James McCune Smith Learning Hub
The £90.6 million James McCune Smith Learning Hub was opened in April 2021. It provides a state of the art learning and the teaching facility with capacity for more than 2,500 students and is the first building to be delivered through our Campus Development Programme.
This new teaching facility gives students access to state-of-the-art learning spaces including six lecture theatres, multiple seminar and group study areas, and multiple cafés on the ground floor. It delivers a high-quality conference venue and provides a major new events and exhibitions resource for Glasgow’s West End community.
The James McCune Smith Learning Hub
The new building is named after James McCune Smith - the first African American to be awarded a medical degree, receiving an MD from the University of Glasgow in 1837.
McCune Smith was born into slavery in 1813, however was freed by New York State's Emancipation Act on July 4, 1827.
Recognised as being intellectually gifted, McCune Smith attended the African Free School in Manhattan where his academic achievements led him to apply to several American universities.
After being denied entry to all due to his race, McCune Smith applied for – and was accepted by – the University of Glasgow’s medical school.
McCune Smith went on to gain three qualifications from the University of Glasgow - a bachelor's degree in 1835, a master’s degree in 1836, and his medical doctorate in 1837.
Upon returning to New York McCune Smith set up medical practice in lower Manhattan and grew to be recognised as a prominent figure in the New York black community and a leading intellectual.
Campus Redevelopment - the Advanced Research Centre
The £113 million ARC will be a vibrant, creative and collaborative heart for the Western campus. It will house around 600 academics, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students working across five themes. The ground floor will be accessible to the University and the wider community and will become a forum for knowledge exchange and public engagement. Due for completion Q2 2022
The University of Glasgow's Campus Redevelopment programme is a £1 billion investment in our estate over ten years to expand our world class campus and facilities
We are redeveloping the 14 acre site of the former Western Infirmary to build a mix of modern research, teaching and public spaces.
Our Campus Redevelopment Programme will mean the university remains a centre for world-renowned research as well as a vibrant community hub for public engagement.
The new campus will sit at the heart of the city's cultural quarter, creating a new public route between the University and the Kelvingrove, Kelvinhall and Riverside museums.
Click here to Find out more about our Campus Redevelopment
To Continue: Cross University Avenue at the traffic lights. To the right of the James McCune Smith Building ascend the stairs to University Gardens. Make your way to the corner where the road loops.