University of Birmingham

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University of Birmingham
Motto	Per Ardua Ad Alta Through hard work, great heights are achieved
Established	1900
Type	Public
Chancellor	Sir Dominic Cadbury
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Michael Sterling
Students	30,725 [1]
Undergraduates	18,765 [1]
Postgraduates	11,960 [1]
Location	Birmingham, United Kingdom
Colours
Website	http://www.bham.ac.uk

The University of Birmingham is an English university in the city of Birmingham. It was founded in 1900 as a successor to Mason Science College, and is thus the earliest of the so-called "red brick" universities. As a highly respected and major research-led institution, it currently has over 18,000 undergraduate and over 11,000 postgraduate students.^[1]

Contents 1 About the university 2 History of the university 3 University league tables 4 Architecture of the university 5 Chancellors of the University 6 Principal officers of the University 7 Guild of Students 8 University Sport Birmingham 9 Off-campus establishments 10 Other items of interest 10.1 The university: 10.2 Appearances in film and television 10.3 Facts about "Old Joe", the Chamberlain Tower: 11 Branding 12 Alumni 12.1 Nobel Prize recipients 12.2 Writers and Artists 12.3 Politicians 12.4 Armed Forces 12.5 Media and journalism 12.6 Actors/Directors 12.7 Musicians 12.8 Entrepreneurs and business 12.9 Law and order 12.10 Sport 12.11 Academia 12.12 Others 13 Notes 14 References 15 External links 15.1 University administration, schools and departments 15.1.1 Administration 15.1.2 Schools and departments 15.2 Student activities 15.3 Other links

[edit] About the university

The university's main campus, in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, is arranged around the 100-metre-high Chamberlain clock tower (nicknamed "Old Joe") commemorating Joseph Chamberlain, the university's first Chancellor. The Great Hall of the university is in the domed Aston Webb Building, which is named after one of its architects (the other was Ingress Bell).

The university's Selly Oak campus is a short distance to the south of the main campus. It was the home of a federation of nine higher education colleges, mainly focused on theology and education, which were integrated into the university for teaching purposes in 1999. Among these was Westhill College (later the University of Birmingham, Westhill) which merged with the university's School of Education in 2001. The UK daytime television show Doctors is filmed on this campus. The university also has buildings at several other sites in the city.

Due to Birmingham's role as a centre of light engineering, the university traditionally had a special focus on science, engineering and commerce, as well as coal mining. It now teaches a full range of academic subjects and has five-star rating for teaching and research in several departments; additionally, it is widely regarded as making a prominent contribution to cancer studies.

The University of Birmingham operates the Lapworth Museum of Geology in the Aston Webb Building in Edgbaston. It is named after Charles Lapworth, a geologist who worked at Mason Science College.

[edit] History of the university

The earliest beginnings of the university can be traced back to the University of Birmingham Medical School which began life through the work of William Sands Cox in his aim of a medical school along strictly Christian lines, unlike the London medical schools. The medical school was founded in 1828 but Cox began teaching in December 1825.[1]

On 23 February 1875, Sir Josiah Mason, the Birmingham industrialist and philanthropist, who made his fortune in making key rings, pens, pen nibs and electroplating, founded Mason Science College. It was this institution that would eventually form the nucleus of the University of Birmingham.

In 1882 Departments of Chemistry, Botany and Physiology were transferred to Mason Science College, soon followed by the Departments of Physics and Comparative Anatomy. The transfer of the Medical School to Mason Science College gave considerable impetus to the growing importance of that college and in 1896 a move to incorporate it as a university college was made. As the result of the Mason University College Act 1897 it became incorporated as Mason University College on 1 January 1898, with the Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain MP becoming the President of its Court of Governors.

It was largely due to Chamberlain's tireless enthusiasm that the university was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria on 24 March 1900. The Calthorpe family offered twenty-five acres (10 hectares) of land on the Bournbrook side of their estate in July. The Court of Governors received the Birmingham University Act 1900, which put the Royal Charter into effect, on 31 May.

The transfer of Mason University College to the new University of Birmingham, with Chamberlain as its first Chancellor and Sir Oliver Lodge as the first Principal, was complete. The University Charter of 1900 also included provision for a Faculty of Commerce, as was appropriate for a university itself founded by industrialists and based in a city with enormous business wealth. Consequently, the faculty, the first of its kind in Britain, was founded by Sir William Ashley in 1901, who from 1902 until 1923 served as first Professor of Commerce and Dean of the Faculty. In 1963, the University of Birmingham helped in the establishment of the faculty of medicine at the University of Rhodesia, now the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). UZ is now independent; however, student exchange programs persist.

