Memories of Stirling University:
* Alastair Gentleman, who graduated in the first undergraduate ceremony in 1971, remembers his celebration well:“The early graduation ceremonies took place in the refectory in Pathfoot, a venue which a few months before my own graduation in 1971 had hosted an Elton John concert! Afterwards, we celebrated with a ball in Stirling Castle.”
Alastair, who studied biology and went on to become a teacher, was the first student to enrol at the university. He said:“We were excited but apprehensive about Stirling. Keep in mind that many, if not most, of the ‘67 intake pioneers would have applied for a place at a university which wasn’t completed or even built. There was a real feeling that we weren’t just starting university but were starting a university, the first completely new one in Scotland for 400 years.”
* Scottish author and poet, Lorn MacIntyre, also of the class of 1967, has fond memories of his time at Stirling:“My enduring memory is of the smallness and intimacy of the university in its first year, and the privilege and novelty of being pioneers for a new form of teaching.
“From modest beginnings, it has expanded into a large campus of many buildings. Another striking difference, is that in the late 1960s there were no individual computers, but files to be lugged between lectures, tutorials and laboratory works, and a proliferation of paper.”
* Sue Roberts was the first in her family to go to university. She remembers:“The ceremony took place in the dining hall at Pathfoot and I was very impressed with the ceremonial procession. Charlie Allerdyce (the senior porter) carried the mace followed by Lord Robbins (Chancellor), the principal, Tom Cottrell, and senior academics, resplendent in their robes.
“The main differences from 1967 to now are the size, diversity and choice of subject and, of course, how technology has changed the way we learn. We didn’t have computers or mobile phones. We used call boxes and had to feed the money in! Essays were written by hand and we did not have a spell checker. We knew and mixed with staff and students in Alangrange social club, and the ‘barracuda’[sports centre with an inflatable structure] had an indoor tennis court.”