The Civic University: Cultural Leadership, Engagement and Art & Design Education

As Vice Chancellors position their institutions‟ identities and future trajectories in context to national and international league tables, Professor John Goddard1, proposes the notion of the “civic” university as a “place embedded” institution, one that is committed to „place making‟. The civic university has deep institutional connections to different social, cultural and economic spheres within its locality and possibly beyond. A fundamental question for the university sector and cultural organisations is whether the different articulations of public engagement and cultural leadership can be brought together to form one coherent common language? This paper explores the notion of the civic university – the role and responsibilities of the civic university in not only providing cultural leadership and access to knowledge to a particular locale, but equally a civic university that aims to address problems further afield. In addition, as a component of the civic university, the paper also explores how art and design education, its legacies and current practices, has a role to play in contributing to civil society and the civic university.