Birmingham also supported the creation of Keele (formerly University College of North Staffordshire) and Warwick Universities under the Chancellorship of Aitken who acted as 'Godfather to the University of Warwick' (Ives, 2000, p.342). The initial plan was for a university college in Coventry attached to Birmingham but Aitken advised an independent initiative to the University Grants Committee (Ives, 2000, p.343).

[edit] University league tables

The University ranked 33rd out of 109 higher education institutions in The Times 2007 Good University Guide, and came 16th in The Guardian's 2006 rankings. It is ranked fifth nationally for Research Excellence.

Birmingham is rated equal 90th best university in the world in the Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (IHE-SJTU) Academic Ranking of World Universities 2006.[2] In October 2006, the University was also ranked equal 90th best in the world by The Times Higher Education Supplement.

Year	The Times Ranking	The Guardian Ranking
2007	33 / 109	16 / 122
2006	33 / 109	16 / 122
2005	23 / 119	29 / 122
2004	23 / 119	22 / 109

Year	World Ranking
2006	90 / 500
2005	98 / 500

The university's School of Biosciences and School of Sports and Exercise Sciences are ranked in the world's top ten in their respective fields. The Department of Political Science and International Studies is ranked 4th in the UK and 22nd in the world in the Hix rankings of political science departments.^[2]

[edit] Architecture of the university

The university's main campus occupies a site some 3 miles south-west of Birmingham city centre. The original 25 acre site was given to the university in 1900 by Lord Calthorpe. The original buildings on the Edgbaston site were built at the turn of the twentieth century. The original semi-circle of red-brick domed buildings form Chancellor's Court, at the centre of which stands the clock tower and which sit on a 30 ft (9.1m) drop so the original architects placed their buildings on two tiers with a 16 ft drop between them.

The grand buildings were an outcome of the £50,000 given by steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to establish a "first class modern scientific college" on the model of Cornell University in the United States.

Affectionately known as 'Old Joe', as it is dedicated to the university's first chancellor Joseph Chamberlain, the design of the clock tower draws its inspiration from the that of the Torre del Mangia, the medieval clock tower forming part of the Town Hall in Siena, Italy and is made from Accrington Red Brick. When it was built it was described as 'the intellectual beacon of the Midlands' by the Birmingham Post. The clock tower was Birmingham's tallest building from the date of its construction in 1908 until 1969 and is still the third highest in the city.

The campus has a wide diversity in architectural types and architects. "What makes Birmingham so exceptional among the Red Brick universities is the deployment of so many other major Modernist practices: only Oxford and Cambridge boast greater selections" (Foster, 2005, p.242-3).

The statue on horseback fronting the entrance to the university and Barber Institute is a 1722 statue of George I rescued from Dublin in 1937. This was saved by Bodkin, a director of the National Gallery of Ireland and first director of the Barber Institute. The statue was commissioned by the Dublin Corporation from the Flemish sculptor Van Nost (Ives, 2000, p.230).

[edit] Chancellors of the University

• 1st Rt Hon Joseph Chamberlain 1900-1914
• 2nd Rt Hon Robert Cecil 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood 1918-1944
• 3rd Rt Hon Sir Anthony Eden, Earl of Avon 1945-1973
• 4th Sir Peter Scott 1973-1983
• 5th Sir Alex Jarratt 1983-2002
• 6th Sir Dominic Cadbury 2002-present

[edit] Principal officers of the University

• The Chancellor of the University, the ceremonial figurehead, is Sir Dominic Cadbury.
• The Pro-Chancellor is Jim Glover.
• The Vice-Chancellor and Principal is Professor Michael Sterling.

[edit] Guild of Students

Main article: University of Birmingham Guild of Students

• The Birmingham University Guild of Students was the first purpose-built Students' Guild in the country when it was built in 1930 (architect Holland W. Hobbiss), and was a founding member of the National Union of Students.
• The Guild of Students has a radio station called burnfm.com which as of 2007 broadcasts via the Internet during term time in addition to twice yearly broadcasts on FM using Restricted Service Licences; a television station, GTV (Guild Television) and a weekly newspaper called Redbrick. A new literary magazine has been published this year called Birmingham University Literary Magazine.

