Tremough
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Tremough Campus is a university campus situated in Penryn, Cornwall. It is the only such university project in Cornwall currently. The name Tremough derives from the Cornish word for "pig farm".
It is home to two university institutions: the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus (UEC) and University College Falmouth (UCF) along with the globally renowned Camborne School of Mines . Collectively this initiative is known as Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a venture bringing in many of Cornwall's Further Education colleges along with the founding members University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter.
The 70-acre site itself formerly was a convent school for the local community which was bought in 1998 by Falmouth College of Arts, as it was then known. The Universities of Exeter and Plymouth both expressed an interest in the project. The University of Plymouth later removed themselves leaving University of Exeter to partner with Falmouth College of Arts and sign a 125-year lease. This decision was probably made easier by the fact that Exeter had taken partial responsibility for the running of Camborne School of Mines in 1993.
With differing academic emphasis but with an obvious need to provide student accommodation and non-academic staff for the 'smooth' running of the campus facilities the two universities collectively established the commercially run Tremough Campus Services, which is responsible for the overall maintenance of the site including the commercial bar, gym, catering and shop and the student accommodation known as Glasney Parc.
The campus' main building is a four-storey design with views over the town of Penryn and its surrounding countryside. Its teaching facilities include state-of-the-art science laboratories, IT facilities, library and lecture and seminar rooms. Provision for student life on campus is relatively poor with the highlight being a gym offering both free-weights, resistance weights and cardiovascular machinery in addition to a limited service of dance classes including capoeira, a Brazilian form of martial arts and physiotherapy. The commercial restaurant and bars are often described as not being student-friendly because of high prices and a lack of atmosphere. As of yet there are no student-run facilities.
The students' union on site, referred to as the Falmouth and Exeter Union (FXU), has limited political power and is forced to pay the bar to run events. It is however responsible for Freshers' week events and other special events throughout the calendar whilst acting as a liaison between the university students and the voluntary sector.
Campus accommodation is at the student village, Glasney Parc, where there are a total of 800 en-suite study bedrooms with shared kitchens in twelve 2-3 storey buildings named from A to J Block. Further expansion is ongoing, with new academic buildings expected to be completed by September 2007. O block is the temporary residence for office staff.
Social life on campus centres around the Tremough restaurant and bars sited in the Upper and Lower Stannary. The event highlight was a visit by the singer-songwriter Jack Johnson who has only played a few concerts in the UK. Currently there is much student pressure and surrounding debate for the construction of recreational buildings closer to Glasney Parc. A sense of urgency has bring brought into the equation following the development of 300 flats and additional University of Exeter courses including History Law and Theology.
There little student activity in Penryn. The main social activity is some 4 miles away in Falmouth, home to UCF Woodlane Campus which holds a student bar. The two biggest church student populations are that of Highway Church, Penryn and Emmanuel Baptist Church, Falmouth both of which are active in the Falmouth Christian Union.
