University of Nottingham
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| The University of Nottingham | |
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| Motto: | Sapientia urbs conditur ("A city is built on wisdom") |
| Established: | 1798 (became a London university college 1881, separated from University of London 1948) |
| Type: | Public |
| Endowment: | £28.4 million[1] |
| Chancellor: | Professor Fujia Yang |
| Vice-Chancellor: | Sir Colin Campbell |
| Visitor: | The Lord President of the Council ex officio |
| Students: | 33,550[2] |
| Undergraduates: | 24,355[2] |
| Postgraduates: | 9,195[2] |
| Location: | Nottingham, England |
| Campus: | 330 acres |
| Colours: | Green and Gold |
| Affiliations: | Russell Group[3] Universitas 21[4] ACU EUA |
| Website: | http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ |
The University of Nottingham is a university in the city of Nottingham, in the East Midlands of England. It is a member of the Russell Group,[3] and of Universitas 21,[4] an international network of research-led universities. The University was ranked among the top ten higher education institutions in the UK by The Telegraph in 2003,[5] and Shanghai Jiao Tong University's world rankings,[6] and it won the Times Higher Education UK University of the Year Award for 2006/7.[7]
In 2007, it had more than 36,000 registered students, with more than 8 applicants per place. This included over 7,500 international students from more than 145 countries. Its current Chancellor and President is Professor Fujia Yang, and its Vice-Chancellor is Sir Colin Campbell. Sir Colin has announced his retirement for September 2008, and Sir Colin's position will be filled by Professor David Greenway.[8]
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[edit] History
The University can trace its origins back to the founding of an adult education school in 1798. The foundation stone of the original University College in Shakespeare Street was laid in 1877, accompanied by a speech by William Ewart Gladstone. The building was formally opened in 1881 by Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. Outgrowing its city centre site, in 1928 the University College moved to a new campus to the south west of the city, a move made possible by the generosity of Jesse Boot, later Lord Trent. His gift of land has gradually been added to, creating the current University Park Campus. In 1948 the College received its Royal Charter, which gave it the title of "university" and the power to confer degrees. Previously, its students received their degrees from the University of London.
Over time the University has seen steady expansion. In 1947 the Midlands Agricultural and Dairy College at Sutton Bonington merged with the university, in the 1970s the university established a medical school. In 1999 a new Jubilee Campus was opened on the former site of the Raleigh factory, one mile away from the University Park campus. More recently, the university has expanded overseas, opening campuses in Malaysia and China. In September 2005 the King's Meadow campus opened. Built on the site of a former television studio the campus hosts the university's administrative departments and the Information Services department.
The university has used several logos over the years. Initially, the university coat of arms with the cross, book and towers was used, and is still used in books owned by the university's various libraries. Later, the university adopted a simpler logo, in which a stylised version of Nottingham Castle was surrounded by the text 'The University of Nottingham'. In 2001 the university undertook a major rebranding exercise, including dropping this logo and replacing it with the current one (with the text to the right of the stylised castle).
[edit] Campuses
[edit] Nottingham campuses
University Park Campus, to the west of the city centre, is the principal campus of the University and has been regarded as one of the most attractive in the country.[9][10] The University now has several further campuses, but all share similar design features to the original, being "garden campuses" situated around a lake with extensive greenery (with the exception of Sutton Bonington campus, which pre-dates the creation of University Park Campus).
Campus 14 is a bar crawl of the twelve hall bars on the University Park campus and the SU bar, and is a well-known campus tradition, despite having been officially banned by the University in 2001.[11]
Jubilee Campus is an award winning campus designed by Sir Michael Hopkins, opened by HM the Queen in 1999, a mile away from University Park. Following the purchase and demolition of the old Raleigh bicycle factory, the university intends to undertake further expansion of the campus with buildings by Ken Shuttleworth.
Sutton Bonington Campus houses the University's School of Biosciences and the new Veterinary School and is located about 12 miles (20 km) to the south of Nottingham, between the M1 motorway, Ratcliffe power station and the Midland Main Line railway.
The former Carlton Studios site on Lenton Lane was bought in March 2005, to become the King's Meadow Campus, which mainly houses administrative functions of the University but also houses the Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections. A functioning TV studio remains at the site which the University continue to rent out to the Film and Television Industry.
Student accommodation for the majority of first year undergraduates and a number of other students is provided on the University's campuses in halls of residence.
[edit] International campuses
The Malaysia Campus is situated in Semenyih, a short distance from Kuala Lumpur. The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China is the most recent campus, and is located in the city of Ningbo, in the Zhejiang province of China.
