Falmouth University

Falmouth University

Motto	Doing Things Differently / Creative Minds, Inspiring Futures
Type	New University
Established	2012 – gained University Status 2009 – University College Falmouth 1995 - Falmouth College of Arts 1987 – Falmouth College of Art and Design 1902 – Established as Falmouth School of Arts
Vice-Chancellor	Anne Carlisle
Students	3220 HE, 155 FE
Location	Penryn & Falmouth , Cornwall
Campus	Woodlane, Falmouth - 6 acres Tremough, Penryn - 70 acres
Colours	White and Cornish Gold
Affiliations	Dartington College of Arts University of Plymouth ukaida University of the Arts, London
Website	www.falmouth.ac.uk

Falmouth University (Cornish: Pennskol Aberfala) is a multi-arts university based in Falmouth and Penryn, Cornwall, England. Founded in 1902, it had previously been the Falmouth School of Art, Falmouth College of Art and Design 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. In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts, adding a range of Performance courses to its portfolio. This merger had been the subject of dispute by some supporters of Dartington. On 27 November 2012, a communication was released to the staff and students and local press that 'University College Falmouth is to be granted full university status in a move that will further its ambition to become one of the top five arts universities in the world.' On 9 December 2012, the University College was officially granted full university status by the Privy Council.

The university is located in Penryn and Falmouth. Penryn Campus, near the town of Penryn, is the larger of its two campuses, which it operates in partnership with the University of Exeter, under the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative. Falmouth Campus is in Falmouth town centre and provides a historic contrast to the modernity of Penryn.

History

View of the RCPS building designed by George Wightwick.

Falmouth University 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.

Falmouth School of Art

Entrance to the original Falmouth School of Art building in Arwenack Avenue

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.

FU Arwenack Avenue Annex

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.

Reorganisation of art education in Cornwall

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.

Falmouth College of Arts

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.

University College Falmouth

As of the 1 March 2005, Falmouth College of Arts became University College Falmouth, the only independent Higher Education institution based in Cornwall able to offer degrees in its own name. The only degrees not covered by Falmouth Colleges of Art's new status are those based on research (Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy). These continue to be validated by the University of Plymouth. 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").

University College Falmouth incorporating Dartington College of Arts

In April 2008, Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts, adding a range of Performance courses to its portfolio. In October 2010, the University College opened its new Performance Centre, which combines teaching facilities with spaces for public performances.

Falmouth currently offers a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design. Undergraduate Courses at 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.

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.

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.

Open Education: 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 introductory units to: Novel Writing, Fiction Writing, Non-Fiction Writing, Writing for Children, Business Writing and Feature Writing.

Falmouth has recently adopted the slogan 'Creative Minds, Inspiring Futures'.

Falmouth University

In November 2012, David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, recognised University College Falmouth’s status as a full university following a rigorous appraisal process, and on 9 December 2012 the establishment was granted full university status.

In November an online petition was created by the students of the then college against the name and new logo design for the University. 'Our university will continue to represent us long after we have graduated. We are an arts and design university and we feel that the proposed logo design is an inadequate portrayal of the education delivered here. Please reconsider the new logo design. It has been mentioned by a number of students and faculty that it would be a fantastic opportunity for a design competition open to students.' The official response from the college administration was this: "Thank you all for your feedback which is being taken seriously by the senior management team and the Graphics Design Department."

On January 7, 2013 despite long running, continuing protests a sub-group of Falmouth University’s Board of Governors agreed to transfer 130 staff in the Academic and Student Services department to a third party organisation, Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus)on April 1, 2013. This will remove these staff from national pay bargaining, linking them to regional or local pay directly for the first time and in the poorest county in England. No other Higher Education Institution in the country has moved its academic and student services staff outside the national pay framework and as a result this places the Higher Education system in Cornwall at a significant disadvantage. Falmouth University in partnership with the University of Exeter has benefited greatly from European and Government investment aimed not only at creating jobs but also at raising GDP in Cornwall. The protest against the move from national pay bargaining to a separate company with inferior terms and conditions and pay argues that this does not fulfil the terms or spirit of the investment. With terms and conditions for staff in FX Plus significantly below their counterparts at the University of Exeter in Devon, and the Higher Education sector nationally, concern is around how this will impact on the quality of services delivered here in Cornwall. Staff within this Department have been successfully delivering a shared academic-related service to both universities for the past eight years and there has been no clear argument or evidence presented to the protesters that demonstrate how this move will improve services