[edit] University Sport Birmingham

The university has many successful sports teams and has been consistently ranked in the top three of the BUSA (British Universities Sport Association) league table.^[3] The recently re-branded University Sport Birmingham (USB) offers a wide range of competitive and participation sports, which is utilised by the student and local population of Birmingham.

Alongside fitness classes such as yoga and aerobics, USB offers over 40 different sport teams, including rowing, football, rugby, field hockey, American football, ice hockey (Birmingham Eagles), triathlon and many more. The wide selection has ensured the university has remained one of the country's most active and colourful campuses with over 2000 students participating in sport. The mens' football team currently plays in the Midland Combination Division One.

[edit] Off-campus establishments

• The School of Dentistry, in Birmingham City Centre.
• The Medical School, in Edgbaston.
• The Shakespeare Institute, in Stratford-upon-Avon.
• The Ironbridge Institute, in Telford.
• The Raymond Priestley Outdoor Pursuits Centre, near Coniston in the Lake District.
• University of Birmingham Foundation, USA

[edit] Other items of interest

[edit] The university:

• is a member of the Russell Group of Universities and a founder member of Universitas 21.
• hosted Edward Elgar as Professor of Music from 1905 to 1908.
• is home to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
• was the first civic and campus university in England.
• produces more medical doctors than any other university in Britain.
• has the oldest business school in England, Birmingham Business School.
• had the first commoner in 240 years, Joseph Chamberlain, to hold the post of Chancellor of a British university, and the first such chancellor ever not to have been a member of the Established Church.
• has a Botanic Garden; a 24,000 square metre Edwardian Arts and Crafts style garden on the university's Edgbaston campus.
• was where the cavity magnetron was developed by John Randall and Harry Boot. This was vital to the Allied victory in World War II.
• was where the Frisch-Peierls memorandum, a 1940 document which demonstrated that the atomic bomb was more than simply theoretically possible, was written.
• hosted early work on Gaseous diffusion in the Chemistry department when it was located in the Hills building. Many windows in the Aston Webb building overlooking the former fume cupboards were opaque from being attacked by hydrofluoric acid well into recent years.
• is the only one in Britain with its own railway station. University (Birmingham) railway station, situated on the main campus, is on the Cross-City Line.
• The MSc programme in Geotechnical Engineering has been run annually (formerly under the title of 'Foundation Engineering') at the University of Birmingham since 1956 and it was the first geotechnical post-graduate school in England.
• The university's International Volunteering Society, Intervol, is one of the largest such groups in the country and sends around one hundred volunteers to eight countries in four continents each year.

[edit] Appearances in film and television

The university campus has been used as a filming location for a number of film and television productions, particularly those of the BBC which has a presence at the university's Selly Oak campus, the BBC Drama Village. Scenes from the John Cleese film Clockwise were filmed at the campus' east entrance, while several episodes of the BBC detective series Dalziel and Pascoe,^[4] daytime soap Doctors^[5] and CBBC series Brum have been filmed in and around campus. Interior and exterior scenes for a BBC adaptation of Birmingham alumnus David Lodge's novel Nice Work and BBC comedy drama A Very Peculiar Practice were also shot in and around the University campus and halls of residence.^[6] A trailer for the BBCs Red Nose Day 2007, featuring Lou and Andy from Little Britain, was filmed near the School of Biosciences.[3]

[edit] Facts about "Old Joe", the Chamberlain Tower:

Main article: Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower

• The four clock faces are each 17 ft 3 in. in diameter.
• The minute hands are 13 ft 6 in. long.
• At its widest part, the hour hand is 2 ft. across.
• The hands are made out of sheet copper.
• The frame is made of one solid casting and weighs half a ton.
• The pendulum is 15 ft. long.
• The largest of the four hour bells weighs 6.5 tons.
• The whole weight of the clock and bells exceeds 20 tons.
• The tower is 100 m tall and remains one of the tallest buildings in Birmingham and one of the top 50 tallest in the UK.[4]

[edit] Branding

In 2005 the University began rebranding itself as a less conservative institution, changing the logo from the simplified crest introduced in the 1980s to a more detailed design based on the crest as it appears on the University's original Royal Charter. Variations on this crest also feature in much of the original architecture on campus, including the ceiling of the Great Hall.

