University of Leeds

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University of Leeds
Parkinson Building
Motto	et augebitur scientia (and knowledge will be increased)
Established	1831 - Leeds School of Medicine 1887 - Part of Victoria University 1904 - Royal charter granted
Type	Public
Chancellor	Melvyn Bragg, Lord Bragg of Wigton
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Michael Arthur
Staff	7,581 [1]
Students	33,920 [2]
Undergraduates	25,020 [2]
Postgraduates	8,900 [2]
Location	Leeds, England
Turnover	£345 million (GBP) [1]
Colours	Green,       Red,       Black and       Beige [3]
Affiliations	Russell Group, WUN, Yorkshire Universities, White Rose Consortium, N8 Group
Website	www.leeds.ac.uk

The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire; one of the largest in the United Kingdom with over 32,000 full-time students. It is a member of the Russell Group and is ranked in the top ten of UK universities for market share of research funding. Established in 1904, it is one of the six original civic universities, and in 2005 it was ranked second for the number of applications received.^[4]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins 1.2 Victoria University and royal charter 1.3 Present day 2 Campus 2.1 Location 2.2 Facilities 2.3 Accommodation 3 Organisation 3.1 Faculties 3.2 Governance 3.3 Chancellor 3.4 Vice-Chancellor 4 Notable people 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

The University's history is linked to the development of Leeds as an international centre for the textile industry and clothing manufacture in the Victorian era. Its roots stretch back to the early nineteenth century and it was one of six civic universities in industrial cities given royal charters at the beginning of the twentieth century. Prior to this wave of expansion in higher education, only four universities - Oxford, Cambridge, London and Durham - were established in England.

[edit] Origins

In 1831, the Leeds School of Medicine was set up, serving the needs of the five medical institutions that had sprung up in the city. Then in 1874, the School was joined by the Yorkshire College of Science, intended to provide education for the children of middle-class industrialists and merchants. Financial support from local industry was crucial (there is a Clothworkers' Court at the University to this day).

The College of Science was modelled on Owens College, Manchester, established in 1851 as a non-sectarian alternative to Oxford and Cambridge, where religious tests were applied and those outside the Church of England were not allowed to receive degrees or were barred from entry outright. Owens College, like the earlier University College London, applied no such tests and was open to Protestant Dissenters, Catholics and Jews.

While religious tests for students at Oxford and Cambridge ceased in the 1850s, northern colleges continued to promote themselves as offering a distinct type of teaching. They took pride in the progressive and practical nature of their scientific education; a field in which the ancient universities, with their focus on theological study, were felt to lag behind.

The Yorkshire College of Science began by teaching experimental physics, mathematics, geology, mining, chemistry and biology, and soon became well known as an international centre for the study of engineering and textile technology. When classics, modern literature and history went on offer a few years later, the Yorkshire College of Science became the Yorkshire College. In 1887, the College merged with the School of Medicine.

[edit] Victoria University and royal charter

Leeds was given its first university the following year when the Yorkshire College joined the federal Victoria University, which had begun life when Owens College was awarded a royal charter in 1880. Leeds now found itself in an educational union with close social cousins from Manchester and Liverpool.

Unlike Owens College, the Leeds section of the Victoria University had never barred women from its courses. However, it was not until special facilities were provided at the Day Training College in 1896 that women enrolled in significant numbers. The first female student to begin a course here was Lilias Annie Clark, who studied Modern Literature and Education.

The Victoria University was short-lived. Manchester and Liverpool were keen to establish independent universities, unhappy with the practical difficulties posed by maintaining a federal arrangement across broad distances. The University of Leeds was granted a royal charter as an independent body by King Edward VII in 1904.

[edit] Present day

Leeds is a leading research institution, and a member of the Russell Group of Universities. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise - that of 2001 - the University was placed seventh nationally for the number of top scoring researchers and eighth for 'research power' out of 173 institutions taking part in the exercise. Just under 800 researchers at the University were given ratings of 5* or 5, meaning that 70 per cent of the University's researchers were working at the highest level on projects of international importance. The University received the highest 5* grade, denoting work at the forefront of international research, in six subjects: Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, English, Town and Country Planning, Food Science, and Italian. ^[5]

The University is committed to working with the private sector and invests heavily in realising the commercial potential of its academic developments. Leeds attracts the highest level of industrial funding of any university in the UK.

The University’s educational partnerships have included providing formal accreditation of degree awards to Leeds Trinity & All Saints, although this is now establishing itself as a university in its own right.

Leeds was ranked 9th in the top ten UK universities by research income (2003/04) with £107.7m.^{[citation needed]}

In the Times Higher Education Supplement Rankings 2006, Leeds was placed 19th in the UK, 50th in Europe and 121st in the world. For Arts and Humanities subjects it was ranked 55th in the world.

The University has an excellent reputation for teaching and provides a wide range of courses for students. The Times Good University Guide 2005 ranked the University top in dentistry, sixth in English and fourth in communication and media compared to other UK universities. ^[6]

During the 2005-2006 academic year, over 32,000 students were attached to 700 different first-degree programmes and 474 postgraduate degree programmes. Additionally, over 32,000 people were enrolled on short courses.^[1] It has also developed expertise in more distinctive and rare specialist areas such as colour chemistry, fire science and aviation technology with pilot studies.

In December 2004, financial pressures forced the University's governing body (the Council) to decide to close the Bretton campus (along with the University's other satellite site in Wakefield). Activities currently at Bretton will be moved to the main University campus in the summer of 2007 (allowing all current Bretton-based students to complete their studies there). There has been substantial opposition to the closure by the Bretton students.

