University of Bath

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

University of Bath


Motto	Generatim discite cultus "Learn each field of study according to its kind".
Established	1966
Type	Public
Chancellor	Lord Tugendhat
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Glynis Breakwell
Students	14,565^[1]
Undergraduates	9,775 ^[1]
Postgraduates	4,790 ^[1]
Location	Bath, England
Affiliations	1994 Group
Website	http://www.bath.ac.uk/

The University of Bath is a campus university located near Bath, England. It received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it one of the newest "traditional" universities in the United Kingdom. Despite being young, the University of Bath is recognised as one of the United Kingdom's top universities, ranking consistently within the top twenty universities in university league tables published by various newspapers. Bath is currently ranked as the UK's 9th best university overall in both the Guardian [1] and Times [2] university league tables published in May-June 2006, up from 12th place in the 2005 tables.

1 History
2 Campus and facilities
- 2.1 Oakfield campus
3 Academics and courses
4 Admissions and students
5 Housing and transport
6 Sports and recreation
7 Future expansion
8 Notable alumni
9 References
10 See also
11 External links

[edit] History

Despite being granted university status only forty years ago, the University of Bath can trace its roots to a technical school established in Bristol 100 years earlier, the Bristol Trade School of 1856. In 1885, the school became part of the Society of Merchant Venturers, and was renamed the Merchant Venturers' Technical College. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring city of Bath, a pharmaceutical school, the Bath School of Pharmacy was founded in 1907. This became part of the Technical College in 1929.

In 1949, the College under the control of the Bristol Education Authority and was renamed the Bristol College of Technology; which was subsequently changed again in 1960 to the Bristol College of Science and Technology when it became one of ten technical colleges under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education. The college was mainly housed in the former Muller's Orphanage at Ashley Down, Bristol, which now houses part of the City of Bristol College.

University of Bath (Claverton Down Campus)

In 1963, the government completed an inquiry into the state of Higher Education in the United Kingdom. This was known as the Robbins Committee report. It was this report that paved the way for the College (along with a number of other institutions) to assume University status.

Although the grounds of Kingsweston House were briefly considered, the City of Bristol, was unable to offer the growing College a suitable site. Following discussions between the College Principal and the Director of Education in Bath, an agreement was reached to provide the College with a new home in Claverton Down, Bath; on a greenfield site overlooking the city of Bath.

Construction of a purpose-built campus in Bath began in earnest in 1964, with the first building, now known as 1 South completed in 1965, and the Royal Charter was granted in 1966. Over the subsequent decade, new buildings were added as the campus took shape. A campus in Oakfield, Swindon, was opened in 2000.

In November 1966, the first degree ceremony was held at the Assembly Rooms in Bath.

Recent discoveries from city records reveal that there were plans in the 19th Century to build a College of Oxford University on the very same site, which would have resulted in a University of a very different character. Such plans, however, did not come to fruition.

[edit] Campus and facilities

The Parade, a central pedestrian thoroughfare connecting most academic blocks

The University's main campus is located on Claverton Down, two kilometres from the Unesco World Heritage City of Bath. The campus is compact, it is possible to walk from one end to the other in fifteen minutes.

Architectural plans of the University show that the design involved the separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, with road traffic on the ground floors and pedestrians on a raised central thoroughfare, known as the Parade. Buildings would line the parade and student residences built on tower blocks rising from the central thoroughfare.

Such plans were mostly adhered to. At the centre of the campus is the Library and Learning Centre, a 24/7 facility offering computing services, information and research assistance as well as books and journals. A number of outlets including restaurants, bars and fast-food outlets; plus two banks, a union shop, a book shop, hairdresser, insurance company, a small supermarket and an oriental supermarket; as well as academic blocks, housed around the parade. Buildings are named based on their location relative to the Library: 1 East, 2 East and so forth based on their distance from the Library and the same applies to the south and west.

Buildings, like many so-called plate glass universities, were constructed in a functional, modernistic style using concrete; although such designs were later derided for lacking the charm of the Victorian Red-Brick Universities or the Ancient and Medieval universities. In the City of Bath, there is a particular contrast between the concrete campus and the Georgian style architecture of the World Heritage City of Bath.

Buildings along the east-west axis are mostly along the parade, although later additions such as 7 West, 9 West and 8 East no longer follow this rule and are accessible on the ground level instead. Buildings on the south of the campus, 1 South to 4 South are accessible via roads and pedestrian walkways by the University lake and gardens.

The eastern part of the campus is dominated by the Sports Training Village, built originally in 1992 and enhanced in 2003 with a significant new extension.

The northern perimeter of the University is bounded by students residences including Westwood, Eastwood and Solsbury and Marlborough courts. The original plan for students to be housed in tower blocks above the parade did not materialise, except for Norwood House. The second tower block, Wessex House now hosts a number of offices rather than residences.

The university also owns a number of buildings in the City of Bath, mostly student residences dotted around town; although Carpenter House is also home to a life-long learning centre and a business incubation facility, the Innovation Centre.

Today, major campus works continues, notably the completion of the new building 3 West North in 2005 and the reconstruction of a major building on campus, 4 West.