Whilst Academic and Student Services staff would initially be protected by TUPE new staff coming into the Department would start on the inferior terms and conditions and if staff changed roles then they would lose the protection afforded by TUPE. The protesters argue that they cannot see how this will improve the services on offer, benefit students or the local community, many of whom use the services, for example the Library. The 130 staff directly affected predominantly live within the constituency and their reduced buying power and the impact on their wider families, will also directly affect the local economy of Falmouth, Penryn, Truro and its surrounding areas

Campuses and Buildings

Falmouth Campus

Falmouth Campus is the university's main administrative hub and is the main centre for the Schools of Art, Design and Fashion. It is home to the courses of 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. Due to the projected high intake for September 2012 The campus underwent changes to accommodate this, with The first floor of the library being converted into BA Graphic Design studios following denial of planning permission to build upon the already existing graphic design department building.

Falmouth Campus Hosts:

• Learning Resource Centre
• Dedicated Mac and PC suites
• Refectory and Student Union (Woodlane Bar)
• University Art Shop
• Fashion Studios
• Graphic Design Studios
• Illustration Studios
• Fine Art Studios
• University Administration offices

Surrounding Falmouth Campus within the town of Falmouth are several annexes. Arwenack Annex which was the original School of Art, Wellington Terrace Annex which hosts the Foundation Degree students and Henry Scott Tuke House in the centre of the town accommodating those studying at Wellington Terrace and some undergraduates based at Falmouth Campus. Since 2002, the original school of art building has provided dedicated studios for MA Fine Art: Contemporary Practice.

Penryn Campus

Main article: Tremough

Penryn Campus was originally acquired by Falmouth College of Arts in 1998. The seventy-acre site was formerly a convent school for the community. The site’s name ‘Tremough’ comes from the Cornish word for ‘pig-farm’ but there is no evidence that it ever was one. Falmouth approached both the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter to see if they would show any interest in setting up a combined university campus, both showed an interest but Plymouth withdrew. The newly built campus opened in 2004 with the completion of the Daphne du Maurier building and first phase of student accommodation, and has seen significant growth in student numbers and facilities in the last eight years. Tremough is the hub of the Combined Universities in Cornwall project, intending to improve the amount and quality of further and higher education available in Cornwall.

As of 2013, both Falmouth and Exeter refer to the site as 'Penryn Campus.'

Facilities and departments at Tremough include:

• Seminar and Lecture rooms
• Library (including Archives and Special Collections)
• The Compass Student Service Desk
• Career Zone
• IT suite and IT support centre
• Refectory (The Stannary)
• Students' Union
• Sports Centre
• Multi-use games area
• Design Centre
• Photography Centre
• Media Centre
• Performance Centre
• Department of Writing (within Tremough House)
• On Campus Residences (Glasney Parc and Glasney View)
• Academy of Innovation and Research

The bulk of investment in the campus has come through EU Objective One funding, matched by UK Government funding. Over £105 million of European and other funding has been invested in Phase One and Two of Tremough's development. Recent projects on site include further student accommodation, sports facilities and AIR, the Academy for Innovation and Research. Construction of The Exchange, a £10 million joint project between Falmouth and Exeter to provide further study spaces and facilities as an extension of the Library, was completed in 2013.

Penryn Campus (as far as estates, and shared services and facilities) is managed by Falmouth Exeter Plus, a charity previously known as Tremough Campus Services. Falmouth Campus is still managed by University staff.

Dartington Campus

The University College acquired its Dartington Campus in Totnes when it took over the administration of Dartington College of Arts in 2008 creating a third campus. The college later decided to close the campus and merge the students with its own student body in Penryn and Falmouth. A Performance Arts Centre was opened in 2010 and the Dartington Campus was closed, other courses merged straight into the already existing Falmouth courses. Traces of Dartington can be found at Tremough in various forms. These include the Dartington Society, Dartington colours throughout the Performance Centre and the inclusion of Dartington College's name under the Falmouth logo. It was announced in October 2012 that Bicton College will be taking over the Campus grounds.

