| University College Falmouth | |
|---|---|
| Motto | 'Doing Things Differently' |
| Established | 1902 |
| Type | Public |
| Rector | Professor Anne Carlisle |
| Students | 3220 HE, 155 FE[1] |
| Undergraduates | 2890 |
| Postgraduates | 330 |
| Location | Falmouth, England |
| Colours | White and Cornish Gold[2] |
| Website | http://www.falmouth.ac.uk |
University College Falmouth is a British university college in Falmouth, Cornwall. Founded in 1902, it had previously been the Falmouth School of Art and then Falmouth College of Arts until it received taught degree-awarding powers (and the right to use the title "University College") in March 2005.[3] In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts, adding a range of Performance courses to its portfolio.[4] This merger had been the subject of dispute by some supporters of Dartington.[5]
The University College is located in Penryn and Falmouth. Tremough Campus, in Penryn, is the larger of its two campuses, which it shares in a unique partnership with the University of Exeter. The Woodlane Campus is in Falmouth town centre and provides a historic contrast to the modernity of Tremough.
The University College is a partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative.
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University College Falmouth was founded as Falmouth School of Art in 1902, in response to the diminution of scientific activities in Cornwall that was brought about by the decline of the Cornish mining industry.
In 1902, Falmouth School of Art was a wholly private venture and offered classes such as Freehand Drawing, Model Drawing, Painting from Still Life, Drawing from the Antique, Drawing in Light & Shade, and Memory Drawing of Plant Form. Students were charged between four and ten shillings per session for the privilege, and were offered the opportunity to enter for Board of Education exams.
In 1938, the Local Education Authority (LEA) took over the administration of the institution.
In the 1940s, courses became the responsibility of the Head of Truro School of Art, Stanley Wright was appointed Principal, the School was recognized by the Ministry of Education and began to plan ambitious expansion. At this time there were six full-time members of teaching staff responsible for 21 full-time students, 55 part-time day students and 104 part-time evening students. Students were offered the option of studying either "Art" or "Craft". Art, by definition, covered fine Art, drawing and painting, museum study, and modelling and casting in clay. "Craft" included Leather, Weaving, Bookbinding, Block Printing and Wood Inlay.
In the 1950s, the College relocated from Arwenack Avenue to Kerris Vean in Woodlane (built in 1875), Jack Chalker was appointed Principal and courses for the Ministry of Education’s Intermediate and National Diploma in Design Examinations were offered for the first time. Studios for sculpture and printed textiles were constructed in the grounds. The School now occupied a unique site in the former Fox-Rosehill sub-tropical gardens (which rivalled many others of great renown, such as Glendurgan and Trebah), Michael Finn was appointed Principal, the School began a commercial design course for vocational students as well as a junior design course for school children, and the National Advisory Council for Art Education (NACAE) was established.
In the 1960s, the NACAE published its first report, Peter Lanyon and Terry Frost were appointed as visiting lecturers, a further storey was added to the textiles and sculpture workshops for use as a printmaking studio, and alterations to Kerris Vean presented opportunities for the study of photography. The question for Falmouth at this time was whether an art school with only 120 students, situated in a remote and economically disadvantaged part of the country, could compete for recognition with much larger institutions, against a national backdrop of changing approaches to art education. The LEA and leading artists such as Dame Barbara Hepworth, Bryan Wynter and Patrick Heron were both generous with, and energetic in, their support of the School.
The next dilemma for the School was whether it should seek the NACAE’s authorization to offer the new Diploma in Art & Design (equivalent to a degree), and at that point, it decided to focus on full-time Intermediate and National Diploma students, and relinquish both its commercial design course and some part-time classes. With the purchase of Woodlane’s Rosehill House (built by Robert Were Fox in 1820) in the offing, it had seemed certain that the School would successfully achieve the recognition that it so earnestly sought, but having underestimated the NACAE’s basic requirements for general accommodation, studio space and staffing, and having failed to convince the Council that such a small institution could survive, it was with regret that the School received the news that the NACAE had refused its application. Undaunted, the search for additional land commenced.
Encouragement came to try again from Dame Barbara Hepworth, Bernard Leach, Patrick Heron and Bryan Wynter in 1964. In 1965, the momentous day arrived when the NACAE overturned its earlier verdict, following a reassessment of the School by the Chairman and Vice Chancellor of the NACAE, and the Principal of the Royal College of Art (RCA). The School was now recognized as a centre for the Diploma in Art & Design, with Painting as a main course. Recognition for sculpture was to follow shortly. There were now 40 full-time students at the School, with a remit to expand to at least 100 students, but such expansion could only come about with a major building programme and the purchase of yet more land.