[edit] Medical school
The University also has one of the largest medical schools in the United Kingdom, and runs courses at a number of teaching hospitals. The main teaching hospital, the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) is located just across the A52 from the University Park Campus, and is the largest teaching hospital in Europe. In September 2003 the doors opened for the first intake at a new medical school in the nearby city of Derby, offering a 4 year fast-track postgraduate medicine course. On top of these, a few years ago the University of Nottingham took on a number of nursing teaching sites (formerly the Mid Trent Nursing College), these are located across the East Midlands and include sites at Boston, Derby, Lincoln and Mansfield as well as Nottingham. As of 2006 applicants will be required to sit the UKCAT admission test.
[edit] Organisation
The Chief Officer of the University is the Chancellor, elected by the University Court on the recommendation of the University Council. The chief academic and administrative officer of the University is the Vice-Chancellor, who is assisted by five Pro-Vice Chancellors. The university is divided into five faculties, each headed by a Dean, and 32 schools of study.
The University's governing body is the University Council, which has 33 members, mostly non-academic. Its academic authority is the Senate, consisting of senior academics of the University and elected staff and student representatives. The University's largest forum is the University Court, presided over by the Chancellor.
[edit] Research
Much of the pioneering work on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was done at Nottingham, work for which Nottingham professor Sir Peter Mansfield received the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 2003. The University remains a strong centre for research into MRI and its 7 tesla scanner required 213 tonnes of iron cladding to prevent the surrounding area being affected by its powerful field.[12] The University has contributed to a number of other significant scientific advances. Professor Frederick Kipping, Professor of Chemistry (1897-1936), made the discovery of silicone polymers at the University (but failed to realise the commercial significance of what is now a multi-billion pound industry). Major developments in the in vitro culture of plants and micropropogation techniques were made by plant scientists at Nottingham, along with the first production of transgenic tomatoes by Professor Don Grierson in the 1980s. Other innovations at the university include cochlear implants for deaf children and the brace-for-impact position used in aircraft. Other facilities at the university include the UK's 109th most powerful supercomputer.[13]
The university is also strong in the humanities and social sciences, and in the same year that Sir Peter Mansfield won his Nobel Prize, Professor Clive Granger, who was at the university for 22 years as a student and academic, also won the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
The University had 26 departments rated 5 or 5* (internationally excellent) in the UK Funding Council's 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. The University is one of the top four UK universities for receiving research funding from private industry and commerce, for the year 2005-06 the university's research funds increased by 22.5% year-on-year to £122,809,720. The university is a key partner in the government's designation of Nottingham as a 'Science City'.
[edit] Graduate school
The University's Graduate School was established in 1994, and operates a Graduate School Centre, which contains a social space, meeting rooms and a seminar room. It was originally housed in the Biology Building but moved to the Trent Building in 2006. The school offers a wide range of short courses aimed to help the development of post graduate students including courses in information technology and communication skills.[14]
[edit] League table rankings
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times Good University Guide | 19th[15] | 14th[16] | 16th[17] | |
| Guardian University Guide | 19th[18] | 11th[19] | 15th[20] | |
| Sunday Times University Guide | 15th[21] | 12th[22] | 11th[22] | |
| Daily Telegraph | 14th[23] |
| 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| THES - QS World University Rankings | 70th | 85th[24] | 97th[25] |
| Academic Ranking of World Universities | 81st[6] | 79th[26] | 83rd[27] |
The University of Nottingham over the years has experienced a successful and fast climb in international ranking lists for the best universities world wide. In 2006 the university was ranked at 74th place in Newsweek's 'The Top 100 Global Universities'[28] and 79th in 'The Shanghai Jiao Tong University World Rankings'.[29]
The University of Nottingham was named the Higher Education Institution of the Year in the 2006 Times Higher awards.[30]
[edit] Students' union
The University of Nottingham Students' Union is heavily involved with the provision of student activities at the University and has more than 150 student societies affiliated to it. A further 72 clubs are affiliated to the Students' Union's Athletic Union. The University participates annually in the Varsity Series, a number of sporting events between the students and staff of the University and traditional rivals Nottingham Trent University.
The student magazine Impact is published regularly in term time. A range of student theatre takes place at the University’s New Theatre. The Students' Union runs two Sound and Lighting companies, TEC PA and Lighting, who provide their services for many student events at the University Park, and Jubilee campuses, and SB-TEC who provide their services to the Sutton Bonington Campus. The Union also boasts the largest and most successful Student-run RAG organisation 'Karnival' (or Karni) which raised over £667,000 in 2006 for a host of good causes. The University Radio Station, URN / Student Radio for Nottingham has won approximately a third of all the BBC Radio 1 awards for student radio.
The Student's Union also organise a number of activities and events involving students and staff with the local community. Student Community Action sees over 600 students a year volunteering in local schools and community organisations, as well as a wide range of other projects throughout Nottingham. The university's Active Communities initiative came together with the Student's Union to set up the Crocus Cafe in nearby Lenton. The cafe provides a meeting place for both students and local residents, where they can sit over a Fair Trade cup of coffee and organic, vegetarian food.
