Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) has been recognised for its pioneering approach to promoting arts, design and media to the business community with a prestigious higher education industry award.
The University received the Excellence and Innovation in the Arts Award at the Times Higher Education Awards, which shine a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of institutions, teams and individuals in the UK higher education sector. The award was presented to NUA Vice-Chancellor Professor John Last at an event attended by the Minister for Universities, Science and Cities, Greg Clark, as well as nearly 1,200 academics and professional and support staff from all over the country.
Shearer West, head of the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford and one of the award’s judges, said: “Norwich University of the Arts has developed an innovative and professional programme for engaging with the business community, with positive outcomes for all those involved.”
The award recognised NUA’s employability strategy, which is closely tailored to the sorts of creative careers that its students want, specifically through its ideasfactory@NUA commercial department which provides students with opportunities to work on professional briefs. The success of ideasfactory@NUA has helped to attract a £1.5 million grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and £200,000 from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership towards a £3 million project to construct an incubation centre and hub that will further the agency’s work, stimulate the regional economy and contribute an estimated 200 high-value jobs by 2020.
Sarah Steed, Business Director at NUA, says: “We are delighted that our University has been recognised with the Excellence and Innovation in the Arts Award, which is an especially significant and important accolade for a specialist creative institution such as NUA. The award recognised that the experience students receive at NUA prepares them to not only produce outstanding creative work, but also to become fully prepared to operate in professional industries. Our 92% graduate employment rate points to our continued success in achieving this commitment.”
–
About Norwich University of the ArtsNorwich University of the Arts is a dynamic and creative community providing arts, design and media education from a unique campus at the heart of the city’s cultural quarter. Whilst the institution’s history can be traced back to 1845, it is contemporary and forward thinking with industry standard facilities. The University’s mission is to be the best specialist University for Arts, Design and Media study in Europe, producing graduates of the highest quality. www.nua.ac.uk
Interviews Interviews with students and staff can be arranged by contacting Stuart Anderson, Marketing and Communications Manager at NUA. Tel: 01603 756238 or email: s.anderson@nua.ac.uk