FIRST GRADUATES FROM THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
12th July 2010
The Arts University College at Bournemouth has celebrated the achievements of its first graduating students since gaining University College status last July, in recognition of its academic progress.
More than 800 students gathered at the beautiful historic venue of Wimborne Minster on Friday 2nd July to collect their degrees in front of an invited audience of parents, guests and local dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, Mayors of Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Wimborne, and the Chairman of the East Dorset District Council.
The University College, one of only ten higher education institutions in the UK devoted solely to the study of the arts, also awards Honorary Fellowships to those who have made a significant contribution to the fields of arts, design, media or performance. Among those attending the ceremonies this year were notable actress Greta Scacchi, Professor of Semiotics Gunther Kress, animator and illustrator Michaël Dudok de Wit and award-winning prosthetics artist Neill Gorton. The University College’s former course leader for BA (Hons) Animation, Peter Parr, was also awarded Professor Emeritus.
Graduates and their guests enjoyed a memorable day at the Minster and later returned to campus for a champagne reception. Wimborne Town Crier, Chris Brown, and his son Eddy attended the event wearing lavish new costumes, handmade using traditional Eighteenth Century construction methods. Two second year students, Jenna Goldsmith and Kelly Brown cut and made the garments as part of their studies, supervised by Graham Cottenden, Senior Lecturer in BA (Hons) Costume with Performance Design. The finishing and decoration of the garments was supervised by Katerina Tichonova, Teacher Technician in BA (Hons) Costume with Performance Design.
Principal of the Arts University College at Bournemouth, Professor Stuart Bartholomew, congratulated this year’s graduates and commented “This year is a particularly important one for us as it is the first in which we will award our own degrees, having gained University College title last year. We are delighted to be celebrating once again in the wonderful surroundings at Wimborne Minster.”