Henry Scott Tuke House

Henry Scott Tuke House is 12 blocks of student purpose built accommodation opened in 1999. It is named after one of Falmouth’s famous painters, Henry Scott Tuke. It provides accommodation for 156 primarily students studying at the Falmouths Campus.

Wellington Terrace Annex

Wellington Terrace Annex was opened in 1897 as a Board School for boys, built near the centre of Falmouth Town. Today, Wellington Terrace Annex hosts the studies for Foundation Degree students.

Arwenack Annex

Arwenack Annex was opened in August 1902 as Falmouth School of Art by Sir William Preece. The school relocated from Arwenack Avenue in the 1950s to Kerris Vean on Woodlane Road, which was built in 1875. The building is now an annex for Falmouth University and hosts some of the MA courses.

• 
  Wellington Terrace Annex
• 
  Arwenack Annex
• 
  Dartington Campus

Academic ranking

Falmouth is currently the highest ranked University College (excluding Colleges within the University of London) in the UK (See The Guardian Good University Guide 2012). Furthermore, the university is ranked 7th in the Art & Design | UK League Table of The Sunday Times 2012. "Which?" ranks the university 3rd amongst the Top Creative Universities 2012 in the UK.

Library and Archives

Falmouth University has two libraries, one at each campus. The Collections held at each library are broadly dictated by the subjects studied at each site.

As well as providing a Service to staff and students, both of which are also open to the public.

Tremough Library on the Penryn Campus is shared with the University of Exeter however library staff are employed by Falmouth University until 1 April 2013 when they were outsourced against their will to a third party organisation, FX Plus.

As well as taught academic collections the library holds a number of Archives and Special Collections:

• Bill Douglas and Peter Jewel Film Collection
• Camborne School of Mines Historical Records
• Cornish Poetry Collection
• Cornish Performance Archive including Kneehigh Theatre Archives
• Dartington College of Arts Archive
• Institute of Cornish Studies Archive Collection
• Map Collection
• Nick Darke Archive
• Patrick Gale: manuscript and unpublished works.

Archive Collections may be accessed by staff, students or members of the public, on an appointment basis.

Woodlane Library on the Falmouth Campus specialises in art and design collections.

Student Union

The Student Union, "FXU", is the representative body of the students of Falmouth University and the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, on the campuses of Tremough and Woodlane. FXU organises events for students throughout the year, facilitates community action and volunteering, provides opportunity for sporting involvement and offers student welfare advice all under one roof.

Campus Services

Tremough Campus is maintained by Falmouth Exeter Plus which is a joint venture owned by Falmouth and Exeter. Originally founded as 'Tremough Campus Services' to maintain the buildings and grounds and the development of the campus.

Academies, Institutes and Schools

The University is currently made up of several schools.

• Falmouth School of Art
• Academy for Innovation and Research
• Academy of Music and Theatre Arts
• Institute of Fashion and Textiles
• Institute of Photography
• School of Communication Design
• School of Film and Television
• School of Writing and Journalism
• School of Landscape and Gardening
• School of Leadership and Management
• Graduate School

The Academy of Music and Theatre Arts was created following the merger with Dartington College of Arts in 2008. In 2012 a new school was added known as the Academy for Innovation and Research allowing the college to offer research degrees. The courses under the Falmouth Landscape and Gardening School (FLAGS) have been temporary suspended.

Notable alumni

Further information: Category:Alumni of Falmouth University

• Laurence Anholt, artist
• Luisa Baldini, newsreader and presenter
• Julia Botfield, newsreader
• Stewart Brown
• Tacita Dean, artist
• Sarindar Dhaliwal, artist
• Lorna Dunkley, TV presenter
• Jago (illustrator)
• John Dyer (painter)
• Liz Fuller, actress
• Gunnar Garfors, CEO and president
• Neil Harbisson, cyborg activist and artist
• Hew Locke, artist
• Sophie Long, news presenter
• Paul McGowan (artist)
• Hugh O'Donnell (artist), artist
• Hugh Pym, broadcaster
• Alex Randall, lighting design
• Keith Salmon, artist
• Tim Shaw (sculptor)
• David Tremlett, artist
• Julie Umerle, artist
• Kelly Warman, film maker
• Gerard Woodward, novelist and poet
• Ben Howard, singer
• Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, painter
• Peter Merrick, sex offender

External links

• Falmouth University – official website
• Combined Universities in Cornwall
• FXU Student Union
• Dartington Merger