In May 2006, the University began a process of re-branding itself to bring together its visual identity to produce one consistent look. A new logo was produced (shown above), based on that used during the centenary celebrations in 2004, to replace the combined use of the modified University Crest and the green and red logo containing the Parkinson Building (used since 2004). The University Crest will still be used in its original form for ceremonial purposes only. Individual department and service logos are also being phased out. Four university colours were also specified, being green (Pantone 3435), red (Pantone 187), black (Pantone Black) and beige (Pantone 9060).^[7] It is intended for the re-branding to be complete by October 2007.

[edit] Campus

[edit] Location

The main campus is located 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the city centre of Leeds. It is within walking distance for both the city centre and Headingley, a popular residential area for students. The main entrance to the campus for visitors by car is on Woodhouse Lane (A660), near the Parkinson Building (also known as University tower).

In addition to the main campus, there are also satellite locations at Wakefield and Bretton Hall in West Bretton. The Bretton Hall site will close in summer 2007, with the department moving to a new building on the main campus.

[edit] Facilities

The University Library is spread over six locations and holds, in total, 2.78 million books, 9,500 print and electronic journals, 850 databases and 6,000 electronic books.^[8] The main arts, social sciences and law library is the Brotherton Library, located in the Parkinson Building. The main science, engineering and student library is the Edward Boyle Library, located in the centre of the campus. Medicine, dentistry and healthcare students are served by the Health Sciences Library, located in the Worsley building, and there is also a library at St James's University Hospital. There are also libraries located on the Bretton Hall and Wakefield campuses.

There are 9,000 personal computers^[1] available across the campus along with 150 Sun computers and servers, 8 high performance Sun servers and 256 supercomputers. There are 29 centrally-managed computer clusters of varying sizes spread across the different sites, along with others managed by specific departments. Five of these clusters are available 24 hours a day.

The University has 1,230 acres (498 ha) of land, with the main campus taking up 98 acres (40 ha).^[1]

The University's student union, Leeds University Union, includes numerous shops and bars and an award-winning nightclub, and is one of the largest student union operations in the UK.

The University's Muslim Prayer Room is located in the Conference Auditorium building next to the Sports Hall and able to accommodate up to 300 people at any one time. The prayer room has undergone recent refurbishment after half a million pounds was allocated towards its development with joint efforts between Leeds University Union's Islamic Society, John Schless and the Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Arthur.

[edit] Accommodation

There is accommodation provided in either catered or self-catered rooms, mostly reserved for first year undergraduate students but also for international students, postgraduates, staff and undergraduates who have been unable to find alternative accommodation.

Self Catered Bodington Hall Carr Mills Clarence Dock Devonshire Hall Henry Price Building James Baillie Park Leodis Residences Lupton Residences Montague Burton Residences North Hill Court Oxley Residences Sentinel Towers Shimmin St Marks Residences Tetley Hall

Catered Bodington Hall Charles Morris Hall Devonshire Hall Ellerslie Hall Lyddon Hall

[edit] Organisation

[edit] Faculties

The various schools, institutes and centres of the University are arranged into nine faculties, each with a dean, pro-deans and central functions:

• Arts
• Biological Sciences
• Business
• Education, Social Sciences and Law
• Engineering
• Environment
• Mathematics and Physical Sciences
• Medicine and Health
• Performance, Visual Arts and Communication

[edit] Governance

The Court serves as a mechanism for the University’s accountability to the wider community and to stakeholders, making sure that the University is well managed, properly governed and responsive to public and local interests and concerns. It is made up of mainly lay members.

The Council is the governing body of the University, constituting of mainly lay members along with representatives of staff and students. It is responsible for the proper management and financial solvency of the University, with major policy decisions and corporate strategy being subject to its approval.

The Senate is the principal academic authority of the University. It oversees academic management and sets strategy and priorities, including the curriculum and maintenance of standards.

[edit] Chancellor

The Chancellor of the University acts as a ceremonial figurehead and sits on the University Court. The current Chancellor is Melvyn Bragg, Lord Bragg of Wigton.

• 1904–1909 — George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon
• 1909–1938 — Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
• 1938–1950 — Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire
• 1951–1965 — Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
• 1966–1999 — Katharine, The Duchess of Kent
• 1999–present — Melvyn Bragg, Lord Bragg of Wigton

[edit] Vice-Chancellor

The Vice-Chancellor of the University acts as the chief executive. The current Vice-Chancellor is Professor Michael Arthur, who was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences at the University of Southampton. A number of former Vice-Chancellors have had buildings on the campus named after them.

• 1904–1910 — Sir Nathan Bodington
• 1911–1923 — Sir Michael Ernest Sadler
• 1924–1938 — Sir James Black Baillie
• 1938–1948 — Bernard Mouat Jones
• 1948–1963 — Sir Charles Morris, Baron Morris of Grasmere
• 1963–1970 — Sir Roger Stevens
• 1970–1981 — Edward Boyle, Lord Boyle of Handsworth
• 1981–1983 — Professor William Walsh (Acting Vice-Chancellor)
• 1983–1991 — Sir Edward W. Parkes
• 1991–2004 — Professor Sir Alan G. Wilson
• 2004-present — Professor Michael Arthur

[edit] Notable people

Main article: List of University of Leeds people

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• University of Leeds website
• About the University
• University re-brand
• University centenary website
• Leeds University Union website
• Unipol Student Homes website
• Leeds student life - BBC website
• The Refectory venue guide & gig listings