University of Lincoln
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- This page is about the British university. For the similarly named institutions in New Zealand and the USA, see Lincoln University.
| University of Lincoln | |
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| Motto | Excellentia per studium "Excellence through study." |
| Established | 1861 (Hull School of Art); 1992 (University of Humberside) |
| Chancellor | Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll |
| Vice-Chancellor | Professor David Chiddick |
| Location | Lincolnshire & Hull, United Kingdom |
| Students | 9,700 total (700 graduate) |
| Member of | East Midlands Universities Association, LiSN, Yorkshire Universities |
| Homepage | http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/ |
The University of Lincoln is one of the newest universities in the United Kingdom, founded in its current form in 2001, but with its roots in the nineteenth-century Hull School of Art.
It is located primarily in the city of Lincoln but also has campuses in Riseholme, Holbeach and Hull, plus a small research centre in Mansfield. Its corporate logo is the head of the Roman goddess Minerva.
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[edit] Origins as the University of Humberside
The University of Lincoln started out as the University of Humberside, which was a university created in 1992 from Humberside Polytechnic.
The University of Humberside had roots going back to the 19th century. These can be traced back to a number of higher educational institutions in Hull including the Hull School of Art (1861), the Hull Technical Institute (1893), Endsleigh Training College (1905) and the Hull Central College of Commerce (1930).
All these higher educational institutions not associated with the University of Hull were merged in 1976 to form the Hull College of Higher Education. In 1983 this institution became the Humberside College of Higher Education (HCHE) when it absorbed several courses in fishing, food and manufacturing which were running in Grimsby. HCHE gained polytechnic status in 1990, and then in 1992 became one of the many polytechnics in the UK to become full universities.
[edit] Recent history
Despite being an ancient cathedral city, Lincoln had been without its own university well into the 1990s. At last in 1993 a project company was founded to build a full university campus on disused industrial land at the southwest end of Lincoln's city centre. This was to be combined with the existing University of Humberside to form a new University of Lincolnshire and Humberside.
In 1996 when the new, modern campus beside Lincoln's Brayford Pool was opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II, it was both the most recently-created University in the UK and yet an institution with a 130-year history of education in the wider region.
Higher education in Lincoln was consolidated in 2001 when the University acquired Leicester-based De Montfort University's schools in Lincolnshire: the Lincoln School of Art and Design in uphill Lincoln, and the Lincolnshire School of Agriculture's sites at Riseholme, Caythorpe and Holbeach. Caythorpe was later closed permanently and its activities moved to Riseholme. Courses held in Grimsby were also moved to Lincoln around this time.
Throughout the 1990s, the University's campus facilities in Hull were considerably scaled down as the focus shifted towards Lincoln. In 2001 this process was taken a step further when the decision was made to move the administrative headquarters and management to Lincoln and to sell the Cottingham Road campus in Hull, the former main campus, to its neighbour, the University of Hull - The site is now the home of the Hull York Medical School. The changes had a detrimental effect on the students based in Hull throughout 2000 in the run up to its closure. While Lincoln saw development and new staff, the students at Hull were left with outdated facilities and a skeleton academic staff. The university still maintains a smaller campus, the Derek Crothall Building in Hull city centre. A smaller campus and student halls on Beverley Road, Hull, were also sold for redevelopment.
As a result of these changes, and because the University's double-barrelled name had come to be regarded as unattractive to students, 'Humberside' was dropped and the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside was rebranded the University of Lincoln. Due to the reputation of Lincoln as an ancient Cathedral city, the name also suggests to many that Lincoln is a traditional red brick university and not a former polytechnic, something that is still a consideration for some prospective students.
On October 28th 2004, following its redevelopment as a specialist Food science technology park, the campus at Holbeach was reopened by John Henry Hayes, the Member of Parliament for South Holland and the Deepings.
[edit] The Present
The University has expanded rapidly on the Brayford site since its opening in 1996. Buildings on the Brayford now include a school of architecture designed by the British architect Rick Mather, a science laboratory facility, a sports centre, and a university library opened in December 2004, which is based in the Great Central Warehouse (GCW), a renovated former industrial railway goods warehouse.
The main academic building on the Brayford campus was designed such that, if the University were to fail, it could be easily converted into a shopping centre. The large, open atrium space is surrounded by balconies on several floors, with lecture halls (larger shops) on the ground and classrooms (smaller boutiques) on the higher floors. The lifts at each end of the building use recorded voices to communicate with passengers, but interestingly are different from each other: the East lift has a chirpy, slightly brassy Australian voice, while the West lift is far more sullen and monotonous with less of an accent. The different lifts are known informally to staff and students as 'Sheila' and 'Jane', respectively. Although it is debatable as to how many other students share this apparent joke.
The University also maintains several buildings of historic interest in uphill Lincoln (the 'Cathedral' campus), including a building named after Chad Varah, CH, CBE, the founder of the Samaritans charity. At Riseholme, set amongst a 240-hectare estate and working farm is the former residence of the Bishop of Lincoln. The main building at the much-reduced campus in Hull has been renamed in honour of the late Professor Derek Crothall, a former Pro Vice Chancellor of the University.
