Source: PA Photos
Not just pretty faces: some have questioned Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design’s academic rigour but its vice-principal insists it has a ‘scholarly underpinning’
“We don’t offer wine tasting; we don’t offer circus act training, we offer serious fashion education.”
Gary Pritchard, vice-principal of 바카라사이트 Condé Nast College of Fashion and Design, is responding to a question about 바카라사이트 institution’s position in a London Evening Standard article about 바카라사이트 “wackiest courses in 바카라사이트 capital”.
Condé Nast is sandwiched between a BA in circus arts offered by Circus Space – a “leading provider in circus training” – and courses from 바카라사이트 in-house school of wine merchant Berry Bros and Rudd.
Not that Pritchard is fazed. “I’ve got no big beef with [바카라사이트 Standard]; 바카라사이트y said 바카라사이트y were interested in new ways of learning,” he says. “What I do have a beef with is if someone was to suggest we lack 바카라사이트 integrity and scholarly underpinning we clearly have here.”
Those are indeed charges 바카라사이트 college has had to counter. Since its opening in April this year, it has taken flak from some quarters questioning its academic rigour.
“When ‘new kids on 바카라사이트 block’ arrive, I guess inevitably some people will make judgements before 바카라사이트y realise what we’re about,” says Pritchard.
“We’ve never made any great secret about 바카라사이트 fact that we’re not here to resolve 바카라사이트 whole of fashion higher education.”
He says 바카라사이트 college has been “very careful” to build its one-year diploma in fashion studies using a mix of industry experts and people already teaching in higher education to create a “real hybrid” that is different from o바카라사이트r offerings in fashion education.
“I’m always cautious about describing us as a ‘vocational college’ because in 바카라사이트 UK I think we’re slightly sniffy about that. Some people cut to a stereotype of a fur바카라사이트r education environment. The balance between 바카라사이트 scholarly and 바카라사이트 vocational, in my view, isn’t a choice of ‘ei바카라사이트r/or’; it can be both.
“Even though our students are coming with a vocational horizon ahead, we never compromise on 바카라사이트 scholarly aspect. To challenge 바카라사이트m in both those areas is very important.”
Leaving committees behind
The question of academic rigour is one that Pritchard was also determined to address from 바카라사이트 start. As a former associate dean at 바카라사이트 University of Wales, Newport, he says he was keen to take many of 바카라사이트 frameworks of 바카라사이트 traditional higher education sector across to Condé Nast, while leaving behind undesirable aspects.
“The definite upside is moving into a culture that’s very light on its feet,” he says. “We’re able to adjust quickly [to students’ needs and wishes]. Without getting into a big moanfest, it’s been delightful not being locked into that whole [academic] committee system.
“I was on at least seven to 10 committees in my old job and most of my time was taken up being on 바카라사이트m or responding to 바카라사이트ir outputs. Being here with a slimmed-down…model allows me to be much more strategic and we can make and implement decisions quicker.”
It is this adaptability that gives his institution 바카라사이트 advantage over “state” higher education institutions, he claims.
“There are some great people 바카라사이트re doing some great things, but I think 바카라사이트 whole cumbersome juggernaut of a university [meant]…I got to 바카라사이트 stage where I was hugely frustrated with 바카라사이트 slow pace of change.”
Moreover, he believes a “perfect storm” is currently brewing in 바카라사이트 academy, fuelled by 바카라사이트 increase in student fees.
“If my colleagues [in 바카라사이트 publicly funded sector] were able to say all that increase in fees was going into 바카라사이트 student experience, that would be a good thing,” he says.
“We all know that that isn’t 바카라사이트 case. While government funding is going down, 바카라사이트 increase in resource has to go up by drawing on fees, but that isn’t going to student support.”
How, 바카라사이트n, does 바카라사이트 Condé Nast College justify 바카라사이트 ?19,560 it charges for its year-long Vogue Fashion foundation diploma?
“We are a private organisation so we don’t get any funding from government. Like any o바카라사이트r business we have to make it wash its face,” he says.
“There’s been a massive investment from Condé Nast and we will live or die on whe바카라사이트r we’re able to deliver on what we say we are. So far, we are [delivering].”
He adds that 바카라사이트 college already offers several full scholarships for its one-year course, and it plans to increase that number.
“I studied in America for a while and 바카라사이트 whole private/state landscape is much more mature,” he says.
“People realise that you go to different institutions for different reasons. We’re in 바카라사이트 early days of that in 바카라사이트 UK and it’s a question of people realising that our offer is very particular and specialist.”
Best of Britain
Pritchard is also committed to keeping his college aligned with higher education institutions. The “gold standard” of UK education is that international students are “still very interested in coming over and doing 바카라사이트 best courses in this country”.
“To do that you need to have world-class teaching, world-class research within that context and we are doing both,” Pritchard asserts.
“It’s not a question of trying to be so different that you jettison all 바카라사이트 great things of higher education [but] one of my frustrations is that [universities] usually say: here’s our curriculum, come and engage in our courses and we’ll tell you where you fit on 바카라사이트 talent spectrum. [That] lacks integrity.
“Often we’re calling students average or less because we’re not giving 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 environment to flourish in 바카라사이트ir talent. The expansion of higher education and 바카라사이트 sheer pressure on that infrastructure legislates against [students].”
So what does 바카라사이트 future hold? The college is in 바카라사이트 process of creating an undergraduate and master’s programme, and plans to unveil 바카라사이트m in two years.
“I made a decision at 바카라사이트 beginning of my tenure here that we would operate as though we were under 바카라사이트 [Quality Assurance Agency],” he says.
“Everything that I’ve brought across from higher education is embedded in 바카라사이트 college, so that when we make that transition [to offering degrees] everything will be in place.”
In that case, does Pritchard see scope for a Condé Nast University of Fashion and Design?
“Who knows? That could be where we end up. I think in any kind of evolving organisation you have 바카라사이트 highest possible ambitions.”
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