Funding plea as SAC hits capacity

"THIS year, very unfortunately, there will be an increased number of aspiring students applying to Scottish Agricultural College who will not be able to secure a place"

That was the gloomy news yesterday for would-be students from SAC principal professor Bill McKelvey at the annual SAC graduation ceremony in Glasgow.

He said SAC had reached the point where it will not be funded to expand student numbers and this capping point was, he said, "extremely worrying".

"How do we feed a burgeoning population, whilst protecting our environment, and how do we mitigate the impacts of climate change? We need more new graduates who can tackle these great challenges".

He made a plea that the funding cap on student places in key disciplines for rural issues needed to be raised, "even if this means some other disciplines seeing some modest reductions".

"If the Scottish Government is really going to achieve its laudable, ambitious targets for economic growth and environmental sustainability, then we need to see a shift of funding to those areas which can have real economic and environmental impact".

Part of the problem facing SAC may be of its own making - having gained the highest grade possible in an external review of teaching quality. McKelvey remarked such progress in academic excellence was increasingly reflected in student applications, reporting that undergraduate applications at SAC are up 22 per cent this year.

For graduates leaving the College Prof McKelvey said there were enormous global challenges ahead, but they offered enormous career opportunities.