[edit] Notable alumni
The most celebrated alumnus of the University of Nottingham is probably the novelist D. H. Lawrence. The university has particularly strong links with Malaysia, and two Malaysian Kings as well as several Malaysian government ministers are graduates. Other prominent alumni include 2003 Nobel Laureate Sir Clive Granger and 12 current members of the UK parliament.
[edit] Controversies
From September 20 to December 7, 2004, the University was subject to an international academic boycott - 'greylisting' - after a breakdown in negotiations with the Association of University Teachers (AUT) on pay and conditions for academic staff. The AUT claimed that Nottingham failed to honour a commitment to follow a national agreement reached in March 2004. The University, however, claimed that its actions were in line with its undertakings in respect of the national agreement and that the University had sought to negotiate with the AUT from the start. The boycott led to disruption at Nottingham, with lectures scheduled to be given by lecturers from other universities being cancelled, participants withdrawing from conferences and, in the case of a Royal Geographical Society conference, the whole conference being moved to London. The boycott was suspended after agreement was reached on re-opening talks. The university was subsequently affected by a national pay dispute by the AUT in the summer of 2006, which led to the boycotting of some assessment.
The University also attracted controversy in 2001 when it accepted £3.8 m from British American Tobacco for the creation of a centre of corporate social responsibility. The donation caused Professor Richard Smith, Editor of the British Medical Journal to resign from his post as professor at the university, a 20 strong Cancer Research Team to move to London, and the Cancer Research Campaign to stop its £1.5 m fundraising campaign for the renovation of the University's cancer research facilities. The tobacco company funds were donated to establish an International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility at Nottingham University Business School. The school now ranks 1st in the UK, 4th in Europe, and 28th in the world in Masters in Business Administration (MBA) rankings compiled by the Aspen Institute - whose biennial table highlights full-time MBA programmes which integrate ethical, social and environmental issues. Despite predictions that medical research income and cancer studies would be affected adversely in the long-term at Nottingham, funding for cancer research has been strong in recent years, with significant public-private projects on Breast and Lung Cancer in the laboratory of Professor John Robertson, and a successful bid in 2008 to establish a UK centre for Tobacco Control Studies under the leadership of Professor John Britton.
As a distributed University, the parity of course structure and equivalence between the various University of Nottingham campuses has raised some controversy, particularly over the MBA held at the Malaysian Campus.[31]
[edit] See also
- University of Nottingham Students' Union
- Academic dress of the University of Nottingham
- University of Nottingham Halls of Residence
- China Policy Institute
- Institute of Contemporary Chinese Studies
- University of Nottingham Ningbo, China
- University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
- Nottingham University Business School
- Nottingham University Press
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/finance/fin_stats_2006.pdf (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-04-13.
- ^ a b c Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07 (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ a b The Russell Group. Retrieved on 10 November 2007.
- ^ a b The University of Nottingham. Universitas 21. Retrieved on 10 November 2007.
- ^ Daily Telegraph Table of Tables. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-09-11.
- ^ a b Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2007. Jiao Tong University (Chinese). Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
- ^ The Times Higher Awards 2006. The Times Higher Education Supplement. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
- ^ Professor David Greenaway to succeed Sir Colin Campbell as Vice-Chancellor
- ^ 360° tour - The University of Nottingham - University Park campus. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-05-12.
- ^ University profiles: University of Nottingham. The Guardian (2007-05-01). Retrieved on 2007-05-12.
- ^ Campus 14 Banned (2008-01-23). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
- ^ Giant magnet drops in on campus. University of Nottingham (2004-11-23). Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ TOP500 List - June 2005 (101-200). Top500. Retrieved on 12 September, 2007.
- ^ Graduate School Roadmap
- ^ The Times Good University Guide 2008. The Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ The Times Good University Guide 2007 - Top Universities 2007 League Table. The Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ The Times Top Universities. The Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ University ranking by institution. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ University ranking by institution. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ University ranking by institution. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ The Sunday Times Good University Guide League Tables. The Sunday Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ a b The Sunday Times University League Table. The Sunday Times. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ University league table. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-10-29.
- ^ THES - QS World University Rankings 2006. THES. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ THES - QS World University Rankings 2005. THES. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University 2006
- ^ Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University 2005
- ^ The Complete List: The Top 100 Global Universities. Newsweek. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
- ^ Top 500 World Universities. http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/ Shanghai Jiao Tong University]. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.
- ^ Times Higher Awards 2006. http://www.thes.co.uk/Awards/2006/. Retrieved on 2006-11-21.
- ^ Theophilus, Claudia (2006). The heat over Nottingham’s degree. Politics 101 Malaysia. Retrieved on 14 October, 2006.
[edit] Bibliography
- Fawcett, Peter and Neil Jackson (1998). Campus critique: the architecture of the University of Nottingham. Nottingham: University of Nottingham.
- Tolley, B.H. (2001). The history of the University of Nottingham. Nottingham: Nottingham University Press.
[edit] External links
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