As it stands, the university now has two logos to represent a dual image. After a £320,000 research project into the image of the university, it was decided that the university was viewed as an older institution by companies and potential investors and as such an updated image was required to redefine the university as being modern and up-to-date. The marketing brand makes use of the letters U and B to bracket key words and achievements associated with the University. A new "word marque", using the Baskerville font in honour of the Birmingham printer John Baskerville, is used as the primary logo when trying to attract both prospective investors and students. It also features on all university vehicles. The crest, revised to more closely resemble that on the original university charter, appears on degree certificates and academic documents. The seating in the Great Hall has also been replaced with chairs embroidered with the new crest. The introduction of new signage throughout the campus (featuring the revised crest rather than the "U and B" logo) was completed at the end of 2006. The rebranding was not well received by many students and members of staff at the university, there having been little or no consultation prior to its introduction.[5]

[edit] Alumni

See also: Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham

[edit] Nobel Prize recipients

• Francis Aston FRS - chemist and physicist: 1922 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Maurice Wilkins CBE FRS - physicist: 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (discovery of DNA)
• Sir John Vane FRS - pharmacologist and: 1982 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Sir Paul Nurse FRS - biochemist: 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Sir Joseph Adams - botanist: 1927 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

[edit] Writers and Artists

• Professor Walter Allen - novelist and literary critic
• James Clavell - novelist and screenwriter
• Roy Fisher - poet
• Dr David Lodge - novelist
• Dr C. J. Sansom - crime novelist
• William P. McGivern - crime novelist and scriptwriter
• Henry Treece - poet and novelist
• Francis Brett Young - novelist and poet

[edit] Politicians

• Neville Chamberlain - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1937-1940
• The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe MP - former government minister
• Dr Kenny Anthony - Prime Minister of St. Lucia
• The Rt Hon Baroness Amos - first black woman to sit in the British Cabinet
• The Rt Hon Hilary Armstrong MP - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Dr Richard Hu - former Singapore Minister of Finance
• John Butcher - former MP
• Patrick Hall MP - politician

[edit] Armed Forces

• General Sir Mike Jackson KCB CBE - Chief of the General Staff, the most senior officer in the British Army
• Captain Adrian Nance OBE - Commanding Officer, HMS Ark Royal

[edit] Media and journalism

• Professor Michael Aston - TV archaeologist (as "Mick Aston")
• Alex Deakin - BBC weatherman
• Philippa Forrester - TV presenter
• Dom Leach - TV chef
• Lizo Mzimba - journalist, TV presenter and former editor of Redbrick^[7]

• Fiona Philips - GMTV presenter
• Ben Shephard - TV presenter
• Glenn Stiemens - computer game developer
• Chris Tarrant OBE - TV presenter
• Victoria Wood OBE - comedian

[edit] Actors/Directors

• Madeleine Carroll - actress
• Tim Curry - actor and musician
• Matthew Goode - actor
• Norman Painting - actor ("Phil Archer" in radio series The Archers)
• Tamsin Greig - actress (star of Green Wing, Black Books and Love Soup, "Debbie Aldridge" in The Archers), studied drama and theatre arts
• Jane Wymark - actress, studied drama and theatre arts
• Lex Bazin - leading adult film director
• Dale Kedwards - head of RSC Local Division 2003-2006

[edit] Musicians

• Simon Le Bon - lead singer of Duran Duran
• Neil Arthur - lead singer and guitarist of the synthpop group Blancmange
• Ayalah Bentovim, a.k.a Sister Bliss - founder member of the band Faithless
• Spencer Davis - 1960s pop star
• James Daly - 26th Member of So Solid Crew (left before record deal)

[edit] Entrepreneurs and business

• John C. Plant - president, CEO & majority shareholder, TRW
• Tony Hayward - chief executive designate at BP
• Dr Adam Osborne - founder of the Osborne Computer Corporation

[edit] Law and order

• Sir Michael Davies - one of the first judges to specifically handle defamation cases
• Professor David Pearl - lawyer and member of the judicial appointments commission

[edit] Sport

• Jay Benani - Indian Test Cricketer and former Captain
• Lisa Clayton - first British woman to sail single-handed around the world
• Allison Curbishley - Olympic 400 m athlete
• Tom Richards - Cardiff City Footballer

[edit] Academia

• Sir Marcus Oliphant FRS - played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb and radar
• Dr Harry Boot - co-developer of the war-winning cavity magnetron
• Dr Desmond Morris - zoologist
• Sir Ernest Titterton - nuclear physicist involved in the development of the atomic bomb
• Professor Stanley Wells - Shakespearean scholar, editor of the Oxford Shakespeare
• Dr Robert Beckford - leading UK theologian, academic, and film-maker
• Professor Margaret Mullett OBE - Professor of Byzantine studies and director of the Institute of Byzantine Studies at the Queen's University of Belfast