In the mid-1960s, additional studios and technical workshops were added to the School’s estate, and the LEA acquired Rosehill House on its behalf. Of great architectural merit, this building became the centre for Complementary Studies with History of Art, and the Library. Additional land was then purchased at the southernmost boundary of the Woodlane site to enable the enlargement of the painting studios and to provide a cinema, canteen, common room and games room.
At this time, the School offered a pre-diploma (the precursor of our modern-day Foundation programme), a Diploma in Art & Design (DipAD) which superseded the National Design Diploma (NDD), and entrance examinations for postgraduate art and design institutions such as the RCA and the Slade. Design became an important aspect of the School’s curricula, with Patrick Heron teaching two-dimensional design, and Dame Barbara Hepworth and Bernard Leach teaching three-dimensional design. Photography appeared in the College’s academic portfolio for the first time in 1963. The number of teaching staff at the School had risen from six in the 1940s to 25 in the 1960s.
In the 1970s, the School acquired an hotel opposite the Woodlane site and converted it into an hostel for 21 students, John Barnicoat was appointed Principal, and the School was recognized by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) as a centre for a three-year programme of study leading to the award of a BA(Hons) degree in Fine Art. In 1976, Tom Cross was appointed Principal and the School continued to develop its resources by improving its sculpture studios and creating a new studio for ceramic sculpture. A purpose-built facility for photography and film was added, the library was enlarged, and the acquisition of a further student hostel in Woodlane, at Lamorva House, enabled the School to offer accommodation to 57 students. In addition, the original Arwenack Art School was handed back to the School to serve its introductory Foundation course as a centre for three-dimensional studies.
In the 1980s, BA(Hons) Fine Art was the principal academic course. A two-year BTEC General Art & Design course was added to the School’s portfolio and additional facilities for printmaking, photography, textiles and fashion were then created in buildings adjacent to the School in Woodlane. At this point, the School had a population of approximately 200 students on both HE and FE courses.
By 1984, the School was under threat of closure from the National Advisory Board (NAB) on the grounds that its Fine Art degree course "was academically and geographically isolated". The National Advisory Body (NAB) was set up to 'rationalise' fine art provision in Britain in line with prime minister Margaret Thatcher's belief that art education should return to its 19th-century role of providing designers for industry.
The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the School's Board of Governors, the acting Principal, Ian Carrick, the acting deputy for the Principal, Charles Hancock and Patrick Heron, quickly implemented the School’s only available strategy for survival and galvanized the support of local MPs, renowned artists, former students and friends of the School. The response received was overwhelming and an extraordinary number of individuals wrote to the NAB in support of the School from both within the County and outside it.
Research conducted by NAB itself found that graduates from Fine Art courses headed the league tables for gaining employment in arts related fields after finishing their degrees. The NAB subsequently withdrew its threat of closure and agreed that it would turn its attention to reviewing Cornwall's art and design provision in its entirety instead.
Historically there had been no overall LEA policy for art and design education in Cornwall beyond an accepted notion that Fine Art should be taught at Falmouth School of Art and "applied" Art at Cornwall College, and it had been observed on several occasions that this anomaly presented the greatest impediment to the development of a real centre of excellence for art and design education in Cornwall.
As a result, a joint working party involving senior specialist staff from both institutions was formed by the LEA to consider the future development of art and design in the County.
In 1978, Cornwall College, a predominantly FE orientated institution, had formed a Faculty of Art & Design. It offered full-time, three- and four-year vocational courses in Graphic Design, Technical Illustration, Display & Exhibition Design, and Ceramics to 150 students, leading to the award of South West Region Diplomas in Design and Licentiateship to the Chartered Society of Designers. In the early 1980s, these courses were converted to BTEC National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) courses. A one-year Foundation Design course was also in operation and in 1982, the CNAA validated the Faculty’s Postgraduate Diploma in Radio Journalism.
By 1986, the student population of this Faculty had risen to around 500 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs). The Faculty had significantly outgrown its resources at Cornwall College’s main campus and there were no residential facilities for the increasing number of students that it recruited nationally.
In 1987, it was agreed by Cornwall County Council, and endorsed by the Secretary of State for Education, that Falmouth School of Art and Cornwall College's Faculty of Art & Design would merge to become Falmouth School of Art & Design. This new institution would be located at the Woodlane Campus in Falmouth.
The portfolio of courses to be offered by the new institution to the combined population of 636 full-time students included: BA(Hons) Fine Art, BA(Hons) Scientific & Technical Graphics, PgDip Radio Journalism, BTEC ND and HND Graphic Design, BTEC ND and HND Technical Illustration, BTEC HND Ceramics, BTEC ND Design, BTEC ND General Art & Design and a Foundation course.