[edit] Oakfield campus

The University's Oakfield campus is based in Swindon offers a range of full-, part-time and community courses. A conference centre and small business and innovation centres were opened in 2005.^[2]

[edit] Academics and courses

The University's major academic strengths were traditionally the physical sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology. Today, the University is strong in management, humanities and the social sciences. Courses place a big emphasis on vocational education; with many industry links, the University offers and recommends students to take a one-year industry placement in the penultimate year of the course. In many subjects, opportunities for overseas placements or exchange also exist.

According to the latest government assessments, Bath has 14 subjects rated 'excellent' (the highest on the scale). These are: Business & Management (AMBA accredited); Architecture & Civil Engineering; Economics; Mechanical Engineering (IMechE accredited); Mathematics, Statistics and Operational research; Education; Molecular Biosciences; Biosciences; Pharmacology and Pharmacy; Physics and Astronomy; Politics; Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, Sport and Tourism; Social Policy and Administration. ([3]).

University of Bath Parade at Night (Claverton Down Campus)

[edit] Admissions and students

As one of the top universities in the United Kingdom, admissions generally require top grades at A-Level and are extremely competitive, with some ten applications for each place. [4]

The university has grown rapidly, particularly in the last few years. As of December 2005, some 12,484 students are studying at the university; of which some 9,321 (76%) are undergraduates (full-time and part-time) and some 2,914 (24%) are postgraduates. The remaining 249 are either visiting students or staff also registered as students.

Over 20% of students are international students, reflecting the university's strong reputation, with the largest number coming from China (including Hong Kong), Greece and Germany. [5]

[edit] Housing and transport

Most students in the first year live in one of the 3,000 single study bedrooms on campus. In subsequent years, students generally live in town in privately owned shared student houses; although a number may be offered excess rooms off-campus. Postgraduate students have the opportunity to choose between numerous postgraduate campus residences and off-campus residences.

Although the campus is located on top of a steep hill, buses operated by First Cityline between town and campus are frequent, running at a 20 minute interval during off-peak hours, and every 6 minutes during peak times. There is also an hourly circular service to the smaller suburbs of Bath.

[edit] Sports and recreation

[edit] Sports and TeamBath

Main article: TeamBath

TeamBath Logo

The University is host to Team Bath F.C. as well as some of the UK's top Olympic athletes through TeamBath, the university's family of sports. It has one of the best sports facilities in a United Kingdom University [6]. Facilities are spread over three main sites: two on the Claverton Down campus, known as the Founder's Hall and Sports Training Village (which also hosts the English Institute of Sport for South West England) and also at the Sulis Club, a short distance from the Claverton Down campus.

Facilities at the University include a fitness suite, four squash courts, a 25-metre indoor swimming pool and a 50-metre indoor swimming pool, indoor (110m) and outdoor (400m) athletics track, multi-purpose sport halls (including basketball, netball and badminton courts), eight-court indoor tennis hall, a judo/karate/jitsu dojo, and various suites catering for sports science and sports medicine needs[7]. A number of outdoor synthetic and natural pitches and grounds cater for football, rugby and lacrosse; while the Sulis Club hosts the University's American football team, the Bath Killer Bees.

An outdoor climbing wall at the University

[edit] Societies

The University has an active Students' Union with over 100 different active clubs and societies including sports clubs, cultural, arts, interest and faith societies:

Bath Area Rag collects money for local and national charities by running events to bring the town and student communities closer.
The Arts Union offers students the opportunity to prepare and perform plays and other shows to audiences both on campus and in the town, with technical support provided by the Backstage society.
The Students' Union is well represented by various faith groups including Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Jewish, and other groups.
Bath University Guides and Scouts (BUGS) is the university's SSAGO unit. It provides outdoor activities for students, and also helps with scouting and guiding in the community.

[edit] Student media

The University is home to three student media outlets: a bi-weekly student newspaper, Bath Impact; a radio station, 1449AM URB; and a television station, Campus TV. Campus Television exists mainly to provide an information and entertainment network for the students of the University.

Alongside broadcast output, CTV also supply services to students themselves. Amongst other things, CTV can provide filming of plays, musicals, concerts and other events, as well as video conversion facilities and a video to still service.

[edit] Future expansion

Claverton Down

The University continues to upgrade its Claverton Down campus with major new teaching blocks opening every other year. A proposal to move the boundary of the greenbelt from where it crosses the campus to its edge, to facilitate further development, is to be considered by the local council following a public inquiry.
In July 2005, building 3 West North (officially opened on 27 October) was completed.
The deconstruction of the asbestos-contaminated 4 West was completed in mid-2005, and the new 4 West building is currently in late-planning stages and construction is expected to start in 2007.
The ICIA Arts Complex is planning to expand by adding a new building adjacent to the current theatre. It is hoped to start work in 2008.
Due to be completed by summer 2008 is the new R5 building. This student accommodation is expected to house 355 students [8]. The design has been awarded an excellent rating for environmental performance by BREEAM. ^[3]

Swindon

Under the Gateway Project the University had planned to build a major new campus next to the Great Western Hospital and the Coate Water nature reserve. The project had met opposition from environmentalists and locals^[4] but had met with Government approval^[5] . The University withdrew from the project in March 2007 citing "prevailing planning and funding conditions".^[6]