[edit] Others

• Professor Sir Liam Donaldson - Chief Medical officer for England
• Dr David Kelly CMG - UN weapons inspector
• Dr Rodolfo Neri Vela - Mexican astronaut
• Chen Liangyu - CPC Shanghai Committee Secretary

[edit] Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06. Higher Education Statistics Agency online statistics. Retrieved on March 31, 2007.
2. ^ Simon Hix, A global ranking of political science departments, Political Studies Review 2(3), pp. 293-313
3. ^ The BUSA Championship Results 2005/2006 (July 6, 2006) BUSA
4. ^ Buzz Issue 34 vol.3 November 2003. University of Birmingham. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
5. ^ Buzz Issue 35 vol.3 November 2003 Mid-month edition. University of Birmingham. Retrieved on February 24, 2007.
6. ^ A Very Peculiar Practice. BBC. Retrieved on February 15, 2007.
7. ^ http://www.uchian.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gtv.html

[edit] References

• Foster, A. (2005). Birmingham (Pevsner Architectural Guides). London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10731-5. 
• Ives, E. (2000). The First Civic University: Birmingham, 1880–1980 – An Introductory History. Birmingham: University of Birmingham Press. ISBN 1-902459-07-5. 
• The University of Birmingham Yearbook 2002–2003. 

[edit] External links

[edit] University administration, schools and departments

[edit] Administration

• University of Birmingham
• University of Birmingham Foundation

[edit] Schools and departments

• Schools and departments index
• Aggressive Research Intelligence Facility (ARIF)
• Alta Bioscience
• Barber Institute of Fine Arts
• Centre of West African Studies (CWAS)
• Civil Engineering
• Department of American and Canadian Studies
• Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity
• Institute of Local Government Studies
• School of Law
  • Institutes
  • Institute of European Law
  • Institute of Judicial Administration
  • Institute of Medical Law
• Medical School
  • Divisions
  • Division of Cancer Studies
  • Division of Immunity and Infection
  • Division of Medical Sciences
  • Division of Neuroscience
  • Division of Primary Care, Public and Occupational Health
  • Division of Reproductive and Child Health
  • Centres
  • Centre for Applied Gerontology
  • Centre for Cardiovascular Studies
  • Centre for the History of Medicine
• University Sport Birmingham

[edit] Student activities

• Birmingham University Guild of Students (BUGS)
• Birmingham University Labour Students
• Burn FM – The Student Radio Station
• International Volunteering Society
• Postgraduate and Mature Students Association
• Redbrick – student newspaper
• The Radish – alternative paper and unofficial messageboard of the University of Birmingham
• Singapore Students' Society
• University of Birmingham Debating Society

[edit] Other links

• Aerial photograph of the University from Google Maps
• Silke, Andrew. "UB or Not UB?", bbc.co.uk, 2005-06-07. Retrieved on March 4, 2007. (Rebranding of the University.)

Buildings in Birmingham, England  Highrise (In height order): BT Tower | Beetham Tower | Chamberlain Clock Tower | Alpha Tower | Orion Building | The Rotunda | NatWest Tower | Five Ways Tower | Centre City Tower | Hyatt Regency Hotel | 1 Snow Hill Plaza | Quayside Tower | Colmore Gate | The McLaren Building | Metropolitan House | Edgbaston House | Post & Mail Building | Jury's Inn Birmingham   Notable lowrise: 1-7 Constitution Hill | 17 & 19 Newhall Street | Birmingham Assay Office | Baskerville House | Central Library | Council House | Curzon Street railway station | Great Western Arcade | ICC | The Mailbox | Methodist Central Hall | Millennium Point | The Old Crown | Paradise Forum | Birmingham Proof House | Sarehole Mill | Symphony Hall | Town Hall | Victoria Law Courts   Major railway stations: Moor Street station | New Street station | Snow Hill station    Major complexes: Brindleyplace | Bull Ring, Birmingham | Pallasades Shopping Centre    Sports venues: Alexander Stadium | Edgbaston Cricket Ground | NIA | St. Andrews | Villa Park    Lists of buildings: List of tallest buildings and structures in Birmingham | List of Birmingham board schools | Listed buildings in Birmingham

Coordinates: 52°27′1.82″N, 1°55′50.16″W