teaching higher education.
“Every element of the campus has been carefully considered to ensure it is modern, connected, collaborative, sustainable and that it provides significant opportunities for research and enterprise activity.
“As we welcome students to the UWS Lanarkshire campus, we hope they will relish the opportunities it presents and be proud of their new university facility. We want all our students to use the new space, shape it, and make it their own.”
Meanwhile, the university has announced that it has rolled out free gym memberships for all students to use Uws-operated fitness facilities.
It is hoped the move will ensure all students can get active and pursue a healthy lifestyle.
UWS has pointed to research which found that active students perform better in their studies, are more confident of their employability, have improved mental health and physical wellbeing and display better attainment levels compared to inactive students.
The opening of the UWS Lanarkshire campus is a momentous occasion