05.06.07
Cornwall's first 200: University hosts historic Tremough graduation

The University of Exeter will award the first degrees to students from its Tremough Campus this summer. On 16 July, 207 students will graduate with degrees in Biology, English, Geology, Geography, Mining Engineering and Renewable Energy.

The degrees will be awarded by the University of Exeter's Chancellor, Floella Benjamin OBE at the first ever degree ceremony on the Tremough Campus, Penryn. Sir Nicholas Stern, who recently headed the highly influential Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, and leading British artist Kurt Jackson, who lives in West Cornwall, will be presented with honorary degrees.

Professor Keith Atkinson, Provost of the University of Exeter's Cornwall Campus said: "I am very proud of our first graduates from this new campus, who have worked so hard to achieve their degrees. They are the first of many people from within and outside the county to benefit from this wonderful new higher education provision in Cornwall. When the University of Exeter was created in 1955 it was very much seen as an institution that would serve both Devon and Cornwall. That remains its mission and this historic occasion, more than half a century later, demonstrates how a successful research-led University can help the people of Cornwall achieve their ambitions and improve the economy of Cornwall."

In 2002, the University of Exeter established its Cornwall Campus, which it shares with University College Falmouth, as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative. The University has been undertaking research and teaching in Cornwall since 1970, when it established its Cornish Studies department. Camborne School of Mines became part of the University of Exeter in 1993 and is now based at Tremough.

CUC Executive Director Dr Ian Tunbridge said: "The University of Exeter's first Tremough Campus graduation is a powerful reminder of how far university education in Cornwall has come. Combined Universities in Cornwall has created thousands of opportunities for people to fulfil their study ambitions at campuses across the county. The challenge now is to ensure that we harness the CUC partnership's tremendous potential to transform Cornwall's economy. I sincerely hope that many of these new graduates will now choose to stay in the county to use their knowledge to boost local businesses or to start their own enterprises in Cornwall."

This year, applications to study with the University of Exeter on the Tremough Campus rose by 122%. In October, the University will welcome over 450 new students to Tremough when the second phase of the Campus opens, offering new degrees in Cornish Studies, History, Law and Politics. With a growing team of world-class academics, the University has brought some £5.4 million in new research income to Cornwall since 2004.

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership said: "The Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) was created to be the economic catalyst for the regeneration of the Cornish economy. Today we celebrate the success that this flagship project for the Objective One Programme has created. These graduates are the first fruit of this investment, and will be followed by many more to build a new economic future and support this region in looking outwards to success."

The £100 million Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 70 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy on its Tremough Campus, which has expanded rapidly as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative.

For further information contact Sarah Hoyle, Press Officer, University of Exeter on 01392 262062/07989 446920 or email s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). University of Exeter is a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

back to top