In the same year, the first phase of new building work to provide accommodation for BA(Hons) Scientific & Technical Graphics commenced at Woodlane, the newly-formed Board of Governors for Falmouth School of Art & Design appointed Professor Alan Livingston as Principal, and a structure comprising eight Study Areas led by Principal Lecturers was agreed.
As a result of the Education Reform Act 1988, the School became an independent Higher Education Corporation in April 1989.
The 1990s witnessed the rapid development of the College's academic portfolio. Falmouth School of Art & Design became Falmouth College of Arts to signify its recognition of media as an arts subject. From 1992 the College's awards were accredited by the University of Plymouth. By 1996 the student population included 906 full-time and 60 part-time undergraduates, 38 full-time and 68 part-time postgraduates, and 290 FE students.
In 1998–99, the College was the only HE institution in the UK to be awarded 24 out of 24 for its teaching of art and design at undergraduate and postgraduate level by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). The College also acquired its second campus at Tremough, an 18th Century, grade II listed country house and 70-acre (280,000 m2) estate in the nearby town of Penryn.
The University College's new Design Centre opened at Tremough in the Autumn of 2003 as part of a £50 million development of the Tremough Campus under the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative, including social facilities, additional teaching accommodation and a Learning Resource Centre.
Under the auspices of the CUC, the University of Exeter's operations in Cornwall transferred to Tremough in 2004, as this campus has been designated the "Hub" of the CUC (with Cornwall's FE Colleges forming the "Rim").
In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts, adding a range of Performance courses to its portfolio.[6]. In October 2010, the University College opened its new Performance Centre, which combines teaching facilities with spaces for public performances.
University College Falmouth offers a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design.
Undergraduate Courses at University College Falmouth include: BA(Hons) Advertising, Creative Events Management, Fine Art, Illustration, Marine & Natural History Photography, Photography, Press & Editorial Photography, Fashion Photography, Contemporary Crafts, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Performance Sportswear Design, Textile Design, 3D Design, Digital Animation, Drawing, Digital Media, Radio Production (FdA), English, Creative Writing, English with Creative Writing, English with Media Studies, Film, Journalism, Public Relations, Dance, Choreography, Music, Creative Music Technology, Popular Music, Theatre and Music Theatre.[7]
Postgraduate Courses include: MA Art & Environment, Creative Advertising, Curatorial Practice, Fine Art: Contemporary Practice, Illustration: Authorial Practice, International Journalism, Multimedia Broadcast Journalism, Performance Writing, Professional Writing (including a part-time distance learning option), and Television Production.[8]
Career & Professional Development Courses, Short Courses and Summer Schools include: Business Writing, Writing Creative Marketing Copy, Writing for Radio, an Introduction to Professional Writing, Professional Media Practice and courses delivered with the American online short course provider, Mediabistro.[9]
Open Education: University College Falmouth launched the specialist Art, Design, Media & Performance open education repository, openSpace, in April 2010. Funded by a £20,000 grant from the Higher Education Academy, and project managed by JISC, the pilot project released 40 M-level credits from the MA Professional Writing course. The units, made available to the public through a Creative Commons license, are free to use, access and study. A full Screenwriting Unit is freely available to study online. Other units include intoductory units to: Novel Writing, Fiction Writing, Non-Fiction Writing, Writing for Children, Business Writing and Feature Writing. [10]
Woodlane Campus is situated less than half a mile from the original Falmouth School of Art and is close to the two Foundation Studies studios. Woodlane is home to BA(Hons)Fashion Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Performance Sportswear Design and Public Relations, and provides facilities for MA Creative Advertising and MA Illustration: Authorial Practice. Since, 2002, the original school of art building has provided dedicated studios for MA Fine Art: Contemporary Practice.
Tremough Campus is used and managed jointly by University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter in Cornwall. Tremough is the hub of the Combined Universities in Cornwall project. Over £105 million of European and other funding has been invested in Phase One and Two of Tremough's development. Current projects on site include further student accommodation, sports facilities and AIR, the Academy for Innovation and Research. Construction is also underway on The Exchange, a £10m joint project between Falmouth and Exeter to provide fantastic study spaces and facilities as an extension of the Library at Tremough.
University College Falmouth came 46th in The Guardian Good University Guide 2012, making it the highest ranked University College (excluding Colleges within the University of London) in the UK. The University College also appeared in the Top 20 for Art & Design.
The Student Union, "FXU", is the representative body of the students of University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, on the campuses of Tremough and Woodlane. FXU organises events for students throughout the year such, facilitates community action and volunteering, provides opportunity for sporting involvement and offers student welfare advice.
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