Goldsmiths, University of London has announced Professor Frances Corner OBE as its next Warden.
Posted: 10/03/2022
From the press release:
Bringing more
than 20 years experience leading educational institutions, Professor Corner
joins Goldsmiths after serving as Head of London College of Fashion, part of
University of the Arts London (UAL), where she has additionally served as Pro
Vice Chancellor for Digital.
Professor
Corner is the first woman to lead Goldsmiths and is the 13th Warden
since the College was founded as the Goldsmiths Companys Technical and
Recreative Institute in 1891. At Goldsmiths
she will be leading an academic community of more than 9,000 students and
around 1,500 staff, with the College among the top 25 institutions in the UK
for the quality of its research.
Professor
Corner said: Goldsmiths is an institution which can shape society through
radical thinking underpinned by a clear sense of purpose.
That
distinctive ethos informs the Colleges teaching and must also guide how we
seek to meet students changing needs and expectations.
The College
has the talents to inspire and inform different approaches to many changes and
challenges confronting society, including inequalities, climate change, and
increasingly polarised communities.
These are
issues which matter hugely to our students, staff and alumni and to which
politicians, businesses and local, national and international communities are
demanding answers.
Together we
can find these solutions and I am both honoured and excited to have the
opportunity to lead Goldsmiths at this critical time.
Professor
Corner is a campaigner whose championing of ethical fashion and the
transformative power of fashion education has been globally recognised. In 2009
she was awarded an OBE for services to fashion Higher Education and widening
participation in arts education. She has also played a pivotal role in the
establishment of the Fashion District in East London.
The new Warden
will join Goldsmiths in August 2019. Outgoing Warden Patrick Loughrey, who
announced his retirement last September having led Goldsmiths since April 2010,
is due to leave at the end of May. Professor Elisabeth Hill, currently Deputy
Warden, will be Acting Warden in the interim period.