Aston University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aston University


Motto	Forward
Established	1895 (as Birmingham Municipal Technical School)
Type	Public
Chancellor	Sir Michael Bett, CBE
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Julia King, CBE, FREng
Staff	1,000+
Students	8,475 ^[1]
Undergraduates	6,160 ^[1]
Postgraduates	2,315 ^[1]
Location	Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities
Website	http://www.aston.ac.uk/

Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university, situated on a 40-acre (0.16km²) campus at Gosta Green, near the city centre of Birmingham, England.^[2]

Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School,^[3] Aston achieved university status on 22 April 1966. Following from its background as a technology college, Aston continues to have a focus on industry.^[2] A majority of students is registered on courses leading to a BSc^[4] and over 70 per cent of undergraduate students at Aston are enrolled on four-year "sandwich" courses, spending a year abroad or on industry placements.^[2]^[5] The university emphasises its focus on industry placements and graduate employment record:^[6] in 2004, 81.4 per cent of first degree graduates found employment within six months of graduation, compared to the UK national average of 72 per cent.^[7]

Aston is a small university in terms of student numbers, serving just 5,780 full-time undergraduates,^[1] compared with the 16,340^[1] of its nearest neighbour institution, the University of Birmingham.

1 History
2 Branding
3 University league tables
4 Chancellors of the University
5 Students' Guild
6 Accommodation
- 6.1 On-campus Halls of Residence accommodation
- 6.2 Off-campus accommodation
7 Trivia
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

Founded in 1895 as The Birmingham Municipal Technical School, it officially became the University of Aston in Birmingham on receipt of its Royal Charter on 22 April 1966, and acquired its current name in 1997. Sir Michael Bett took over the position of Chancellor on October 21, 2004 from Sir Adrian Cadbury, whose younger brother Sir Dominic Cadbury is Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. The campus is shared with the University of Central England's Institute of Art and Design.

[edit] Branding

The University’s Arms [1] were granted on 18 March 1955 by Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms to the Birmingham Corporation for use by the former College of Technology. They were designed to show the College’s connection with the City and with the teaching of technology. The arms consist of a shield and crest. The shield has two sections – the field (the main background) which is coloured blue and a chief (the broad band across the top of the shield) of silver. On the field is a diagonal line of five gold diamonds joined one to the other, similar to the first quarter of the Arms of the City of Birmingham and incorporated in the Arms of the College to show its connection with the City. This was adopted by the family of Bermingham, which derived its name from the then hamlet of Birmingham, and provided the Lords of the Manor from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. On the chief is depicted an open book bound in red placed between two black hammers, showing the connection of the University with technology, the book representing learning and the hammers engineering and allied trades. The crest is also designed to stress the pursuit of knowledge. It consists of a red torch held erect by a forearm between two branches of gold laurel. Having been originally worn on the helmet of a fully-armed person, the crest is always placed on the top of the helm. The method of joining the crest to the helm was usually concealed by decoration and, in the University’s arms, this is effected by the use of a wreath and a crown. The wreath is silver, red and black, these colours being taken from the shield. It is surmounted by a mural crown (resembling a wall) which is reserved in modern grants for persons and organisations connected with public corporations. The cloth mantling which hangs down from the top of the helm is the survival of the cloak which was originally worn to protect the armour coloured in the two principal colours of the shield, blue and gold.

The motto of the University is the same as that of the City of Birmingham – "Forward".

The University began rebranding itself into a modern institution, changing the logo from the crest. The new logo incorporates the Aston triangle.

[edit] University league tables

Aston University is ranked 13th out of 109 higher education institutions in The Times 2007 Good University Guide[2]. These league tables also ranked Aston as 9th in the UK for employability of its graduates with 76% entering “graduate level” employment or further study within 6 months of graduation, against a UK average of less than 65%. This makes Aston University the highest-ranking university outside the South of England/London on this factor. Aston also ranked highly on criteria such as low drop-out rates, strong staff-student ratios, a high proportion of First and Upper second class degrees and a high level of spending on student facilities.
Aston University is also rated No 1 for Student Life, and one of the UK's Friendliest Universities as voted by FHM & Virgin student. ^{[citation needed]}

see [3]

In the Guardian Guide, Aston University was ranked 18th overall out of 122 Universities and Colleges. Aston has featured in the top 20 of the Guardian Guide three years running. The Guardian tables focus on variables such as teaching quality, spending on student facilities, entry grades, staff-student ratios and graduate success/job prospects.

