Jony Ive becomes Chancellor at London’s Royal College of Art

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Jony Ive gets animated as he talks about Apple Watch. Photo: Vogue
"No running in study hall!"
Photo: Vogue

Jony Ive will take over from Sir James Dyson as the new Chancellor at London’s Royal College of Art, assuming the post in July 2017.

The five-year, unpaid position doesn’t take Ive away from Apple, although it will require him to take occasional meetings and help govern. And give him a few added trips to his home turf, too!

This includes overseeing the College during a period of expansion, which includes the construction of a new building at Battersea, scheduled to open in 2020. Interestingly, Apple is opening a new 500,000-square-foot site in the same area, which will open in 2021.

Given Ive’s long-time desire to spend more time in the U.K., and his key role in helping bring Apple’s new Apple Park campus to life, it will be interesting to see if he gets more involved with the new U.K. HQ, while also working at RCA.

“I am thrilled to formalize my relationship with the RCA, given the profound influence the College has had on so many of the artists and designers that I admire,” Ive said in a statement. “Our design team includes many RCA alumni, who embody the fundamental values of the College. I look forward to advising both the College and students, hoping that my experience proves useful in their work.”

The Royal College of Art has been ranked as the world’s best university for art and design for three years running. Although Ive attended Newcastle Polytechnic as his university, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from RCA in 2009.

Coinciding with the news of Ive’s new post, he was briefly interviewed on BBC Radio 4 today, where he discussed his belief in the importance of design in education, among other topics.

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