UCOL BLOG

The scholarships are aimed at teenagers who are ready for a new educational challenge, have made a start towards NCEA, want to enrol in full time tertiary study, and want to learn practical skills.

Funded by the Ministry of Education, and administered and delivered by UCOL, the scheme allows students to participate in tertiary education without accumulating debt.  Read More: “Young UCOL students challenged to succeed”…

Palmerston North people with an interest in art and design now have an opportunity to do a certificate programme at UCOL.

The new programme – the Certificate in Art and Design – starts at UCOL mid-April and will end in December.

Students will study full time, learning about drawing, painting, computer graphic design, and New Zealand art history.

Head of UCOL’s School of Photography, Arts and Design Rachel Hoskin says the programme will appeal to people who want to create and find out more about original art and design. “It can also be used as a foundation programme for those who want to go on to further study on our arts and design degree programmes at Whanganui and Palmerston North, including the Bachelor of Fine Arts offered at Whanganui UCOL.” Read More: “New Art and Design programme at UCOL”…

Artists Paul and Fran Dibble have been awarded Honorary Fellowships by the Council of the Universal College of Learning (UCOL).

The award was announced at UCOL’s graduation ceremony in Palmerston North today (Wednesday).

UCOL’s Honorary Fellow Award is made to people outside UCOL who have made an outstanding and distinguished contribution to the institution and/or the wider community and society in general.

Paul and Fran Dibble have lived and worked in Palmerston North for more than 30 years, with Paul working full-time as a sculptor in an inner city foundry. Earlier Paul lectured at the Palmerston North College of Education and Fran lectured in biochemistry and molecular biology at UCOL. Both have exhibited widely in Palmerton North as well as nationally and internationally. Read More: “UCOL Honours for Paul and Fran Dibble”…

​The number eligible to graduate from UCOL Palmerston North has increased by more than 50 per cent in one year.

In his speech to graduates at UCOL”s first graduation ceremony today, Chief Executive Paul McElroy described the increase – from 1078 graduates last year to 1654 this year – an increase of 53 per cent – as “phenomenal” and congratulated UCOL staff and graduates on the result.

“It reflects the planning and hard work that we have out into further improving the learning environment at UCOL. This includes changes to the support services we offer – ours had already won awards but we could see opportunities to do even better. That has paid off and has brought big gains for our students. Read More: “UCOL’s recipe for graduation success”…

UCOL holds its annual graduation ceremonies on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 March, celebrating the achievements of well over 1600 students eligible to graduate with Degrees, Diplomas and Certificates.

A total of 1654 students are eligible to graduate from the Palmerston North campus in this year’s ceremonies.

For students, graduation represents great personal commitment and achievement, hard work and, often, some financial hardship.

As well as celebrating the achievements of students, UCOL graduation ceremonies also recognise the contribution of friends and families, and of UCOL academic and support staff. Read More: “UCOL graduates top 1600″…

Big business is increasingly using different type faces and fonts to show a more friendly face to customers.

Research by lecturers on UCOL’s Bachelor of Applied Visual Imaging (BAVI) programme have identified a new trend in typography in the rebranding of corporate businesses. Lead researcher Rachel Hoskin says many now use lower case in their signage and other branding to increase their appeal.

“This includes Telecom, BNZ, AMI, Kiwibank, Postie Plus and Ballantynes. Their use of lower case is aimed at communicating a more accessible, informal and relaxed image to their customer base. Read More: “Big business using lower case to make friends”…