Dumfries and Galloway College Heritage Trail • Stop 8
From One Vision to the Next
Reflecting on leadership, vision and the ideas that shaped generations of learning.
Watch and Listen
This stop explores the power of vision in shaping places of care, community and education.
From Elizabeth Crichton’s 19th-century ambition for the Crichton, to the leadership that guided Dumfries and Galloway College through growth, independence and change, this waymarker invites us to think about how ideas become institutions.
Read the video transcript
Trail marker 8, one vision to the next.
Everything is shaped by decisions. In 1823, with the death of her husband, Elizabeth Crichton made the decision to create a university as a legacy to her husband, here in Dumfries. After 20 years, her dream was not to happen. She then turned to creating a hospital for psychiatric patients, the best in Europe at the time.
Over the next 150 years, the Crichton Hospital was recognized for its excellence in mental health care research, caring, and training. So in some respects, she did get her teaching establishment. In 1995, the Institute became surplus to requirements. The NHS stepped away from the hospital, and it was purchased by the Dumfries and Galloway Council. The Crichton Trust was created in order to ensure that the 85 acres and numerous buildings were protected and carefully developed for the benefit of the people of the region.
By 1999, the University of Glasgow opened its doors to its first group of students, and Elizabeth Crichton’s dream finally became a reality. Alongside this, the story of the Dumfries and Galloway College is one of continual transformation guided by leadership responding to the needs of both learners and the region itself. A major turning point came in 1993. Following the further and higher education, Scotland, Act 1992, the college moved out of the local authority control and became a self-governing institution. A new board of management was appointed. This changed how decisions were made. Leadership became more locally focused and more responsive to the regional needs. The college could now shape its own direction by expanding courses, developing partnerships, and responding more quickly to the changes in industry and education.
That leadership soon faced significant challenges. By the late 1990s, the college was dealing with financial pressures, poor inspection outcomes, and the loss of important accreditation status. Under new leadership, major reforms were introduced through modernising systems, improving quality standards, and investing in staff development. Those decisions reshaped the institution.
Former principal Tony Jakimciw noted on his first day at the college.
“My impression of the college was very favourable that a lot of aspects that were impressive. There were some difficulties at the college at that time. The college had an operating deficit of a million pounds. It had a poor inspection, and also had lost its SQA-devolved status. So my impressions on the first day was there’s a job to do. So within three years, we no longer have the deficit. We had a very good inspection, and we’ve achieved our SQA status. So, yeah, it was a very exciting time to be at Dumfries and Galloway College.”
Within a few years, inspection outcomes had improved, finances stabilised, and the college began planning one of the biggest changes in its history, the move from Heathhall to the Crichton campus. Opening the new campus in 2008 reflected a strategic vision for the future of education in Dumfries and Galloway, one based on partnership, progression and regional opportunity. By locating alongside the University of Glasgow and the University of West of Scotland, the college strengthened pathways into higher education while creating a unique multi-institution learning campus.
Following the post-16 Education Scotland Act 2013, Scotland’s further education sector was re-organised into regional structures, leading to widespread college mergers and the creation of larger regional institutions in areas such as Glasgow and Lanarkshire. In contrast, Dumfries and Galloway was served primarily by Dumfries and Galloway College, while land-based provision continued separately through Scotland’s rural college at the former Barony College site. This meant Dumfries and Galloway experienced less structural change than more densely populated regions.
Current Principal Douglas Dickson says:
“What we are looking to do within the region as part of Mission 2030 is to be able to build appropriate partnerships with other public authorities and with key partners to be able to benefit the region and to also ensure that we are doing everything possible to raise attainment in the widest possible way, whether it be adult population or population that’s coming out of school.”
The board’s strategies in recent years have focused on quality, digital learning and access, sustainability of college buildings and facilities, as well as regional partnerships. Investments in green energy training, online delivery and university partnerships reflect how leadership continues to adapt the college to changing social and economic needs. Today, the college is guided by a board made up of representatives from industry, education, staff and students, ensuring that its direction remains connected to the communities it serves.
Caroline Stuart, the current chair of the board, offers the following perspective.
“And the important thing for the strategy is it’s not just a document that sort of gets set and then it used as a draft excluder for the next five years and shoved in a drawer somewhere. It’s actually used to set the objectives of the executive team. It’s used to set the objectives of every single employee of the college, every single person. So every single person understands the role they play in helping us to deliver that strategy.”
Did you know?
In 1993, Dumfries and Galloway College became a self-governing college, marking a major turning point in how it planned its future and shaped its development.
A vision rooted in care and dignity
Long before the College became part of the Crichton campus, Elizabeth Crichton imagined this place as somewhere shaped by compassion, wellbeing and opportunity. Her vision was remarkable for its time. It recognised that environment, community and dignity mattered deeply in helping people to live, recover and grow.
That wider legacy still resonates today. The Crichton remains a place where education, community life and personal development sit side by side, creating a setting that continues to reflect those original values.
Leadership through change
The history of Dumfries and Galloway College has also been shaped by the people who led it through change. From the early years of Dumfries Technical College, through expansion across the region, and on to the modern College of today, successive principals helped turn ambition into action.
They led the College through new campuses, changing industries, growing student numbers, university partnerships and new ways of learning. Their leadership helped widen access to education and strengthen the College’s role in the social and economic life of the region.
The move to self-governing status in 1993 was part of that story. With its first Board of Management in place, the College took on a new level of responsibility for its strategic direction, finances, property and people.
Timeline graphic showing the eras of leadership across the College’s history.
A timeline of progress
- 1961–1975: The founding phase of Dumfries Technical College, establishing the College at George Street and building the foundations of technical education in the region.
- 1975–1986: A period of growth in technical programmes and stronger links with employers and regional industry.
- 1986–2000: Continued expansion in student numbers, along with the development of regional learning centres and campuses.
- 2000–2006: Leadership in the early 2000s included the growth of flexible learning opportunities such as the Learning Shop.
- 2006–2014: The transition toward the modern Crichton campus and the strengthening of university partnerships.
- 2014–Present: Leadership in the regionalised further education era, with a focus on skills, sustainability and regional partnership working.
One idea, many generations
What connects Elizabeth Crichton’s original vision with the College leaders who followed is a belief that places matter. When a place is shaped with care, ambition and opportunity in mind, it can influence generations of people who learn and grow there.
This stop invites us to think not only about the past, but also about the future. What kind of leadership will be needed for the next chapter of learning in Dumfries and Galloway?
Take a moment to reflect
Leadership can shape the atmosphere, values and opportunities of a place for decades to come.
How does leadership shape the places we learn – and what kind of vision is needed for the future?
Continue the trail
From leadership and vision, the trail now turns to the lived experience of learners. At the next stop, explore The Path to Learning: Journeys into Education and discover more about the different routes people have taken into college life.
