Press Releases
16 April 2009
An historic name for an historic occasion... University of Wales: Trinity Saint David is created
Today (Thursday, 16 April) at a meeting held at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the governing bodies of Trinity University College and the University of Wales Lampeter gave the go ahead for the formation of a new university to serve the needs of communities in Wales and beyond.
The University of Wales: Trinity Saint David will provide a powerhouse for higher education in West Wales which will build upon the institutions’ missions and will celebrate their respective histories as well as provide a modern, forward thinking university that will drive forward the Assembly Government’s transformational agenda for education and training in Wales.
UW Trinity Saint David will work as one institution by July 2009 under the Vice-Chancellor Designate, Dr Medwin Hughes, Trinity’s current Principal. It will seek a supplemental Charter from Her Majesty’s Privy Council to formally create the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David by July 2010.
The first students will be welcomed to UW Trinity Saint David in September 2010.
“This is a major development for university education in Wales which will have a particular impact upon individuals and communities in the region”, said Dr Medwin Hughes. “The new university will seek to respond to the Welsh Assembly Government’s One Wales policy document which aims to create a prosperous society by unlocking the potential of Wales’s people. This is just the beginning of a journey that will transform educational provision in South West Wales. The university, secondary schools, FE Colleges and their partners will collaborate to ensure that individuals and communities achieve their full potential.
He continued “The histories of Trinity and UW Lampeter have been intertwined since their inception in the early nineteenth century and the formation of Trinity Saint David will create a joint future. It will bring our respective expertise and knowledge in different areas to create a university that will focus on the needs of our communities, the wider needs of Wales, all in an international context.”
The Venerable Randolph Thomas, Chair of Trinity’s Board of Governors said “The Governing Body fully supports the creation of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. This is an historic occasion and the name attests to both institutions’ key role in building the nation over the past two centuries through their educational, cultural and social contribution to Wales and its people. It also signifies the national role of the University and its relevance to Wales and internationally”.
Dr Brinley Jones, President of UW Lampeter continued “UW Trinity Saint David brings together the strengths of Trinity and Lampeter. It will build upon their respective strengths, academic rigour, and international reputation to ensure that South West Wales will be the first choice destination for students and employers within the region as well as from further afield”.
Alfred Morris, the University of Wales Lampeter’s Vice Chancellor concluded “This is a very important and exciting moment in the history of two very strong institutions. The combination of Trinity and Lampeter holds out the prospect of much more than the sum of the parts. Together the two institutions will provide the foundations for the new university rooted in South West Wales but maintaining and increasing its international reputation for student-centred teaching, scholarship, research and postgraduate study. The University of Wales Trinity Saint David will seek to build further on existing partnerships with other institutions in Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and beyond.
He continued “For the towns of Carmarthen and Lampeter and for those who live and work in and around them, this will protect jobs and attract substantial investment. Most importantly, these developments are in the best interests of present and future generations of students.”
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Further information
Dr Medwin Hughes, Contact: Eleri Beynon : 01267 676790 / 07968 249335
Mr Alfred Morris, Contact: Dr Jane Norris-Hill : 01570 424799
NOTE TO EDITOR
- The two universities signed a letter of intent in December last year. Since then a Formation Committee, undertaking due diligence, has been exploring the exact nature of the new university, as well as the level of support it would receive from stakeholders including the Welsh Assembly Government and Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW).
- The name University of Wales Trinity Saint David has been chosen to reflect the historic contribution both Trinity University College and UW Lampeter have made to education and training in Wales over two centuries. St David has been chosen after the patron saint to represent the Wales-wide relevance of the University and the international recognition of St David in many of the university’s key markets.
- St David’s University College was UW Lampeter’s name until 1996.
- Trinity University College recently received approval from Her Majesty’s Privy Council for university college status following a successful application for degree awarding powers.
