The merger of three colleges in the Highlands and Islands will be known by the new name UHI North, West and Hebrides.
Plans to merge three UHI campuses located in Thurso, Fort William and Stornoway were announced last month.
Once the merger is complete in August 2023, the institution, which has more than 9,000 students and 600 staff, will be known as UHI North, West and Hebrides.
This incorporates the wide geographical area from where students of the three colleges come from to learn.
A consultation on the new college name was carried out with 200 people including staff, students, locals and businesses taking part.
‘The start of our next chapter’
The new name was considered the “most inclusive” and represents the individual identities of the people living in the three main campus areas.
To celebrate the Gaelic history of the region, the name will be bilingual and will also be known as A Tuath, An Iar Is Innse Gall.
The aim is to support interest in the Gaelic language and the merger will help colleges with a unified approach to important studies around net-zero and decarbonisation.
Michael Foxley, chairman of the partnership board in charge of the merger, said: “We are grateful to everyone who took part in this consultation as the feedback we received was critical to our decision making.
“Our staff, students and stakeholders are rightly proud of their local communities, so we needed to find a solution that was inclusive while celebrating our unique local identities across a geographic area the size of Wales.
“This is an important milestone, which signals the start of our next chapter and creates a solid foundation to move forward positively with all our stakeholders towards a merger date next year.”
Conversation