James Mackenzie Fraser (born July 1948) is a former university administrator who was the first principal and vice-chancellor of the

University of the Highlands and Islands The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) () is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 10 colleges and research institutions spread around Inverness, the Highlands and Isl ...

, in the north of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. He held senior management roles in Scottish educational institutions for over 23 years, working at three colleges that went on to achieve University status.

Early life and education

Fraser was born in July 1948. He was brought up in Inverinate, near

Kyle of Lochalsh Kyle of Lochalsh ( , "strait of the foaming loch") is a village in the historic county of Ross & Cromarty on the northwest coast of Scotland, located around west-southwest of Inverness. It is located on the Lochalsh peninsula, at the entranc ...

, he was educated at

Plockton High School Plockton High School is an 11–18 high school in the village of Plockton, Scotland. The catchment area for the school stretches from Applecross in the north to Corran in the south. Since the opening of the Skye Bridge, increasing numbers of pu ...

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; ), or the County of Ross, was a county in the Scottish Highlands. It bordered Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire, a county consisting of numerous enc ...

under the reign of

Sorley MacLean Sorley MacLean (; 26 October 1911 – 24 November 1996) was a Scottish Gaelic poet, described by the Scottish Poetry Library as "one of the major Scottish poets of the modern era" because of his "mastery of his chosen medium and his engagement ...

, the Scottish Gaelic poet. Fraser studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and graduated in 1971 with a MA honours summa cum laude in mental philosophy, having also been a class medallist in moral philosophy and metaphysics. During his working life, he completed a master's degree in education and a further education teaching qualification.

Early career

Fraser began his career as a lecturer in English and liberal studies at the former Inverness Technical College, now Inverness College UHI. During this time, he was an active member of the

Educational Institute of Scotland The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional s ...

(EIS) and was elected to the newly formed Highland Regional Council Education Committee as one of three teacher members representing Further Education staff. He took up an administrative post in the Academic Registry of the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals; ) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by a royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built within the walled Airth ...

in 1977 and gained promotion to assistant registrar three years later. From 1972 to 1979 Fraser also worked part-time with

The Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

as a tutor on some on its arts foundation and other courses in the faculty of arts. In 1987 Fraser was appointed secretary of Queen Margaret College in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. In 1989 Fraser took up the position of secretary of Paisley College of Technology. The college was granted university status as the

University of Paisley The University of the West of Scotland (), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. Th ...

. Fraser remained there until 2002 and during his time there the organisation went through much change: expanding its student numbers, undertaking a building programme and merging with the former Craigie College of Education in

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

University of Highlands and Islands

In September 2002 he was appointed as secretary of the UHI Millennium Institute. In January 2007 his post was redesignated as deputy principal-secretary of UHI. Fraser became UHI principal in October 2009, following the retirement of Professor Robert (Bob) Cormack. In February 2011 the UHI was awarded university title and became the University of the Highlands and Islands. Fraser became the university’s first principal and vice-chancellor, with academic robes being presented to him at a special ceremony being held to celebrate the event in August 2011. While in this position Fraser spoke about the need to consider alternatives to traditional models of educating students. Speaking to

Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The THES''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...

he said: “Our networked delivery and technology must bring a social enrichment to learning that overcomes the constraints imposed on our students by geography.” He gave the University's Christmas lecture in December 2013. before he retiring as principal. He was a member of the Commission on the Delivery of Rural Education, set up by

Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...

and

COSLA The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the national association of Scottish councils and acts as an employers' association for its 32 member authorities. History Formed in 1975, COSLA exists to promote and protect the inte ...

which published a report in April 2013.

Honours

He was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2014 Birthday Honours The 2014 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens ...

for services to higher education in Scotland and to the Free Church of Scotland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, James 1948 births Living people People educated at Plockton High School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish scholars and academics Commanders of the Order of the British Empire