News - Bishop Bill joins new graduates
University of Exeter press release
The former Bishop of Truro, The Rt. Revd. William Ind (commonly known as Bill), will join the new University of Exeter graduates at Truro Cathedral on Monday 27 July. Students from the University's Tremough Campus, Penryn, will be awarded their degrees by University Chancellor Dr Floella Benjamin OBE.
The Rt. Revd. Bill Ind and former Jain monk and peace campaigner Satish Kumar will be awarded honorary degrees for their services to society.
248 Students will be awarded degrees in Biology, English, Geology, Geography, Mining Engineering and Renewable Energy.
University of Exeter Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Overton said: "I would like to congratulate all of our new graduates; we are very proud of their success. Graduation is the most important event in the University's calendar and is a time for celebration. Today we celebrate the achievements of our graduates, but also of all our staff and students who work so hard to make our Cornwall Campus world-class."
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Convergence Partnership Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: "Celebration of success is welcomed at any time but more so in the gloomy veils of uncertainty in the national and global economies. Here in Cornwall we continue to drive forward our investment in knowledge, business opportunities and people. The people we celebrate today show us how everyone, past and present, can reshape our future in doing the best that they can in 'their present'."
Bill Ind was born in 1942. He was educated at the Duke of York's School in Dover, followed by the University of Leeds and the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield.
He was ordained as a deacon in 1966 and a priest one year later. After ten years as Bishop of Grantham, he took on his last role, as the 14th Bishop of Truro, in 1997. Highlights of his time in Cornwall include his radical review of the life of the Diocese of Truro in 2001 entitled People of God; his blessing of the Eden Project when it was still a clay pit and his appearances in the BBC series A seaside Parish, based on life in Boscastle, and An Island Parish which followed him during visits to his most distant and isolated parish on the Isles of Scilly.
When he was only nine years old, Satish Kumar joined the wandering brotherhood of Jain monks. At eighteen, he left the monastic order and became a campaigner for land reform, working to turn Gandhi's vision of a peaceful world into reality. He undertook an 8,000 mile peace pilgrimage, walking from India to America without any money, through deserts, mountains, storms and snow.
In 1973, he settled in England, taking the Editorship of Resurgence magazine, which he still edits. He founded the Small School in Hartland, a pioneering secondary school, which brings ecological and spiritual values into its curriculum. He is also the Director of Programmes at Schumacher College, a residential international centre for the study of ecological and spiritual values.
His autobiography, No Destination, has sold 50,000 copies. In 2008, he presented a 50-minute documentary on the BBC as part of the Natural World series. A highly acclaimed documentary that mixed eastern philosophy with the western landscape of Dartmoor, the programme was watched by over 3.6 million people.
Class of 2009 - case studies
A Strong result for Timothy
The world-class reputation of the Camborne School of Mines has attracted excellent students in the past, and Timothy Strong, 21, is no exception. A passion for international travel and the mining industry led him to a BSc in Applied Geology, for which he has obtained a 2:1 (Hons).
Timothy grew up in Launceston, attending Launceston College before moving on to the University of Exeter's Tremough Campus. His decision to stay in Cornwall was not a difficult one. Speaking of his home county, he said: "Cornwall offers everything you need (apart from being so far from Heathrow!) It has sun, sea, sand and most of all the outdoor lifestyle that I crave."
Timothy enjoyed the huge range of field trips offered by the University and trips to Wales and Scotland were, for him, "great life experiences with lots learnt." The main highlights, however, were a summer vacation project in Australia and meeting life long friends.
Timothy has already embarked on a career in exploration geology and is now working with a copper company in western Pakistan. He believes that the experience and knowledge that he gained at the University of Exeter enabled him "to walk straight into a job even in these tough economic times."
English graduate finds inspiration in local diaries
English graduate Bethia Thomas' studies have opened her eyes to a wide range of literary styles and traditions. But the biggest inspiration for her degree came from much closer to home. She based her dissertation on the 19th century Cornish diarist Caroline Fox, who lived near to Bethia's home village of Mawnan Smith, near the Helford passage.
Graduating with a first class honours degree in English, Bethia has now won a scholarship to complete the MA English Studies (Literature, Place & Identity) with the University of Exeter on the Tremough Campus.
Bethia has lived in Cornwall for most of her life and fell in love with English literature while studying for her A-levels at Penwith College. One tutor in particular, Colin Fell, encouraged her to study English at university.
For Bethia being able to stay in Cornwall was a bonus. She said "I love it here. It's a really creative environment. I also find the local people are very friendly towards students."
Bethia was involved with the new Tremough Scholars scheme, which enabled her to attend special dinners with other students from the University, and discuss issues around the environment and sustainability. She also enjoyed the small class sizes at Tremough: "The seminars were all in small groups so made me feel really comfortable and able to ask questions and raise ideas. The tutors were really helpful and also available."
Now 21, Bethia plans to pursue an academic career or to work in publishing. While at University she did placements with publishing companies in London and Oxford to gain vital work experience.
From nurse to doctor
Previously a nurse from Australia, Devi Newcombe had travelled extensively before finally settling in Somerset, her home before she opted to take the course at the University of Exeter's Tremough Campus. Now 36, Devi is graduating with a first class honours degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology. She is now set to study for a PhD with the University of Exeter on the Tremough Campus.
