University of the West of Scotland (formerly University of Paisley)

The University of Paisley was founded in 1897 as Paisley Technical School and had the support of prominent local people who saw it as a useful adjunct to the manufacturing economy and an appropriate symbol for a thriving industrial town. The first Principal of Paisley Technical School was Angus McLean. He was 35 years of age at the time of his appointment in March 1899 and was a native of Tarbert, Loch Fyne, Scotland and a graduate of the University of Glasgow, where he was a distinguished student of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. In 1904 the School was renamed Paisley Technical College and School of Art. Degree qualifications were offered through the University of London.

By the mid 1940s the College's involvement in the arts had ceased, whilst its technical courses had increased in number. In 1950 it was created a Scottish Central Institution in recognition of continuing contribution to education, industry and training. There was a major expansion of campus buildings in Paisley in 1963. In 1966 degrees and Honours degrees courses were offered for the first time, validated by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA). This lead to a rapid rise in the number of degree students.

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