GLASGOW Caledonian University may move its campus to the city's East End.
GLASGOW Caledonian University may move its campus to the city's East End.
The switch would be a major boost for the area and to the multi-million pound regeneration efforts.
University principal Pamela Gillies said the "ambitious and innovative" plan was in its early stages.
She added that the idea was to create a "new type of university" and would most likely be next to the Commonwealth Games village.
If the proposal goes ahead, the university, currently in the city centre next to Buchanan bus station, would relocate its entire campus to a site in Dalmarnock.
The area believed to be under consideration is next to the site of the 2014 Commonwealth Games athletes' village, which it is hoped will kickstart a regeneration of the city's deprived East End.
But the relocation plan could see the university moving before the Games and taking advantage of the massive investment being ploughed into the area.
University staff were told about the possible move in a letter circulated by university bosses this week.
In recent years major investment has taken place at the university's Cowcaddens Road campus, including £20million spent on the landmark Saltire Centre.
Ms Gillies said staff would be fully consulted well in advance of any move.
She added: "As a dynamic university committed to helping Scotland meet the challenges of the 21st century we must constantly draw upon our creativity and vision to refresh, reinvent and rethink how we serve our students, staff and wider community.
"As part of this approach to our development, and in line with our university mission, we are in the very early stages of exploring the feasibility of an ambitious and innovative initiative which could see us create a new type of university beside the planned Games village.
"It would not only provide an exceptional experience for our home and international students, but would also be a wonderful opportunity to re-conceive the way the university uses its aca- demic expertise to support social and economic regeneration."
But Dr Nick McKerrell, convener of the university's combined union committee, said: "Staff have not been involved in this process in any way.
"Secrecy seems to be a way of life for our university management.
"There will be serious questions to be asked about the feasibility of such a massive relocation, which would be hugely disruptive.
"We have invested millions of pounds in the last five years in developing a state-of-the-art learning environment at our existing campus and it seems bizarre to chuck that away at the height of the credit crunch."
A university spokeswoman confirmed the area being looked at was a site in Dalmarnock close to where the Commonwealth Games village will be built.
She said there had been a lot of excitement among staff since they learned about the ambitious plan.
If the plan comes to fruition it is envisaged that the self-contained campus could be used by a further education college whose building is "not fit for purpose".
A city council spokeswoman said: "The council would welcome this development.
"We are aware it is at a very early stage but we would work really closely with Glasgow Caledonian University on this."
The university used to have three campuses but since 2002 has consolidated its location at the Cowcaddens Road campus.
It has around 15,000 students and a staff of 1500.
