29.09.08
Mighty boost for University College Falmouth’s international reputation

University College Falmouth’s international reputation for excellence has been further validated as a result of it having achieved full membership of Cumulus, the prestigious international association of universities and colleges of art and design, based in Helsinki.

Cumulus, which began as a group of leading European design schools but has grown into the only truly global association to serve art and design education and research, promotes the forging of international partnerships, knowledge transfer and the sharing of best practice.  Through its membership, UCF joins an elite group of institutions from the UK that include the Royal College of Art, University College of the Creative Arts and Glasgow School of Art.

Following an online application process that included recommendations from two existing members, UCF’s Director of the School of Design, John Miller was invited to deliver a presentation about UCF at a General Assembly held in Zurich, attended by delegates from the 140 member institutions from across the world.

Membership of Cumulus not only validates UCF’s position as a major international player in the global art and design arena, but also provides extensive opportunities for staff and student exchanges; joint teaching and research projects; access to Cumulus working papers; enhanced potential for global marketing; and a strong voice within a major lobbying organisation.

Early collaborations are likely to include linkages between UCF’s emerging Academy for Innovation & Research (AIR) and its counterpart, the Hothouse at Unitec in New Zealand; an exchange between UCF and ECAL (Ecal cantonale d’art de Lausanne) students; and a joint project by video conference between students at UCF and Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore.

“With internationalisation high on the higher education agenda, global networking has never been so important, so we are delighted to be able to play our part in the global Cumulus community,” said John Miller.  “Attending the General Assembly in Switzerland presented me with a unique opportunity to meet representatives from the world’s leading art and design colleges, and we are looking forward to developing further opportunities that will benefit our staff and students.”

In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts to create a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth’s expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington’s expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.

The merger will pave the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall in 2012, creating a Higher Education institution unique to the South West.

University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, 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.

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby MCIPR, Head of Public Affairs, on tel: 01326 213792 or email:  jilly.easterby@falmouth.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 College Falmouth is a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
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cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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