Tremough Campus is a university campus situated in Penryn, Cornwall. It is the only such university project in Cornwall currently. The name Tremough derives from the Cornish word for "pig farm".
It is home to two university institutions: the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus (UEC), including its renowned Camborne School of Mines, and University College Falmouth (UCF). The campus was developed as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative, a venture which brings together Cornwall's further education colleges with the founding members University College Falmouth, University of Exeter and University of Plymouth. The bulk of the investment in the campus has come through EU Objective One funding, matched by UK Government funding.
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The 70-acre (280,000 m2) site itself formerly was a convent school for the local community which was bought in 1998 by Falmouth College of Arts, as it was then known. The Universities of Exeter and Plymouth both expressed an interest in the project. The University of Plymouth later withdrew (although it remains a partner in CUC), leaving University of Exeter in partnership with Falmouth College of Arts: the site is held on a 125-year lease. This decision was probably made easier by the fact that Exeter had taken partial responsibility for the running of Camborne School of Mines in 1993.
With differing academic emphasis but with an obvious need to provide student accommodation and non-academic staff for the smooth running of the campus facilities the two universities collectively established the charity Tremough Campus Services, which is responsible for the overall maintenance of the site including the gymnasium, catering services, bars, shops and the student accommodation with profits going back to the two institutions. The charity also manages services on University College Falmouth's Woodlane Campus and further accommodation at Tuke House in Falmouth.
The main Daphne Du Maurier (DM) building has been designed with four storeys and has views over the town of Penryn and its surrounding countryside. Its teaching facilities include state-of-the-art science laboratories, IT facilities, library and lecture and seminar rooms. Provision for student life on campus is incorporated into the east side of the building including a gym offering both free-weights, resistance weights and cardiovascular machinery in addition to a limited service of dance classes including capoeira (a Brazilian form of martial arts), and physiotherapy. A extension of the building's library, lecture facilities and relocation of the Tremough Shop and Reprographics, known as "The Exchange" is in construction on the north-east side of the current building. The endeavour is to support expected growth from 3,500 to 5,000 students on the campus. The Exchange is planned for completion in time for the 2012/13 academic year.
The Peter Lanyon (PL) building, located between the Daphne du Maurier building and Block I of Glasney Parc is a 2 storey zig-zag shaped building housing further lecture and seminar facilities, as well as containing University College Falmouth's Photography centre. The Performance Centre (PC), completed in Summer 2010 towards the south of the campus is predominantly facility for the recently transferred Dartington College of Arts students. Three further buildings are currently in construction: The Environmental and Sustainability Institute (ESI) at the very top of the campus, Tremough Innovation Centre (TIC) in the north-west and the Academy for Innovation and Research (AIR) towards the northern entrance.[1]
The original Tremough House is used as administrative offices and further seminar space, with the later built Tremough Annexe housing offices for the FXU Student Union and Camborne School of Mines Association, whilst the old chapel has been converted into a lecture theatre. The walled and Italian gardens and orchard between Tremough House and the Performance Centre are still intact and maintained.
Campus accommodation is at the student village made up of Glasney Parc, where there are 800 en-suite study bedrooms with shared kitchens in twelve 2-3 storey buildings (A Block to O Block), and Glasney View, where there are 400 further rooms of similar facility in nine 3 storey buildings (VA Block to VI Block). Further expansion is ongoing, with foundations laid for a further five blocks in the Glasney View area. Most general accommodation related services such as collection of postal packages and report of accommodation faults are dealt with in the Porter's Lodge towards the top of the student village opposite Glasney Parc's K-O blocks.
An accommodation strategy was compiled in November 2010 with the aim to expand university accommodation outside the campus to accommodate a forecast growth of 800 new students between September 2011 and September 2015.[2] Construction commenced in August 2011 of new student accommodation suitable for up to 233 new students adjacent to Penryn Railway Station, around 10 minutes walk from Tremough Campus. The development is expected to be completed in time for the 2012/13 academic year.[3]
The students' union on site, referred to as the Falmouth and Exeter Union (FXU), has limited political power. It is however responsible for Freshers' fortnight events and other special events throughout the calendar and for liaising between the university students and the voluntary sector.
Social life on campus centres around the Lower Stannary, used as a restaurant during the day and being the venue of any larger events on campus, and the Upper Stannary, positioned as a mezzanine to the Lower Stannary and open daily as a relaxed recreational area with games tables, TV and weekly events such as Film Night, Quiz Night and Open Mic Night. The entire Stannary plays host to many Fresher's Fortnight events, as well as nights often organised by FXU. An event highlight was a visit by the singer-songwriter Jack Johnson who has only played a few concerts in the UK. There has been much student pressure and surrounding debate for the construction of recreational buildings closer to Glasney Student Village. "Koofi," a new cafe situated on the back of the Porter's Lodge building in Glasney Parc opened to students in October 2010.
There is currently a wide range of Sport and Recreation activities available from rock climbing to film appreciation. FXU activities are open to all University College Falmouth and University of Exeter in Cornwall students whether they are based at the Tremough or University College Falmouth's Woodlane campus 4 miles (6.4 km) away. Some of the sports teams are run under the Camborne School of Mines name despite players not being exclusively CSM or University of Exeter students
The two largest church student populations are that of Highway Church, Penryn and Emmanuel Baptist Church, Falmouth, both of which are active in the Falmouth Christian Union.