Devi chose the course as it was a new addition to the list of courses available at Tremough Campus, and as it covered a variety of subjects.
Speaking of the campus, Devi said: "The campus is easy to get around and has a nice feel to it. The library also has areas for group and private study. If you need a break from the study sessions then you can go to the gym, play a game of pool or go for a walk around the gardens."
Devi's time during the course was made even more exciting when she took part in a trip to South Africa, which she described as an "adventure to remember." She says: "Not only was there plenty of wildlife to see but we also learned about the ecology and considered human conflicts with wildlife, the implications to conservation and ways of overcoming potential conflicts."
Devi also recommends becoming a member of the student society Ecosoc. Devi says: "If you enjoy being sociable and love the outdoors then Ecosoc combines the best of both worlds and makes it a fabulous learning experience all at the same time!"
Cornish Graduate going for gold
Having lived in Cornwall all his life, Stephen Holley-Kendall decided to continue his education in his home county. Stephen grew up in Truro and St Blazey and attended Fowey Community College and Truro School Sixth Form. With a passion for being and working outdoors, Stephen was led to taking an Engineering Geology and Geotechnics degree with the University of Exeter's Camborne School of Mines (CSM).
Although graduating this summer with a 2:1 degree, studying was not always Stephen's first choice. "I had planned to be a pilot in the Royal Navy but after narrowly missing the required points on the aptitude tests I then choose to undertake a degree course."
Speaking of his time at the University Stephen said: "The CSM staff offered fantastic on-going support. Having world-class field sites nearby meant that we have one of the highest amounts of practical work in a Geology degree."
Having received his degree results on his 21st birthday, Stephan is already looking ahead and planning to stay with the university to do an MSc in Applied Geotechnics with CSM. In the future, he plans to move out to Western Australia in search of jobs in the gold industry.
Whilst studying, Stephen played rugby for the CSM team, including taking part in the second oldest university match in the world - the Bottle Match. Stephen played in the 107th match between CSM and the Royal School of Mines in London.
Fire dancer cools down in Cornwall
Hampshire-born Julia Bennett has worked, studied and travelled before graduating with a BSc in Biology, Conservation and Evolutionary Ecology (for which she achieved a 2:1). Now 25, she has experienced more before the course than many do in a lifetime.
The University of Exeter's course was not her first - she had previously studied at the Dartmoor Campus with the University of Plymouth. Taking a year out before her studies, Julia spent time doing volunteer work in several different countries including Ecuador and Bolivia, Australia and Malaysia, where she taught tourists how to dive amongst sharks and turtles. She then moved on to Europe where she busked in the street by fire dancing, and then taught children to perform in a circus in North Wales.
Having lived in the New Forest in Hampshire, abroad and in North Wales, Julia says of her life in Cornwall: "It's a perfect area to live and study in. There are so many amazing places to visit, stunning beaches and lots of wildlife including dolphins and seals in the bay, which we can see from our living room window. Falmouth also has a great music and arts scene."
Julia began the course in the second year, but found her fellow students friendly and welcoming. The area in which she was studying proved very helpful - Julia says: "The Tremough Campus provided a positive learning experience. I feel that it's very important to have chill-out spaces and green areas to de-stress during your studies and the gardens are amazing all year round."
Mining engineer extracts success
Keen to study Mining Engineering, there was just one place in Britain that was a possibility for Eileen Rowe. The University of Exeter's Tremough Campus was the only place to offer such a course. Fortunately for Eileen, the county where she had been educated was the perfect place to be to study. She is now graduating with a 2:2 in Mining Engineering.
Now 21, Eileen grew up in Devon but was a student at Launceston College for a decade, taking her through secondary school and her A-levels.
Eileen not only had a great deal of interest in Mining Engineering, but also saw that the course came with other benefits. She says: "It offered me the chance to travel the world, and there is a known shortage of mining engineers which would mean that there would be a job for me when I finished University."
Eileen spent three months at a mine in Australia as part of her course and will move out there to work in October. However, it is Cornwall that has confirmed her love of mining. She says: "I love Cornwall because you are able to explore the coast line and the mining heritage of the area. Being in Cornwall has shown me what being a mining engineer can achieve."
Prussia Cove proves ideal site for PhD study
25-year-old Erika Newton is the first Biosciences student to have completed both her undergraduate degree and PhD at the University of Exeter's Tremough Campus.
Dr Newton's PhD involved spending much of her time up on the cliffs of Prussia Cove. Her thesis focused on the wild cabbage, which grows in Britain's coastal regions. She compared the ways in which varieties growing in Cornwall, Devon and Dorset have evolved to deter the white butterfly lava and aphids that feed on them.
Originally from Berkshire, she was attracted to a study that would allow her to spend much of her time outside in beautiful locations. She said: "Cornwall is a great place for a ecology study like mine. I was very lucky to have the perfect site for my fieldwork just half an hour away. Prussia Cove is a beautiful place to work, which made it so much easier to be out there in all weathers!"
Dr Newton has a research post with the University of Exeter on the Tremough Campus until October 2009. She then hopes to continue her academic career in Europe. She has already had two papers, based on her research, published in the academic journals Oecologia and Ecological Entomology.
About the Tremough Campus
The £100 million Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative ¬of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West RDA, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council. Set in 70 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Modern Celtic and Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy on its Tremough Campus, which has expanded rapidly as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative.