Art college to merge with Heriot-Watt

Edinburgh College of Art looks set to merge with Heriot-Watt University in around 18 months' time. College governors voted 13 to 10 on Monday in favour of talks aimed at full merger by summer 2001. They had heard presentations from pro and anti-merger working groups. The college will now enter protracted merger negotiations with Heriot-Watt, which has conferred the college's degrees since 1969. Likely topics to be covered include the site of the college, currently far closer to the city centre than Heriot-Watt's greenfield campus, and staffing levels.