Social Science – WEST

Head of Oxfam Scotland’s Social Justice Work Celebrated at Dumfries Graduation

23Oct

By uwsalumniNo Comments

Honorary Graduates, News

Head of Oxfam Scotland’s Social Justice Work Celebrated at Dumfries Graduation

The Head of Oxfam Scotland has been recognised at the first of the University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) winter graduations. Jamie Livingstone has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate at the University’s Dumfries graduation ceremony, which took place at the Crichton Memorial Church on Wednesday 22 October 2025. Jamie has been at the helm of Oxfam Scotland since 2013 and was celebrated for his work to reduce inequalities and to address the climate crisis, not just in Scotland, but across the globe. Born and brought up in Dunfermline, Jamie studied international relations and economics at the University of St Andrews. Before being appointed Head of Oxfam Scotland, he was the charity’s Campaigns and Communications Manager, following an almost decade-long career in journalism, incl...

Charity leader recognised at UWS graduation

11Jul

By uwsalumniNo Comments

Honorary Graduates, News

Charity leader recognised at UWS graduation

An influential figure in the third sector has been celebrated as part of University of the West of Scotland’s (UWS) summer graduations. Geoff Leask, previously the CEO of Young Enterprise Scotland, was recognised as part of a ceremony which took place at Paisley Abbey on Friday 11 July. Geoff has more than 25 years of experience working in the third sector. As well as leading Young Enterprise Scotland, he also spent 12 years with the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT). This included eight years of regional responsibility before joining the senior management team and going on to serve as Director. https://youtu.be/DPaIyXShDnk?si=HfxyjtbTRG8WmeHr Geoff recently founded Clayhills Consultancy in August 2022 whose mission is to support charities and third ...

UWS Graduate Represents Inverclyde Region at UK Parliament

23May

By uwsalumniNo Comments

Alumni Stories, News

UWS Graduate Represents Inverclyde Region at UK Parliament

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate has given evidence before the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster, representing the voice of Inverclyde’s business community. UWS BA (Hons) Law graduate (2022) Corey Beaton, is Business Development & Membership Executive at Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce and spoke on behalf of the Chamber, contributing insight into the region’s economic evolution over the past four decades. Corey Beaton BA (Hons) Law 2022 Corey said: “It was a privilege to have been given the opportunity to give evidence before the Commons’ Scottish Affairs Committee on Inverclyde’s industrial transitions over the past 40 years.” “We highlighted the opportunities presented by our existing infrastructure and that they can be nurtured and developed for...

Graduates Raise a Glass to Their One-year Anniversary at Isle of Cumbrae Distillers

19Mar

By uwsalumni1 Comment

Alumni Stories

Graduates Raise a Glass to Their One-year Anniversary at Isle of Cumbrae Distillers

Two University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduates are about to celebrate one year as Managing Directors at Isle of Cumbrae Distillers after packing their bags and moving to Millport, following a chance meeting. We caught up with married couple Caroline Christie and Struan Fraser, both UWS alumni, who became Managing Directors of the Distillery in April 2024, to tell us more about their journey and plans for the future. How did you become Managing Directors of Isle of Cumbrae Distillers? The distillery was founded by five ladies who came out of retirement to create the distillery, and they had a five-year plan to go back into retirement once the five years were up. We bumped into Juli - one of the founding ladies - in Largs when she was promoting the distillery. I fell in l...

Alumni Celebrated in The King’s New Year Honours List

7Jan

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Alumni Stories

Alumni Celebrated in The King’s New Year Honours List

Graduates from University of the West of Scotland (UWS) are among the unsung heroes recognised for making outstanding contributions to their communities in The King's New Year Honours List for 2025. Graduate and former Chief Executive of NHS Lothian, Calum Campbell, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to Healthcare in Scotland. Calum studied at the then University of Paisley, now UWS Paisley Campus, where he gained a Diploma in Professional Studies in Health Visiting and a BA (Hons) degree in Health Studies. He started working with the NHS in 1984, initially as a nurse, and then health visitor before moving into general management, retiring in the summer after 40 years of service. Commenting on his award, Calum said: “Whilst I am s...

