MT
Professor William TurmeauPrincipal, Dr John MckayLord Provost, Ladies and Gentlemen. I had some rather trite phrases at the beginning of what I was going to say, of the kind which said “I am very happy to be associated with the formal opening of this college” . Now I've been here, those phrases aren't really enough. I'm very thrilled and deeply excited at everything I've seen here. It is an example of all that I and people like me are trying to do all over the United Kingdom.
It is right and fitting that this should be taking place in this building. The building itself, over a hundred years old, was built at a time of fantastic confidence in the future of our country. It was also built at a time when there were quantum leaps in research and in application of scientific research in industry. And it is really rather fitting that this building, which was all of that at the time it was built, should once again be the inspiration for all of that, well over a hundred years later. Because now, what I have seen today, gives me immense confidence in our capacity to tackle the challenges of the future.
They are different advances in science that we are seeing now. At one time in my life I thought we would never see so many quantum leaps again as we'd seen in the last hundred years. And yet we ARE now. The word “information technology” was scarcely known ten years ago. Now it is bringing about many new jobs, not only in the equipment which it produces but throughout all kinds of industry. And not only industry in its traditional sense, but industry, commerce, marketing, because its application goes right throughout our whole country. And we are seeing the kind of changes in technology that we saw in Victorian times. And I think it just says quite a lot for our forebears that the building they built then can be adapted to the new industrial revolution which we are seeing now.
It is also founded, of course, on a fantastic tradition—the tradition of Napier himself. This tremendous man, who did so much for the reputation of Scotland and the United Kingdom in mathematics and—in what was so common in those days and you have now made to come about again—not only the research itself, not only the new theory, exciting as it is (my first degrees were in science I also find it exciting) but they in those days automatically thought of applying it to the whole community. And what a transformation our lives they've brought about. So much of the drudgery, so much of the dirty work has gone. It is much more pleasant. And so THAT tradition, which Napier founded, is a tradition which we are keeping up and reviving and renewing now.
You really have everything here, which I believe in as as a … as a passionate educationalist. Yes, education for its own sake of course, because you need a very good basis to come here. Education is important for its own sake. It is important [end p1] because it unlocks the vision of the future and unlocks for so many people some of the wonders of the world, the world of science and arts. And then research. Yes, research for its own sake, because someone has to do it. And so long as there is the unknown there will always be scientists who must find it out, and when there are not we shall have lost something absolutely vital in life.
But also another duty. Science isn't a thing apart. It is a part OF the community. And as we have taken out resources to be able to do our research, so we have to put back in and give back to create the prosperity for our fellow citizens and to create the extra resources to do the extra research of which the more we know it seems there is more to be done.
And here you are doing it all. Founded on Napier, founded on the confidence of the time this was built. We have a renewed confidence here. We have renewed APPLICATION of research and I've gone about and marvelled and would like to congratulate you on everything you are doing.
The links with industry are absolutely vital. Er, you have a wide range of industries, I think particularly in the scale of work where you are, I say information technology—in the computers, in the electronics, in the communications. It is going very very fast indeed. Indeed as I go round sometimes you will find equipment five years old that is obsolescent. And it is going fast, not only in universities, not only in colleges like this, but also of course in the fundamental industries. I think perhaps this kind of business is unique, in that the research is going so fast in industry itself, in some of the big companies, that universities and colleges of this standing and status, HAVE to be linked to them so that they know all of the latest things, so that you get a cross fertilisation between the courses which you are doing and the work which they are doing.
Then may I say how … enormously pleased I am to see other things incorporated in the courses. The basic management. We really can't have it such that we are in the forefront of research, in the forefront of technology but that we are out-managed by other nations. That just simply would not do. So you've got the basic management in the courses as well.
And as I went around I found also other things in which we are trying so hard to introduce. Design matters. Design not only for function, but for appearance. It matters tremendously. Do you know I've held three seminars at Downing Street—and some of you have attended them—saying to industry “look, please design perhaps is the first contact many of you had with the product you want to buy or with the service indeed which you want to have” . And again, you've got it here. And I am very much in favour of the, the sandwich courses because I think so many people get an extra motivation and an extra challenge when they go out into industry and KNOW they have to do good design for function, they have to do good design for appearance, they have to market and they have to keep costs down because if they don't there is someone else who does. And you also have—and er … part of the awareness grant here [unclear; MT speaking very fast by this point, having departed from her notes] —because information technology, the latest electronics, are not only for those industries who produce them. They must go RIGHT across, as I said earlier, all industries. They must [end p2] help the older industries to reduce their costs by their modern means of production. They must be in the financial services, they must be in commerce, and you have an awareness course.
And once again, as I met other people going round, you are in touch with the business in the community which not only helps young people to start up, but also helps small businesses. There are some of them started up in a generation when the things that we are dealing with now were totally new. And they are frightened of them. But they needn't be frightened of them, if there's someone there to show them what to do and how to do it. Everything here you are doing.
And so that is why I am thrilled to come. At one stage I feared that other people might have more information technology than we had. Because the only thing to be afraid of about information technology is your competitors have it and you don't. But I have seen here today gives me confidence that you are meeting the challenges of the future, that you are on top of those challenges, that you are finding it exciting, that you are going IN to the work of the next century.
Then I saw something else that pleased me enormously. I worked so hard with President Mitterrand to try to get a Channel Tunnel. Why? We are not doing for a joke. [Last sentence uncertain: MT speaking very fast.] I thought it was something that our generation for the present, younger generation—something really tangible. But not only that, one realised that it gave tremendous opportunities for new technology, and you are having a look at the design of the trains now. Other people where I'll be going later will be doing some work on the design of the trains. It gives opportunities all over our country, and as I thought about it and really espoused its cause, it also gives opportunities to the whole … all of the Western ports in our country, because you'll find that the ships—don't worry, I'm not following those notes at all [laughter], I've forgotten them, they've gone, it's much much more exciting than any of those [laughter] —all of the western ports of our country, it's once again you know where the trade went to Europe, it can come in from America, they can unload in some of our ports here, they can get on a train and they can go right through to Europe. And you're doing some work on it here.
This morning, Principal, I have seen the future, and we are on top of it. And it gives me enormous confidence for the future. What a marvellous investment Malcolm RifkindSecretary of State for Scotland made [looks to Rifkind on the platform beside her] when he decided to give the grant to enable us to purchase this site, this building, and to adapt it. And what a MARVELLOUS investment, not only in the building, but in the staff and the students here. They're tops. And I'm so happy to be able to be here to say so. [MT slows for final paragraph, probably for the cameras]
You have far more applications from students than you can take. Your graduates find jobs and you are creating the future. I am thrilled to be here and to be part of this new challenge, delighted at the wisdom of the decision, delighted with the way in which it is working out. Thank you. My congratulations. [end p3] Applause.