Five campuses of UK's Cumbria University inaugurated

London, Aug 2 (UNI) Five campuses of Cumbria University were inaugurated today across the North-West of England as part of the launch of UK's newest university.

The university, which is expected to cost over 145 million pound for the first five years, will be offering a variety of courses like Performing Arts, Teacher Training, Nursing and Forestry both at undergraduate as well as postgraduate level.

Prof David Eastwood, Chief Executive of Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) said, ''The University of Cumbria is a new kind of institution with distributed campuses designed to meet the diverse needs of learners in urban and rural locations. It will provide a major vehicle in the North-West for economic growth, better services and personal development.'' With the capacity of 15000 students, the university will also be catering international students.

Speaking on the occasion Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), said, ''Improving access and participation into higher education and retaining talent is vital to the development of Cumbria's economy. This is why the Agency strongly supports the development of the university. We welcome the official launch of the UK's newest University, which marks the start of an exciting future for higher education in Cumbria.'' The University of Cumbria has been formed with the merger of the St Martins College, Cumbria Institute of the Arts in Carlisle and two of the Cumbrian campuses of the University of Central Lancashire.

UNI