Animation graduate wins Oscar nomination:
Farnham graduate Adam Foulkes was nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Category at this year's Oscars.
Maltese student wins River Island competition:
A bright future in fashion beckons for Rochester fashion student Amanda Abela who has won first prize in a national competition sponsored by fashion brand River Island.
Neil Bottle exhibits Middle East inspired textile collection:
Neil Bottle from UCA Canterbury will open a new exhibition of printed textiles inspired by the landscapes of the Middle East at Contemporary Applied Arts, London, in March.
Maidstones' animation students produce documentaries about local community groups:
Inspired by documentary director/film maker Kim Hopkins, BA Animation Arts students at Maidstone are working with local residents to produce mixed media documentaries about local identity and characters.
Design students scoop plethora of awards:
Students from UCA Epsom have taken away gold, silver and bronze awards in a competition organised by one of the country's largest paper merchants.
Pot luck for Ashley Howard in Winchester:
Ashley Howard, Senior Lecturer in Ceramics at UCA Farnham, has opened his latest ceramics show at Hampshire's Winchester Cathedral. 15 colourful ceramic fonts will be displayed inside the Cathedral until 2 April.
Course leader exhibits prints:
Randal Cooke, Course Leader in Printmaking at Maidstone, was the featured artist at this year's Originals 09, the annual printmaking exhibition held at the Mall Galleries in London.
Mature student snaps top photography prize :
A third year Applied Arts BA student from UCA Rochester is enjoying success having won first prize in a Kent photography competition.
UCA holds green towns talk:
The Centre for Sustainable Design (CfSD), Farnham is hosting a free talk on the 'transition towns' movement which has seen communities across the globe working together to reduce their dependency on oil and cut carbon emissions.
Advertising pro's go head to head in new lecture series :
KesselsKramer, one of the Netherlands' most prestigious marketing agencies, known globally for its work with fashion brand Diesel, has opened an exhibition and month long lecture series at UCA Farnham.
Performance art study day in Farnham:
The Photography and Fine Art departments at UCA Farnham will present a performance art study day to the Maltings arts centre in Farnham.
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Mature student snaps top photography prize
A third year Applied Arts student from the University for the Creative Arts at Rochester won first prize in a Kent photography competition.
Jackie Hagar (42), originally from Strood in Kent, beat 500 other competitors to the Kent Life 'Your River' photography competition with her shots of the River Medway. She was presented with her certificate by The High Sheriff of Kent, Richard Oldfield Esq., at a presentation at Sessions House, County Hall where the winning pictures were also exhibited.
Jackie's winning picture is a panoramic shot of Rochester Bridge over the river Medway coated in a thick layer of mist. Jackie also had a second picture commended in the competition in which there were four winners from 500 entries.
Jackie's prize was a day out with Kent Life's chief photographer Manu Palomeque at Fort Amhurst in Chatham. She and the other three competition winners met with Manu to take pictures of Chatham for a special magazine feature on the town. She says the experience has given her a lot of confidence in her abilities as an artist.
She said: "Winning has shown me that it is possible for an amateur to compete against more experienced photographers on an equal footing, and consequently I will not shy away from future competitions."
Jackie is a prime example of the many successes that mature students enjoy across the UCA's five campuses. Four years ago she embarked on a Professional Development Award in Art and Design studying one day a week at the UCA Rochester campus. Following this course, and with two children at 12 and 14, she decided the time was right to return to full time education and began a three year BA (Hons) Applied Arts degree, a decision she says she is very happy that she made.
"I have had the opportunity to experiment in many different disciplines, for example, ceramics, wood, metal and glass. Because I am interested in many different strands of art and craft, this has suited me down to the ground," she said.
"I enjoyed the wide range of students in my group, from some very young people, to other mature students like myself. I have certainly made some very good and lasting friendships."
Following her success in the Kent Life competition, Jackie printed up copies of her award winning pictures and, along with other local artists supported by 'Nucleus' a new arts centre in Chatham, has her pictures on display for sale in a small gallery and shop on Rochester High Street.
