A Wanganui painting tutor has been awarded UCOL's highest academic honour.
Lorraine Webb, instrumental in the establishment of Wanganui's Quay School of the Arts, has been named an Icon of the institution following a quarter of a century of dedicated teaching.
Deputy chief executive Bonnie Dewart said the title - which is
specific to UCOL and equivalent to that of senior lecturer in other institutions - exemplified the high quality of teaching at the institution and the value placed on community and industry recognition.
"These excellent academics are role models and mentors for other academic staff, and an inspiration to our students."
Ms Webb joins Marty Vreede and Amy Bullock as Wanganui UCOL Icons, and is the 11th person nationally to receive the Ucol award.
She said the recognition of her efforts was a reflection on the institution as a whole.
"I wouldn't have been able to complete the application without the support and encouragement of my female colleagues and really it is an honour for our team as a whole.
"It delights me because it is tangible evidence that this art school, and the arts as a whole, is worthy of UCOL's support and recognition."
She was thrilled the Quay School of the Arts was being honoured for its ongoing commitment to quality education in the arts.
"I am very grateful for the unwavering support and passion for the arts here in Wanganui, both from the public and the UCOL institution. It makes our jobs that little more worthwhile."
Ms Webb said the school tried to offer students as many different perspectives and points of view as possible to display how people learn and work in a variety of ways.
Ms Webb, who holds a master of fine arts in painting and a diploma of fine art with honours in printmaking, is head of painting at the Quay School of the Arts where, as a trained lecturer, she teaches painting to those on the bachelor of fine arts programme.
Her notable achievements include winning the William Hodges Fellowship and Cranleigh Barton Drawing Award, and being a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards in 2005.
She won the Zinni Douglas Merit Award at the Walker & Hall Art awards in 2009, while making the finals in 2010 New Zealand Painting and Printmaking Awards.
