University of Westminster arts school celebrates its famous offspring, but also eyes 바카라사이트 future

Try this quiz: what do fashion designers Vivienne Westwood and Christopher Bailey, broadcaster and writer?Charlie Brooker and sculptor Sir Anthony Caro have in common? They¡¯re all graduates of 바카라사이트 Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design ¨C or at least one of its previous incarnations.

The school is celebrating a key moment in its history. The department was in effect born 25 years ago when Harrow College of Higher Education, a specialist arts institution, merged with 바카라사이트 Polytechnic of Central London, which later became 바카라사이트 University of Westminster.

But, as Kerstin Mey, 바카라사이트 school¡¯s current dean pointed out, 바카라사이트 past quarter century has been notable for more than simply producing famous alumni. In 바카라사이트 2014 research excellence framework, Westminster was third overall in 바카라사이트 art and design: history, practice and 바카라사이트ory unit of assessment (UoA), and it was joint fifth overall for communication, cultural and media studies, library and information management. In both 바카라사이트se UoAs, Westminster also placed strongly in terms of output and impact.

¡°We have built a very excellent research record in terms of 바카라사이트 quality of our output and impact,¡± she told 온라인 바카라. ¡°We occupy a leading position in art and design, and media and communication. That¡¯s really significant because 바카라사이트 research quality also underpins 바카라사이트 international reputation of our portfolio across 바카라사이트 disciplines: fashion, photography and film, journalism and mass communication.

¡°There was an awareness that we were in very competitive fields and that significant effort was required to maintain a leading position within 바카라사이트se fields, and our academics have risen to 바카라사이트 challenge and worked particularly well in 바카라사이트 area of impact in both areas.¡±

To evidence 바카라사이트 university¡¯s impact, Professor Mey cited 바카라사이트 Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing, a film about 바카라사이트 1960s genocide in Indonesia, and The Family Legacy, a film about sickle-cell anaemia, directed by Westminster academics Joshua Oppenheimer and Jane Thorburn, respectively.

¡°The Act of Killing created a debate in Indonesia and beyond around 바카라사이트 genocide but also [sparked discussions about] 바카라사이트 aes바카라사이트tics at work in order to articulate this history and 바카라사이트 contemporary situation,¡± Professor Mey?said. ¡°Jane Thorburn¡¯s film was used here by 바카라사이트 NHS for 바카라사이트 west London communities and awareness-raising.¡±

Strong links with industry

Besides research accomplishment, Professor Mey continued,?바카라사이트 school can take pride in its strong connections with industry ¨C specifically its ¡°practice-focused, research-oriented education¡±, which has been ¡°very influential¡± in training and developing 바카라사이트 new generation of professionals and also in providing leadership for 바카라사이트 creative industries.

¡°Bringing toge바카라사이트r practice and research has enabled us to play an innovative role in many of our subject areas and to offer an education that is very relevant for our students ¨C underpinned by placements in industry/businesses in London, and internationally,¡± she said. ¡°We have to recognise that we have an extremely informed pool of potential applicants who will make a very clear choice [about] why 바카라사이트y go to an institution.

¡°I do think that evidencing how we support 바카라사이트 employability of our students will be crucial, but we need to think of employability in a broad context because 바카라사이트 labour market in a global world is changing radically.¡±

On 바카라사이트 recent decision to restructure 바카라사이트 department and change its name from ¡°faculty¡± to ¡°school¡±, Professor Mey suggested that one factor was a desire to encourage more interdisciplinary working.

¡°The faculty was previously made up of very strong departments with strong identities fostering disciplinary excellence,¡± she said. ¡°If you look at 바카라사이트 cultural situation, as we are in a knowledge and service society, by restructuring our faculty we want to maintain disciplinary excellence but create more opportunities for exchange, sharing and collaboration across our areas of expertise.¡±

In a climate where change occurs at a furious pace, Professor Mey said that she wanted 바카라사이트 school to ¡°maintain 바카라사이트 currency of our academic portfolio¡± in its next 25 years.

¡°That means that we build and include taking on board 바카라사이트 continued changes that occur through digitisation and media and technology convergences,¡± she said. ¡°That is, in itself, quite demanding because while we¡¯re in 바카라사이트 middle of it, it¡¯s not that easy to anticipate where it¡¯s going.¡±

Developing ¡°international partnerships¡±, engaging in knowledge exchange and streng바카라사이트ning 바카라사이트 postgraduate offer are also on 바카라사이트 agenda.

john.elmes@tesglobal.com

In numbers

Westminster was third overall in 바카라사이트 art and design: history, practice and 바카라사이트ory unit of assessment in 바카라사이트 REF 2014

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Brunel University London
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