University of East Anglia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from University of east anglia)
Jump to: navigation, search
"UEA" redirects here. For other uses, see UEA (disambiguation).
University of East Anglia
Motto: Do different
Established: 1963
Type: Public, Plate Glass
Chancellor: Sir Brandon Gough
Vice-Chancellor: Professor Bill MacMillan
Visitor: The Lord President of the Council ex officio
Students: 19,585[1]
Undergraduates: 15,190[1]
Postgraduates: 4,395[1]
Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Campus: 320 acres
Affiliations: 1994 Group
Association of Commonwealth Universities
Website: www.uea.ac.uk
Image:uea logo2.gif

The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a campus university located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, founded as part of the British Government's New Universities programme in the 1960s. The university is a member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities. The University was ranked 19th in the Sunday Times University League Table 2006,[2] and joint first for student satisfaction in the 2006 National Student Survey.[3] The University was also ranked 57th in Europe, and one of the top 200 universities in the world, by the 2006 World University Rankings published by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.[4]

Contents

[edit] History and overview

Earlham Hall, home to the University of East Anglia's School of Law
Earlham Hall, home to the University of East Anglia's School of Law

UEA admitted its first students in 1963 in temporary accommodation in Earlham Hall, on the western edge of the city of Norwich about 3 miles from the city centre, while a prefabricated "University Village" was built nearby and used until the early 1980s. The permanent campus was built on the adjacent Earlham Golf Course, principally to a design by Sir Denys Lasdun.

The UEA campus exhibits some interesting architectural features: the main teaching building takes the form of a continuous wall running approximately west-east. The early student residences built in the 1960s take the form of distinctive "ziggurats", but financial cutbacks by the early 1970s meant that the full original plan for building ziggurat residences had to be abandoned, and replaced by the less inspiring north-south wall of Waveney Terrace (which was demolished in 2006). This latter residence quickly gave rise to a popular and enduring urban legend on campus that the design had been based on that of a European prison. UEA also took over the former RAF/US Air Force barracks at Horsham St. Faith airfield, and used them as residences. This outpost of campus life was formally known as "Fifers Lane" from the road it stood on, but was called "Horsham" or simply "Fifers" by its residents. It developed its own unique style of student life. Being adjacent to extant army accommodation, the on-site general shop was a branch of the NAAFI. It also reputedly featured its own ghost, the "headless airman". Fifers Lane eventually closed in 1994, when further residences, again in an advanced architectural style, were built on campus.

In the mid-1970s, extraction of gravel in the valley of the River Yare, which runs to the south of the campus, resulted in the university acquiring its own 'Norfolk Broad' or lake (known as simply 'The Broad'). At more or less the same time, a bequest of tribal art and C.20th painting and sculpture, by artists such as Francis Bacon and Henry Moore, from the Sainsbury supermarket family resulted in the construction of the striking Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the western end of the main teaching wall, one of the first major works of architect Norman Foster. In 2001 the campus gained an extensive new sports facility called the "Sportspark", built thanks to a £14.5 million grant from the Sport England Lottery Fund, and a purpose-built theatre. Because of the 1960s design, the university suffers in regard to providing access needs to all students, even though attempts have been made to improve facilities within the campus, the university's listed 1960s buildings are by law unadaptable.

Other notable features of the UEA campus are "The Square", a central outdoor meeting place flanked by concrete steps; "The Blend", a cafe/coffee shop, "Zest" a student canteen and "The Street" which features a 24-hour launderette, the Union Food Outlet, Union Paper Shop, Union Post Office, a newly refurbished espresso bar, "DolcHe Vita", branches of NatWest, HSBC and Barclays Bank and a Waterstone's book shop.

Constable Terrace, one of the university's many halls of residence
Constable Terrace, one of the university's many halls of residence

UEA has had notable successes in terms of courses taught. Malcolm Bradbury for many years taught in the School of English and American Studies and his 1975 novel The History Man is believed to be based on his experiences there, satirising as it does life and work in a modern 1960s-built University campus. The German emigre novelist W. G. Sebald taught in the School of Literature until his untimely death, from a car accident, in 2001. The Climate Research Unit in the School of Environmental Sciences was an early centre of work on climate warming.

As at 1 December 2004, the university had 10,689 undergraduate students, 1,949 postgraduate taught students, and 1,054 postgraduate research students, giving a total of 13,692 students, of whom 73% were full-time students, 10.4% came from outside the European Union, and 63% were female. As at 31 July 2005 the university employed 2445 staff (including 517 academic staff, 368 research staff, 469 secretarial and clerical staff, 146 technical staff, and 287 administrative, senior library and computing staff). In the year ending 31 July 2005 the university's income was £124,161,000, and its expenditure was £120,040,000. (Statistics from the 2004-05 Annual Review).

