The board of management
The North Highland College is governed by a board of management collectively responsible for the governance of the college, its direction and progress, and ensuring compliance with the statutes which regulate the college within the further and higher education sectors. Membership of the board is on a voluntary basis and limited to no more than ten years.
The board comprises sixteen members. These are from industry, local communities, and local enterprise, as well as the principal, two staff representatives, and one student. There are four cycles of full board and committee meetings in each college year between August and June, and members also serve on at least one of the committees.
For further information regarding the NHC board of management please contact Margaret Rose, secretary to the board of management by clicking
here. Or for a list of current members click here.
The senior management team
The role of the senior management team is to deliver the strategic vision of The North Highland College. The team manage and direct the activities of other management teams and report to the board of management.
Rosemary Thompson has a scientific research background and joined the college in 1980. In due course she became head of science, then assistant principal, and during this time she established the Environmental Research Institute in 2000. Rosemary became principal in 2004 and is both chief executive and a member of the college board of management with overall responsibility for all aspects of college activity. Along with the other members of the senior management team, she makes strategic decisions based on a forward thinking analysis of internal and external factors. Rosemary also chairs the college's academic council and the joint consultative group. Rosemary thrives on the challenge of establishing national, European, and international partnerships to ensure that the strengths of the North Highlands are recognised globally.
Donald MacBeath, depute principal, was formerly a lecturer and latterly head of our business studies section. He later became assistant principal, and then depute principal in 2004. Donald leads a number of initiatives including knowledge transfer, online projects, government programmes, and college information systems. Within his portfolio Donald also oversees operations in Wick, Argyll, and the Western Highlands as well as the college's staff development and ICT strategies. In his spare time Donald enjoys a round of golf and an occasional game of football.
Marcus Mennie lectured in chemistry from 1986-1995 and headed our student services section from 1995-2000 at which point he was appointed as assistant principal. He is responsible for a number of services such as college estates strategy, student support services, health and safety, and the development of school-college collaborative programmes. He performs a lead role in promoting equal opportunities, access, and inclusion throughout the college. Interested in the promotion of traditional piping and drumming, Marcus was a founder member of the North Highland Juvenile Pipeband. In his spare time Marcus is webmaster for the Wick RBLS pipeband.
Rognvald Taylor took up the role of assistant principal in 2005 having formerly led our land based section. Rognvald is responsible for the operation of all quality assurance and quality improvement processes throughout the college, and took the lead in coordinating arrangements for the college's inspection visit in 2006. Rognvald is also UHI subject network leader for land and sea based industries. His other areas of responsibility include the governance and European affairs and overseeing the college's Dornoch and Alness centres. Rognvald chairs the college's quality standards committee. A keen golfer, he often visits our Dornoch campus to ensure the golf students are receiving a quality education.