Year	Times Ranking	Guardian Ranking
2007	13/109	18/122
2006	13/109	19/122
2005	22/119	17/122
2004	32/119	13/109

[edit] Chancellors of the University

1st Lord Nelson of Stafford - May 1966 to September 1979
2nd Sir Adrian Cadbury - September 1979 to August 2004
3rd Sir Michael Bett - September 2004 to present day

[edit] Students' Guild

Aston Students' Guild is a non-profit organisation set up with the aim of involving and representing the student body of Aston. The Guild provides sports clubs, societies and Welfare Services, partially funded by the money accrued from the Guild's commercial services. On 29 November 2006, the students voted to disaffiliate the Guild from the National Union of Students. The Yes campaign won 53%-47%, with a turnout of only 15% of the student body.

The Guild is run by a team of permanent staff and by an elected team called the executive who follow the rules set out in the Guild Constitution. The executive is made up of full-time sabbatical officers and a number of part-time officers. The executive are overseen by Guild Council, which anyone can attend and which runs throughout the year.

Entertainment in the Guild is split into rooms. The bar downstairs (Lower Ground), known as Einstein’s is open throughout the day serving food and drink. The bar also has a projector screen, a number of flat screen televisions showing SUB-TV and live sporting events throughout the day, pool tables, a jukebox and arcade machines. The ground level contains the Guild Hall and the Blue Room bar; the latter houses a Subway. During the day the Guild Hall is often used for markets (posters, clothes etc.) and societies such as thai boxing or the dance group the Wild Kats for training sessions. Frequent night-time events are held throughout the week that incorporate all three rooms. The main one of these for 2006-2007 is "Score". Thursday sees Karaoke Night in Einsteins until 2am.

The Guild also provides a full range of services including:

The Guild website [www.astonguild.org.uk]
The Entertainment website [www.astonents.co.uk], which contains event information and photos
The Aston Times – the student newspaper published three times a term
Wotsup? – a weekly listings newsletter
Student representation – the core service of the Guild
Campaigns and Entertainment Committees
Services provided by the Equalities, International Students and Postgraduate Officers to meet different groups’ needs

Other Guild services include:

Lower Ground Floor	Ground Floor	First Floor	Second Floor	Third Floor	Fourth Floor
Einstein’s bar	Guild Hall/ The Base	Students’ Advice Centre (SAC) & JobShop	Study area	Executive secretary office	Aston RAG office
Toilets	The Blue Room	Student activities area	Toilets	Executive office	Toilets
Bubbles Studio	Subway	Students’ CopyShop	.	Aston Times office	Meeting room
Pool tables	Students’ shop	Natwest bank	.	Housing manager	Mature students' common room
Live Music Soc (LMS) practice room	Photo Me Booth	Secondhand bookshop	.	General Manager	Aston Links
.	Alliance & Leicester cashpoint	Appleby hair salon	.	Marketing Coordinator office	SIS office
.	Reception	LGB Office	.	Finance office	AIESEC office & Islamic prayer room

Outside:

Nationwide and NatWest cashpoints either side of the guild steps.

[edit] Accommodation

[edit] On-campus Halls of Residence accommodation

Aston University has both standard and en-suite accommodation on campus. All campus accommodation is less than 5 minutes' walk from the main building, and approximately 10 minutes' walk from Birmingham city centre. Wired Internet is available in all rooms.

Lakeside, Situated on the edge of the campus, with the blocks one one side overlooking the ornamental lake, offers residents well appointed en-suite accommodation in flats for between 6 and 10 students. Rooms have a shower, toilet and washbasin, a television aerial point and telephone. The kitchen and dining facilities are shared. In total there are 667 rooms in Lakeside.

