A bright new era will dawn for the north today as the £50million Inverness College opens its doors.
It promises to lure students from across the globe, create a new vibrancy in the city – and provide a massive boost to the region’s economy.
And despite controversy over the move to the “out-of-town” Beechwood campus, the college’s principal and chief executive has urged businesses to embrace the scholars.
Diane Rawlinson said she wanted to create a “real university experience” in Inverness, including the possibility of a student union near the new college.
The striking building has been years in the planning and is the flagship facility at the city’s new education and business campus.
Academic staff will start work today, while some of the 6,500 students will get their first glimpse of the college tomorrow when they arrive for special orientation events.
Ms Rawlinson said: “The building makes a big difference, it enables us to attract students not just from Inverness but from the rest of the UK and international. I think is an inspiring place to learn.
“There is no way on earth that the Longman campus was going to inspire anyone, whereas when youngsters walk in here after having been at school you can feel the sense of awe and excitement.”
She added: “We wouldn’t make an impact on industrial estate at the end of a row of car dealers.
“We will plan to grow Inverness College and university and through provision of students residences create a vibrancy in the city that has never been possible before.
“Once students are living here they are not going to spend their whole life or do all their shopping on this campus.
“They will be running right through the town. What we could do with is businesses working with us by offering freshers deals and graduation meals and deals for families.”
And Ms Rawlinson said she would also like to see a student union built onsite within five years.
She added: “The students could do with some social space because we want to create that real university and college student experience.”
She said that talks were taking place with the principal of the University of the Highlands and Islands but there were no firm plans for a union yet.
Sport facilities, possibly including a velodrome, are also planned at the site, although nothing will be finalised until Highland Council’s own proposals for facilities on the west side of the city are confirmed.
Stewart Nicol, chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said: “I think it is an unique opportunity to show off the brand new building and campus.
“This does not happen in higher education very often.
“We have to recognise that we are going to have many thousands of students at the campus.
“Where are they going to spend their money every week? It is going to be in Inverness.
“This is a positive economic story, not just for Beechwood but for the city centre and the wider region.”