Shrewsbury's new university will 'help keep young in Shropshire'
Shropshire's new university will create a "huge incentive" for students to complete their education in the county – and stay for the foreseeable future, according to a leading councillor.
Councillor Ann Hartley said she believed the new University Centre Shrewsbury would encourage more young people to stay in the county and attract far more from across the country.
The new university, which will start life under the banner of the University of Chester but is expected to become a stand-alone institution within about eight years, will fully open next September.
The main base for lectures will be the former Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council offices at the Guildhall in Frankwell, although about 20 postgraduate students are already attending management studies and public health courses at Rowley's House in the town's West End.
Councillor Hartley, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for children's services, said: "The university will be a huge incentive for people to stay in Shropshire for their education.
"A lot of people go to university outside Shropshire and don't come back. The whole dynamic will change."
The start of postgraduate courses earlier this month was hailed as a "hugely important step" by Councillor Keith Barrow, leader of Shropshire Council.
Shari Thompson, one of the lecturers, claimed the university would "put Shrewsbury firmly on the map as a top place to study".
Councillor Barrow says the university will be a huge boost for Shrewsbury and the wider county, and claimed businesses will also feel the benefit.
By becoming a university town, the economy will benefit directly from the influx of undergraduate and postgraduate students coming to live in Shrewsbury and also the prestige that comes with the title.
Postgraduate courses planned to be offered from early next year include Shrewsbury Business Masters, Diploma in Management Studies, Master of Science (MSc) in Museums Practice, MSc Sustainable Heritage Practice, MSc History of Science.
Undergraduate courses are due to start in autumn 2015.
The former reference library on Castle Gates will become the University Centre Shrewsbury 's library, and options for accommodation for students are still being considered.