Dalton Tower is one of three high rise residences and is located in the middle of the campus adjacent to the library. It has twenty floors with three separate flats on each floor. Each flat consists of seven single study bedrooms, a kitchen, and bathroom, which is shared between the occupants. The bathroom has a bath/shower, washbasin, and toilet. Each study bedroom has its own washbasin. Dalton Tower has a total of 406 rooms.

Stafford Tower is located on the outer edge of the campus overlooking the city centre. It has twenty floors, with two flats per floor, each with nine single study bedrooms sharing a kitchen and bathroom. There is a large communal bathroom for each floor with washbasins, showers, and toilets located in the middle of the building. Each single study bedroom has its own washbasin. In total, Stafford Tower has 355 rooms.

Lawrence Tower is situated in the centre of the residential complex and consists of twenty floors. Flats with six single study bedrooms share a kitchen and bathroom with bath/shower, also toilets and washbasins. Flats with twelve single study bedrooms share a kitchen and bathroom with showers washbasins and toilets. Each single study bedroom has its own washbasin. Lawrence Tower has a total of 342 rooms.

Gem House is located on the edge of the complex on Aston Street opposite the local shops. There are fourteen 2-storey flats, each having six single study bedrooms and sharing a kitchen and shower room. The ground floor has two bedrooms, kitchen, and shared bathroom with toilet and washbasin. The first floor has four bedrooms with shared bathroom including a shower and washbasin. Gem Househas a total of 84 Places

Bishop Ryder House is located between Lawrence Tower and Old Cross House. There are five flats each comprising of eighteen single study bedrooms arranged on three floors. There are three single study bedrooms sharing a kitchen, but each floor, comprising six bedrooms, share a bathroom. Each bathroom has a shower, toilet, and washbasins. Bishop Ryder House has a total of 90 Places

Old Cross House overlooks the ornamental lake. It consists of nine two-storey flats each having six single study bedrooms sharing bathrooms and kitchen. The layout is similar to Gem House, with two bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom with toilet and washbasins on the ground floor and four bedrooms, shared bathroom including a shower and washbasins on the first floor. Old Cross House has a total of 54 Places

Vauxhall House is set around a courtyard, and is located next to Stafford Tower and behind the Lakeside centre. Vauxhall House has twenty-five flats of either five or six single study bedrooms sharing a kitchen and bathroom with washbasins, toilet, and shower. Vauxhall House has a total of 139 Places

[edit] Off-campus accommodation

The Heights is run by Student Accommodation provider UNITE. Located opposite Aston University's North Wing it offers ensuite accommodation with car parking facilities and a common room with sky television, vending machines and a pool table. The property has 909 rooms comprising of studios, double studios and en-suite bedrooms in 3, 4 and 5 bedroom clusters.

Londonderry House is also run by Student Accommodation provider UNITE. Located in the centre of Birmingham above the Londonderry House NCP Car Park; a short walk from Aston University. Scruffy Murphy's Pub, a rock venue, is below the building itself. The 179 bedrooms are all en-suite with a limited number of studio flats. The property also has a communal area with table football tables, vending machines and sofas. Currently booking for the 07/08 year only has the option of 51 week contracts.

The Canalside is a new student accommodation run by Derwent Living, situated on Lower Loveday Street, which is about half a mile away from Aston University.

Aston Brook Green is situated approximately a ten minutes walk from the University. Aston Brook Green is a development of Victorian terraced houses which is owned by a housing association but managed by the Students' Guild. The site consists of 52 houses that have been converted into 61 flats. The project comprises 34 3-person houses, 6 4-person houses and 20 self-contained one bedroom couple's flats. There is a launderette on site and a grassed area.

Erdington: Postcodes B23 and B24. Located north east of the city centre, with a direct buses to campus, namely the 65/66/104/105 and express 904/905 routes.

Aston University previously operated accommodation in the Handsworth Wood area of Birmingham. However with the completion of Lakeside in 1999, this was sold to other developers.

[edit] Trivia

The last gas lamp in Birmingham stood on the Aston Campus^{[citation needed]}. It was removed in 1970.
Aston has the oldest public swimming baths in the country, built in 1860^{[citation needed]}.
Aston University alumni include Jasper Carrot.

[edit] References

This article does not adequately cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
This article has been tagged since March 2007.