[edit] Union of UEA Students

Main article: Union of UEA Students

Connected to both "The Street" and "The Square" is one of the most popular Union venues: the "Union Pub and Bar" which underwent a massive extension and refurbishment at the cost of £1.2 million in 2002. More recently, the pub was voted pub of the week on Al Murray's happy Hour, 29/2/08. The pub took over "Breakers", a rather low-rent eatery with a scrapyard theme which was briefly turned into an unpopular pasta place. Other bars include "The Hive" (which, due to efforts from the Students' Union, was refurbished for the start of the 2004/05 year), and the "Graduate Students Club". In the same building is The LCR, known in full as either The Large [5] or Lower [6] Common Room. The LCR is home to weekly campus discos, as well as the many touring gigs. The students' union also run "The Waterfront" venue off campus in Norwich's King Street.

The UEA Union has a large range of services on offer for its students including a large selection of sports clubs and societies. These range from football and rugby clubs to a newer range of environmental societies such as 'The Campus Sustainability Initiative' who aim to set up a fund for environmental projects on campus called 'The Sustainability Initiative Fund'. Aside from the independent student newspaper Concrete, there is a thriving student media across a range of areas. In the 1970s, there was a highly successful student newspaper named Phoenix, which rose from the ashes of the original Concrete, that ran for several years. Livewire, the award winning campus radio station, which transmits to air on 1350AM in the vicinity of the university as well as broadcasting on the internet, was established in 1989. Nexus UTV,[7] the campus television station broadcasting news, documentaries, comedy shows and various other types of programming, shows regularly in the bar and is one of the oldest still-running student television stations in the country, having been established in 1968.

The student body is among the more politically active among UK universities. Turnout at ballots averages around 20% (compared to a national average of around 15%).[8] In 2007 Union Council voted to oppose the National Union of Students's (NUS) no-platform policy which bans extremists such as the BNP and Hizb-ut Tahrir from standing in NUS elections. A letter was sent to NUS president Gemma Tumelty to inform her of this. She later voiced her disagreement but said she 'looked forward to having the debate' with the union's delegates at next years annual conference. The no-platform issue will now be put to a referendum of all students.

[edit] Recent developments

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

Colman House opened in September 2004, creating accommodation for 400 students. The latest residences, Britten, Victory, Kett, Browne, and Paston Houses, were built around the Waveney Terrace area and were opened in September and October 2005. Half of Waveney Terrace was demolished in September 2005, and replaced with the first half of Britten House; the remaining demolition was completed in September 2006, with the second half of Britten House opening for the 2007 academic year. The residences are named after Benjamin Britten, Horatio Nelson's ship HMS Victory, Robert Kett, Sir Thomas Browne and the Paston family who wrote the Paston Letters.

A new building for the School of Nursing and Midwifery (NAM) opened in February 2006; adjacent to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, it is named after Edith Cavell. The new campus Health and Community Centre, comprising the University Health Centre, a Laundrette and a Nursery for pre-school aged children, was also completed in 2006.

The 2002 Medical School (MED) has already been expanded to provide more lecture space, seminar rooms and office space. It was completed in June 2007.

Norfolk and Suffolk Terraces are undergoing internal refurbishment in keeping with their Listed Building status; Suffolk Terrace was completed in the summer of 2006, with completion for Norfolk Terrace scheduled for 2008.

[edit] Corporate identity

The pre-2008 University of East Anglia logo
The pre-2008 University of East Anglia logo

On 18 February 2008 the University of East Anglia began rolling out a new corporate identity, which was developed in response to a brand positioning project conducted in late 2006, and the five-year Corporate Plan approved by the University's Council in January 2008. All newly commissioned materials will use the new logo, but the roll-out will be implemented over a 12-18 month period, using up existing stocks of materials to ensure there is no wastage.[9]

[edit] Future developments

INTO@ UEA is a partnership project being undertaken by INTO, Espalier and the UEA. The building will be situated between the main car park and the Health & Community Centre and will provide teaching, living, eating & social space for approximately 350 international students. The students will spend a year at INTO getting used to the British university system and culture before hopefully entering the University system at UEA. The project is anticipated to start in January 2007. Work to connect the site to electrical and other services was completed in the summer of 2006.

In partnership with the University of Essex, and with the support of Suffolk County Council, the East of England Development Agency, Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk College, and the Learning and Skills Council, UEA has secured £15 million funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England with the aim of creating a new campus in the Waterfront area of Ipswich, called University Campus Suffolk (UCS).

[edit] Notable alumni

See also Category:Alumni of the University of East Anglia

[edit] Academia

[edit] Politics

[edit] Literature

[edit] Media

[edit] Business & Economics

[edit] Other

[edit] Notable academics

[edit] References

  1. ^ 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 2008-04-08.
  2. ^ The Sunday Times 2006 University League Table. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
  3. ^ The University of East Anglia has been ranked joint first for student satisfaction among full-time mainstream English universities.. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
  4. ^ Academic Ranking of World Universities conducted by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
  5. ^ http://www.stu.uea.ac.uk/ents/venues/
  6. ^ http://www.stu.uea.ac.uk/freshers/adoc.2005-08-16.3617
  7. ^ http://www.nexusutv.co.uk
  8. ^ University of East Anglia. Push University Guide. Retrieved on 2008-04-07.
  9. ^ UEA Brand Guidelines

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


v • d • e
The 1994 Group of research-led British universities

Coordinates: 52°37′18″N, 1°14′30″E

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_East_Anglia"
Personal tools