Degree further in its history

The minister said: ''The Scottish Executive recognises that the college has set out a powerful case for designation as a higher education institution on educational grounds. A widespread consultation exercise was conducted, the responses to which highlighted the college's importance and value in bringing high level vocational education and training for Lanarkshire.''

It has taken 27 years since Bell College first opened for it to finally achieve official higher education status, despite the fact that from the start, its stated aim for this was very clear. In 1973, at its official opening, the first principal, Earlin Lamb, said: ''The college is in every respect a completely new institution, and is the major college in Lanarkshire designed specifically for Higher Education.''

In 1983 an advisory committee to the Secretary of State for Scotland recommended that three institutions be transferred from local authority control to that of central government. They were Glasgow College of Technology, now Glasgow Caledonian University, Napier College, now Napier University and Bell College.

The main reason for Bell College not having been transferred earlier was local authority resistance. The decision put the college in an anomalous situation, being funded as a further education college, yet offering no further education courses, only those of higher education.

In 1997, following the college's application to the Secretary of State for Scotland for administrative transfer from what is now the Scottish Further Education Council to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council - which funds Scottish universities - the then Secretary of State, Brian Wilson, engaged in a consultation process the following year.

An audit commissioned by his successor, Helen Liddell, from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in 1999 concluded that Bell College's quality systems, and those of the university sector, were in fact on a par.

Now Bell College, like the tree planted on its silver jubilee by Dr MacCallum, looks forward to attaining new heights from its solid roots in the millennium.

Bell College in Hamilton is celebrating the millennium with its elevation to higher education status. It is an important achievement for the college, which has gone from strength to strength, building an excellent reputation in the sphere of higher education since opening its doors to its first students in August 1972.

Planned, designed and built under the auspices of the former Lanark County Council on land which once housed the barracks for the disbanded Cameronian Regiment, the college's main aim was to offer higher education courses up to degree level, as well as postgraduate and professional courses.

Taking its name from Councillor William H Bell MBE, chairman of the education committee of Lanark County Council from 1950-1975, Bell College was taken over by Strathclyde Regional Council, in the wake of local government re-organisation in the early 1970s. The new authority's policy decision was not to allow degree developments at Bell College, but to allow other higher education provision through Higher National Certificate, Higher National Diploma and professional courses.

However, in the early 1980s it agreed to some degree course developments at the college, validated by Strathclyde University. Bell College, as signatory to a co-operation agreement with Strathclyde University for the development and delivery of degree schemes, has now seen validation of 17 degree programmes.

These are variable in their attendance modes. Some are 100% college-taught, but in others, students spend 50% of their time at the college and 50% at the university, while other degree courses have alternative modes of attendance. Further degree programmes offered at Bell College are validated by the Open University or, in one case, by the University of Hertfordshire.

With a current role of 2500 full-time and 1500 part-time students, the college has nine post-graduate students active in research for MPhil and PhD degrees. The first PhD student graduated from Strathclyde University in November last year, having carried out all his work at Bell College, where the research committee has representation from universities and industry. The college also offers a number of Diploma in Higher Education courses, including Dip.HEs in adult nursing, mental health nursing and midwifery, the last three validated by Strathclyde, and equivalent to two-and-a-half years of a three-year degree. Successful diplomates can top up awards to degree level by part-time study at the college during their employment in the healthcare sector.

Among the most notable of recent major changes which have affected Bell College has been its successful bid - at the invitation of the Government in 1995 to higher education institutions - to deliver pre-registration nurse education and training, for which the new Caird Building has been constructed at the Hamilton Campus.

Last year, as part of a cost cutting exercise, Bell College restructured its organisational framework into four academically oriented schools in business, health studies, science and technology and social studies.

The principal and chief executive of Bell College is Dr Ken MacCallum, who leads the business management system in the college, backed by assistant principals Ralph Gunn (academic) and Brian Powlesland (external).

With its main campus close to Hamilton town centre, Bell College built a 156-bed hall of residence on campus in 1995, and the acquisition of an adjacent building, converted into examination halls and offices, is also intended to provide a nursery and creche for the children of both students and staff. The refurbishment of a further building has created a modern Students' Union.

In 1998, Bell College invested #7.2m to provide a 7000 sq m teaching block in the Hamilton Business Centre in Caird Park, while last month, the college - having reviewed an earlier intention to close its Dumfries campus - signed a lease actioning the #500,000 refurbishment of Dudgeon House, Dumfries, in the Crichton University Campus.

The appointment of staff is an essential key to the success of the college, and they are backed by professional support staff. The majority of academic staff are qualified to degree or equivalent level, 48% to higher degree level, and a further 13% registered for higher degree.

A staff development and career review scheme is in operation.

Dr MacCallum says: ''Becoming a higher education institution is public recognition of the work we have been carrying out for many years. We are Lanarkshire's first higher education institution, and we are excited about the opportunities which this status brings.

''We see the key to our continued development as being the forging of partnerships with other HE institutions, FE colleges, local enterprise companies, NHS hospital trusts and many other organisations. We are pleased also to be part of the innovative developments on the Crichton University Campus.''