Guiding Principles

Placedness 

It is understood that the Tamar/Esk region’s physical and cultural landscapes are ‘place defining’. In the ways this manifests itself it offers particular opportunities for ‘operations’ working in a regional context – entrepreneurial, social and cultural. 

Conversely, there are countermanding constraints to do with place and in ways that in the end define places – the placescaping and placemaking that go on in the region. 

With this as a background it is envisaged that a stand-alone 21st Century multi-disciplinary institution located in the region, in order to be successful, it would need to be ‘place focused’. Moreover, in order to deliver on the ‘promise’ invested in ‘focusing upon place’ productive and innovative outcomes will need to be driven by an entrepreneurial interfacing between community sensibilities, government and corporate sector imperatives. 

Relationship Building 

In order to build long-term relationships and partnerships that deliver on their ‘place focused promise’ the institution will need to be oriented towards building collaborative and cooperative relationships with other regional, national and international institutions. 

These relationships will need to be not only ‘scholarship’ focused’ but also networks with a focus on mutually beneficial business and entrepreneurial outcomes. 

Interconnectivity
Given the social and cultural dynamics at work in regional communities, there is typically an imperative to facilitate the ongoing evolution and development of networks. 

Typically in an educational and training context these networks are cross cum multi-disciplinary. 

Consequently, place oriented paradigms are likely to be less tolerant of 'siloed scholarship', research and enterprise opportunities. Moreover, in a place-oriented context 'rhyzomic interconnectivity' offers clear advantages over isolating, insulating and synthetic rankings. 

Likewise, hierarchical relationships are limiting in ways that impact upon productive outcomes. It is therefore unsurprising that in such relationships longstanding collegial and serendipitous relationships are more easily fostered. 

The Economic Dynamic 

In order to develop a sustainable economically and culturally dynamic project that is viable in a ‘place focused’ environment there is a need focus on sustainability in every context. 

The ongoing development of any endeavour will need to work within the constraints of the region’s resources – human and physical – and requires a focus on outcomes relative to those resources. 

Resource Management 

To capitalise upon the Tamar/Esk region’s natural resources; its environmental opportunities; and its cultural wealth and evolving diversity there, is a need to be continually mindful of regional constraints and opportunities. 

Rather than any of this focusing on the limitations it is clear that by narrowing the focus on ‘place’ there is broadening range opportunity that can flow from the guiding principle articulated here.