There are currently five faculties of study:
- Technology (Dean: Professor Graeme Wilkinson);
- Art, Architecture & Design (Dean: Professor Vincent Shacklock);
- Business & Law (Dean: Dr. Don White);
- Health, Life & Social Sciences (Dean: Professor Brian McGaw);
- Media & Humanities (Dean: Professor John Simons);
- including the International Institute for Education Leadership (Director: Professor David Scott);
Plus several extra-faculty academic departments:
- The Centre for Health Improvement and Leadership in Lincoln (CHILL) (Director: Gerry McSorley);
- The Department of Further Education, incorporating:
- The Lincolnshire School of Agriculture CoVE(Director: Clive Bound);
- Holbeach Technology Park CoVE;
- The School of Theology & Ministry Studies (Director: the Reverend Canon Dr Mike West).
[edit] The Engine Shed
The Engine Shed, opened in September 2006, is the new, dedicated Students' Union facility. The venue consists of 4 bars (tower bar, sports bar, mezz bar, and pod bar), two concert halls with the capacity of 1400 and 700 respectively, SU office, refectory/cafés, and retail outlets. A number of notable artists are already set to play at the venue in the near future (2006), including The Charlatans, The Zutons, The Cooper Temple Clause, The Beautiful South and Dirty Pretty Things. Babyshambles, the group featuring Pete Doherty is also scheduled to appear in December at Lincoln.
[edit] People
As of 2006, there are 9,647 students on campus, including 8,292 full-time undergraduates and 692 postgraduate students. There are 448 academic staff across all the various campuses. The University's Chancellor is Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, and the Vice-Chancellor is Profesor David Chiddick, appointed in 2001.
[edit] Student Welfare
The current President of the Students' Union Cooperative is Leanne Goodwin.
Student publications include Bullet magazine and Reporter, a free newspaper. The University radio station Siren FM (which began broadcasting on the Hull Campus in 1996) webcasts throughout the academic year, and broadcasts on 87.7FM across Lincoln during April and May. Recent projects undertaken at the Hull campus include a unique collaboration between the BBC, Kingston Communications KIT interactive television system, and a student television channel 'Spark TV' (http://www.sparktv.co.uk), which received a Royal Television Society award for Innovation in June 2005.
On October 10th 2000, Russell Griffiths, a former lecturer of the University, was jailed for deceiving the University over the existence of his criminal record for harassment. At the same time, he was acquitted of the rape of a Lincoln student by a jury at Lincoln Crown Court. However, in November 2001, the female student was awarded damages by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority - the only time such an award has ever been made for a sexual assault without a conviction. See Private Eye issue 1044 (Dec 2001) for further details.
Although the people of Lincoln in general welcomed the University and the influx of young people, especially those in the brewery trade, some residents found students to be an unwelcome disturbance. The Students' Union responded to complaints of late-night noise with a "Shhhhh!" campaign, but relations between students and locals remain occasionally strained.
[edit] The future
The university has ambitious plans to complete the physical development of the Brayford campus. These plans are detailed in the university's Brayford campus masterplan, and include:
- A 5,000 m² extension to the Great Central Warehouse University Library
- An extension to the Media Humanities and Computing building known as the East Midlands Media & Technology Enterprise Centre. It's a Media & Computing research building (completed in May 2005)
- A School of Performing Arts and an arts centre with 450 seat auditorium, cinema, and exhibition space. This will adjoin the Engine Shed (opens September 2007)
- A dedicated building for the Faculty of Business and Law
- A second science building
- A graduate housing building
- Extensive landscaping works, creating two public squares and a formal pond with surrounding lawns
All developments will be finished before 2012.
In 2005, the university's halls of residence were leased to a charitable trust for a premium of £30 million. As part of the deal the University would forego the rent that they would have ordinarily received. Part of the £30m will be used to further develop the above developments.
Academically, the university is in the process of transferring its Further Education (foundation) programmes in art and design to Lincoln College.
[edit] Trivia
- The official fonts of the University of Lincoln are Goudy Modern and Helvetica.
- Its official corporate colour is Pantone 398 (roughly, HTML colour code #B8C400).
[edit] External links
- The university's website
- Yorkshire Universities summary of the university.
- The university's students' union website.
- Bullet Magazine.
- Siren FM website.
- Siren & other UK student radio stations
[edit] News Items
- University exam featured on the BBC website.
- BBC News on a rift between students and locals.
- People phone in complaints about students.
- Local people air their views on students.
- Pet psychiatrist appointed at the university.
- Lecturer is let off rape charge.
- Russell Griffiths is discussed in the House of Commons by the MP for Lincoln.
- The QAA's audit report of the university of May 2003
| Universities in East Midlands |
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De Montfort | Derby | Leicester | Lincoln | Loughborough | Northampton | Nottingham | Nottingham Trent |
