Leeds Metropolitan University

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Leeds Metropolitan University
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Leeds Metropolitan University

Leeds Metropolitan University is a university with campuses in Leeds and Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. It came into existence as a chartered university in 1992; prior to this date it was known as Leeds Polytechnic. As of May 2006, the overall number of students at the University is officially given as 'over 52,000'.

Professor Simon Lee is the Vice-Chancellor of the university. On July 11th 2005 Brendan Foster took over as Chancellor from Leslie Silver OBE, the former Leeds United chairman. The university recently opened a multi-million pound Learning Centre building named in honour of Leslie Silver.

In 2004 the university announced that it would not charge the full rate of £3000 per year (a figure of £2000 was announced instead) for tuition fees from September 2006, unlike most other universities in England.

In November 2006, the University won the award for the 'outstanding contribution to the local community' at the annual higher education awards ceremony hosted by the Times Higher Education Supplement. It also came second in the main category, 'the University of the Year', which was won by the University of Nottingham. In this category, the University was highly commended for its 'low-charging, high impact' strategy.

Contents

[edit] History

Leeds Polytechnic was formed in 1970 from the amalgamation of four colleges. These were:

  • Leeds College of Technology. This was originally founded in 1824 as Leeds Mechanics' Institute and in 1868 became the Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature, later renamed Leeds College of Technology. There is now also a separate Leeds College of Technology.
  • Leeds College of Commerce (founded in 1845)
  • Part of Leeds College of Art (founded in 1846), the remaining part becoming Jacob Kramer College
  • Yorkshire College of Education and Home Economics, originally founded in 1874 as the Yorkshire Training School of Cookery.

In the early 1950s the four colleges were housed on a central site and in 1970 were merged to form Leeds Polytechnic. In 1976 James Graham College and the City Of Leeds and Carnegie College of Physical Education joined Leeds Polytechnic.

The City of Leeds and Carnegie College had itself been formed when two institutions were merged in 1968:

  • City of Leeds College of Education (founded in 1907 as City of Leeds Training College)
  • Carnegie Physical Training College (founded in 1933)

In 1998 a merger with Harrogate College established the Harrogate campus.


[edit] Campus locations

The University occupies the following campus locations:

[edit] Civic Quarter

This comprises an expanding number of locations within the Leeds City Centre. In addition to the former Polytechnic site, several 'classic' buildings have recently been acquired. These include: Cloth Hall Court, in the legal district of the city; Old Broadcasting House, the former home of the BBC in Leeds; Electric Press, a building on Millennium Sqaure;Old School Board, the birthplace of school education in Leeds. The University also plans to erect a new building alongside the Civic Hall which will feature a 'rose bowl' in its design.

[edit] Headingley Campus

This is a one-hundred acre campus sited in the beautiful surroundings of Beckett Park, Headingley. The oldest property on this site is the Grange. In 2006, the Campus extended beyond the confines of Beckett Park to include the Carnegie Stand at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium. This dual-purpose stand can accommodate more than 4,500 spectators whilst also providing twelve teaching rooms and a room with the capacity of 300. There is parking for 170 vehicles at Headingley Campus. However, from January 2007, there will be a pay and display/permits system implemented.

[edit] Regional University Network

This is a network of colleges that have entered partnership with the University to provide access to some of its courses around the region and beyond. The following are members of the RUN:

Belfast Institute of FE and HE; Bradford College; Calderdale College; Chesterfield College; Dewsbury College; Grimsby Institute of FE and HE; Leeds College of Building; Leeds College of Technology; Leeds Thomas Danby College; Newcastle College; Park Lane College; Wakefield College; West Nottinghamshire College; York College

[edit] Partnerships

The University has established a number of cultural and sporting partnerships in the region. These include:

[edit] Sporting

[edit] Cultural

[edit] The Student Wiki

In 2006, students and staff from the University developed The Student Wiki, a new source of knowledge about student life.

[edit] External links

Universities in Yorkshire and the Humber

Bradford | Huddersfield | Hull | Leeds | Leeds Metropolitan | Sheffield | Sheffield Hallam | York | York St John
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