Jackie said that the last few years of studying capped off with this success has given her increased belief in herself and her artwork.
"Winning the competition has given me the confidence to push myself forward more, and not worry so much about not being good enough. In turn, this has helped my general confidence, and I have recently started training to become a mentor in local secondary schools."
Looking to the future, Jackie says that she would love to continue working at UCA Rochester where she is already helping out as a mentor for younger students there. Although now deep into her final year dissertation which she is close to completing, Jackie says after graduating in the summer, she is looking forward to making the most of her new skills and confidence and of course having more time to paint again.
Interview with David Burt, Academic Registrar
David took up his new post as Academic Registrar back in December and immediately began shaping his vision for the newly formed Academic Registry. He is now keen to share this vision with the rest of the university.
UCA secures £1 million from HEFCE to lead Cultural Olympiad
The University for the Creative Arts is leading a consortium of 13 universities to deliver a series of cultural events, known as the Creative Campus Initiative, in the run up to the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
ILM Award in Management (Level 5) now available to staff
In January, Learning & Development successfully obtained approved centre status from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), enabling delivery of courses leading to nationally recognised qualifications.
Marketing and Communications shortlisted for two HEIST awards
UCA's Marketing and Communications department has been shortlisted for two HEIST awards - the main marketing awards in the education sector.
Equality and Diversity
Equality and Diversity Advisor Penny Alder gives an update on the issues facing the university.
UCA students to mentor in local schools
School students in Medway and Kent who have the ability to go to university, but not necessarily the expectation or family experience of it, are to be offered mentoring by UCA students.
Students to learn from animation stars
The UCA Farnham animation department is hosting a series of lectures by some of the industry's most renowned animation stars.
Contemporary artists add value to fine arts course
The Fine Arts course at UCA Farnham has launched a lecture series hoping to give students exposure to some of the UK's rising stars of contemporary art.
One tonne electric horse hangs up his acting shoes
A three metre tall horse sculpture made by UCA Canterbury's Anthony Heywood is set to hang up his acting shoes after featuring in a BBC film.
RAE funding outcomes announced
Following successful RAE results, the University has maintained its research funding with an increase of 1.8%.
Medway's first academy school scheduled to open in September 2009
The proposed Strood Academy, of which UCA is the lead sponsor with Medway Council as co-sponsor, will be opening its doors to students in September of this year.
New faces on the Board of Governors
Four new governors have joined the UCA Board of Management.
Appointments to the AHRC peer review college
Kathleen Rogers, senior lecturer for Digital Film and Screen Arts at Farnham, and Dr Judith Rugg, Reader in Fine Art Theory, and Research Coordinator at Canterbury have both been appointed to serve on the Arts and Humanities Research Council peer review college.
Funding for professional qualifications
As part of the University's commitment to a culture of lifelong learning, it runs a Professional Qualifications Funding scheme which, during the current academic year, funded a total of 40 members of staff to study for a professional, accredited qualification.
Explorations in the cultural history of AIDS
Post Graduate Associate Dean Richard Sawdon-Smith was the officially invited artist at an HIV and culture conference in Mexico City.
UCA helping British businesses tackle the economic downturn
UCA Farnham television lecturer Sean Walsh will present a series of live online discussion programmes, specifically designed to help small and medium sized businesses weather the recession.
Lizzie Farey presents Spirit of the Air
Spirit of Air presents a new body of expressive willow works by UCA Canterbury alumnus Lizzie Farey including a series of large scale wall-based and suspended works.
Any Questions at UCA Canterbury
UCA Canterbury played host to BBC Radio 4's Any Questions on 6 February, in a broadcast which saw racism, dancing, and bank bonuses among the topics discussed.
Appointments to the AHRC peer review college
Kathleen Rogers, senior lecturer for Digital Film and Screen Arts at Farnham, and Dr Judith Rugg, Reader in Fine Art Theory, and Research Coordinator at Canterbury have both been appointed to serve on the Arts and Humanities Research Council peer review college.
