Dezen Wire: London art and design college Central Saint Martins has appointed Jeremy Till as head of college. Till will leave his role as dean of the school of architecture at the University of Westminster to take up his new position, which includes joining the executive board of the University of the Arts London.

Central Saint Martins moved to a new campus in Kings Cross, designed by Stanton Williams, in October 2012. See photos and our story about the campus here.

Professor Jeremy Till has been announced as the next Head of Central Saint Martins.

Professor Till, currently Dean of the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Westminster, takes over from Professor Jane Rapley OBE in August 2012.

As both an award-winning architect and a researcher with a strong track record of academic leadership, Professor Till is well-placed to lead one of the world’s most celebrated centres for creative education and research. As Head of College, he will take responsibility for CSM’s 4,500 students and 400 staff, and further develop its tradition of experimentation, innovation and risk-taking. As part of this role, he will also become a member of University of the Arts London’s Executive Board, which oversees the strategic direction of the University as a whole.

Welcoming his appointment, Nigel Carrington, Rector of University of the Arts London, said:

“Jeremy has a tremendous track record as a creative practitioner and as an academic leader. He knows our sector well and has been working very successfully in the tough environment in which all universities now find themselves. Most importantly, he is filled with enthusiasm and admiration for CSM and relishes the prospect of working with its staff and students.”

Paying tribute to retiring Head of College Professor Jane Rapley OBE, who took up the role in 2006, Nigel added:

“Jane has been an extremely popular, devoted and effective Head of College who will be greatly missed across the University. The past few years have seen some major changes for art and design education generally. For CSM, in particular, those changes have been very successfully navigated at the same time as the constituent parts of the College have been brought together in its new home at King’s Cross. It is thanks to Jane’s leadership that the College is now looking to the future with renewed purpose and vigour.”

Professor Till said:

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for me to work with a brilliant set of students and staff in a College that is at the forefront of creative education and research globally. Although these are potentially volatile times for UK higher education, CSM is well-positioned to face the future with confidence, particularly now all the College’s disciplines are under one roof for the first time in its astonishing new home in King’s Cross. Above all, we need to make sure we are flexible and responsive to the demands of students and the wider society. Ensuring that CSM is agile enough to remain ahead of these changing circumstances will be one of my over-riding priorities.”

About Jeremy Till

Professor Jeremy Till joined the University of Westminster in 2008 as Executive Dean of the School of Architecture and the Built Environment, with responsibility for 2,000 students and 200 staff. Prior to that, he was Professor of Architecture and Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield from 1999 to 2008, and has also held roles at the Bartlett School of Architecture (University College London), the University of Pennsylvania and Kingston University.

As an architect, he is a consultant and former Director at Sarah Wigglesworth Architects, and is particularly known for jointly designing 9 Stock Orchard Street, which won the RIBA Sustainability Prize. He was selected to curate the British Pavilion at the Venice Architectural Biennale in 2006, and is the only person to have been awarded the RIBA President’s Award for Research three times.