Graduates from the College’s innovative range of undergraduate degrees - from Garden Design and Graphic Design; Fine Art and Film Studies; and the whole spectrum of Art, Design and Media disciplines in between - received words of wisdom from several distinguished speakers during the six ceremonies held at Falmouth’s Princess Pavilion in the presence of friends, family and staff.

Cornish-born Chairman of the Guardian Media Group, Paul Myners, advised the students to embrace change in today’s rapidly evolving media industry and to be multiple and serial specialists, able to rise to the challenge of its ever-changing demands; distinguished writer and lecturer on art and architecture, Professor Mel Gooding, expounded on the relationship between ethics and aesthetics; and design critic of the International Herald Tribune, Alice Rawsthorn, reminded the students of the importance of self-belief and determination, citing the story of one Jonathan Ive, who had nothing but confidence in his own talent when he started out, but who, as the designer of the ubiquitous iPod and iPhone, is now one of the most successful designers in the world.

University College Falmouth also conferred Honorary Fellowships on Lady Carol Holland MBE, for her outstanding contribution to the arts in Cornwall; on bestselling author, Patrick Gale, for his outstanding contribution to literature; on Simon Broughton, for the outstanding contribution he has made to world music through writing and documentaries; and on Alan Zoeftig for his outstanding contribution to furniture design.

“This is a time for celebration and reflection, and of excitement and relief,” said University College Falmouth Principal, Professor Alan Livingston. “External examiners have confirmed that we have exceeded national standards of academic excellence, which will help us to pursue our national and international aspirations,” he added. “The Irish poet, W.B. Yeats, said that education was not about the filling of a bucket but about the lighting of a fire. Your creative fire, your imagination, has been ignited by our staff, and as someone else once said, your parents give you an awareness of your roots and a pair of wings - so fly high, fly free and enjoy the twists of your incredible journey.”

A number of scholarships and prizes were also awarded to graduating students: Joanna Beard from BA(Hons) Film Studies was congratulated on winning The Art Design Media Subject Centre - Higher Education Academy National Student Essay Competition; Timothy Sargent from BA(Hons) Fine Art was presented with The Denis Mitchell Sculpture Award; Sam Hofman from BA(Hons) Photography, and Chloe Reynolds and Tasha Stevens-Vallecillo from BA(Hons) Contemporary Crafts were awarded Ferdynand Zweig Memorial Scholarships; and Karen Cotton from BA(Hons) Journalism, Dean Leivers from BA(Hons) Photography and Sadiqur Miah from BA(Hons) Textile Design won Sorrell Awards for Widening Participation.

The occasion also marked the tenth anniversary of the College’s well-respected and successful BA(Hons) degree in English with Media Studies, which also hosted a reunion for its graduates at the weekend.

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, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213880.

Running from 14-18 July, the Professional Writing Summer School will encourage participants to stretch their existing capabilities and try their hand at several different types of writing. Like the full and part-time Professional Writing MAs, it will be taught entirely by successful practising writers, who will discuss the key skills needed by writers across a range of different forms and share their experience of writing for a living. Areas covered will range from telling stories and creating characters to copywriting for business and developing ideas for feature articles and non-fiction books.

Among the tutors are:

Tim Pears, whose first novel, In the Place of Fallen Leaves, won both the Hawthornden Prize and the Ruth Hadden Memorial Award and whose latest, Blenheim Orchard, was described by The Daily Mail as “a brilliantly insightful family saga, full of comedy and sadness”.

Oliver Bennett, a prolific features journalist and travel writer whose vast range of work appears regularly in national magazines and newspapers including The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph.

Susannah Marriott, a freelance writer and editor who has published 15 non-fiction books on subjects ranging from complementary medicine to folklore.

Jane Pugh, who has worked as a script editor at both the BBC and Carlton Television, on series including Peak Practice and Ballykissangel, and has also written several short dramas for Channel 4.

Piers Alder, Head of Copywriting at Dutton Merrifield, a leading branding, marketing and design agency.

Places on the summer school are limited to 16 and cost £380, which includes two dinners with tutors and fellow students (accommodation is not included). At one of these, the award-winning travel writer and novelist Philip Marsden will be talking about and reading from his work.

Christina Bunce, who leads the College’s MA Professional Writing course, says: “This unique summer school is designed for people who have a way with words but don’t really know how to use their talent in a professional and commercial way. Our aim is to help people decide where their talents lie, show them how to tailor their writing to the demands of the market and inspire them to take their work to a new level of creativity.”

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.

For more details and to book a place on the course, please visit http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/summerschool or call Heidi on 01326 253701

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 MA Professional Writing at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/professionalwriting, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213854.