UWS Alumna Becomes MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North

5Jul

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Alumni Stories, News

UWS Alumna Becomes MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North

A University of the West of Scotland (UWS) graduate has won the contest to become Member of Parliament (MP) for Paisley and Renfrewshire North in the recent UK general election. Alison Taylor, who graduated from the University’s Paisley Campus in 1988 came out top in the constituency standing for Scottish Labour with 19,561 votes, replacing the SNP’s Gavin Newlands, who had been the area’s MP since 2015 who achieved 13,228 votes. "As an alumna my first stop before departing for London was a very early meeting with UWS Principal Professor James Miller. It felt both comforting and emotional to be back where I started out as a 17-year-old student, then experiencing later the same day a very similar emotion as I walked through the doors of the Palace of Westminster for the first time as ...

Former Students Feature in Widening Access campaign

15Apr

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Alumni Stories, News

Former Students Feature in Widening Access campaign

The extraordinary stories of graduates from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) who entered higher education from a non-traditional route is being highlighted in a new national campaign by Universities Scotland. Alumnus Jamie Kinlochan features in the campaign. Graduating with a BA (Hons) in Politics and Social Policy in 2013, Jamie’s work with charity Who Cares? Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic led to him being awarded the British Empire Medal for services to vulnerable people in Scotland. He recently completed an MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy and now works as a counsellor in Paisley, 15 minutes from the UWS campus, delivering mental health support to people from communities that have been socially and economically marginalised. The high-quality teaching that I...

Discount for Alumni Undertaking the Master’s in Professional Practice on a Part-time Basis

21Feb

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News

Discount for Alumni Undertaking the Master’s in Professional Practice on a Part-time Basis

University of the West of Scotland’s Master’s in Professional Practice (MProf) is now available on a part-time basis with a 20% discount on master's degree tuition fees for self-funding UWS Alumni. Representing a first in Scotland, the MProf offers the opportunity for participants to design a postgraduate programme that is fully tailored to their professional and personal development needs – providing the ability to select a range of modules from across UWS’s vast portfolio. UWS alumni can now take advantage of a 20% discount on tuition fees for a Master’s programme that has an intake in May 2024 and provides a flexible approach to meeting the needs of graduates and professionals looking to engage in personalised, accelerated, and impactful professional development. Karen Stitt, U...

Graduate Awarded Scotland’s Social Worker of the Year

12Feb

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Alumni Stories, News

Graduate Awarded Scotland’s Social Worker of the Year

A Social Work graduate from University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has been awarded the prestigious title of Scotland's Social Worker of the Year 2023. Jean Ritchie, who completed a BA (Hons) in Social Work at University of Paisley (now UWS Paisley Campus) in 2004, received the award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Adult Support & Protection (ASP) and her advocacy for the importance of Carers and those with lived experience of ASP. My experience studying at UWS provided me with excellent theory and knowledge regarding Social Work practice, plus a valuable opportunity to complete two fabulous social work placements which enabled me to tie everything together and put my knowledge into practice. The lecturers were supportive and offered their own experienc...

National Recognition for Graduate’s Drug Use Research

2Feb

By uwsalumniNo Comments

News

National Recognition for Graduate’s Drug Use Research

A graduate and PhD student from University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has won a prestigious national award for her research into drug use in Scotland. Beata Ciesluk is the first UWS recipient of the Robertson Medal, presented annually by the Carnegie Trust to the most outstanding student on its PhD scholarship programme. Beata said: “It’s fantastic to receive this recognition: winning this medal means a lot to me.” Beata was chosen from 11 students awarded scholarships in this year’s cohort. Her research focuses on the increasing rates of drug use in “hidden” parts of the population not traditionally associated with drug use, such as women and older individuals. Beata, who is originally from Poland, moved to Lerwick with her family when she was 14. Having studied Psychology ...