University of Plymouth

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University of Plymouth
Image:UniversityofPlymouth.jpg
Established: 1992, from Polytechnic South West
Type: Public
Vice-Chancellor: Prof. Wendy Purcell
Staff: 3,000
Students: 30,540[1]
Undergraduates: 24,490[1]
Postgraduates: 6,050[1]
Location: Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom
Campus: Urban
Affiliations: Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities
Association of Commonwealth Universities
Website: http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/

The University of Plymouth is the largest university in the southwest of England, with over 30,000 students and is the fifth largest UK university based on student population. (Larger universities are Open, London, Manchester, and Manchester Metropolitan respectively.[citation needed]) It has almost 3,000 staff (one of the largest employers in the southwest), and an annual income of around £110 million.

Plymouth is a modern university that is currently undergoing a great deal of development, including several new buildings and restructuring. The University jumped 33 places in The Guardian's national university league tables published in May 2006, from 73rd place in 2005 to 40th place in 2006. It is settled at 35th place in the 2007 publication;[2] The Times table, which unlike The Guardian takes research performance into account, places it 55th[3] and bills it as one of the top two modern universities in the UK.[4] The Guardian describes the University as "forward thinking", as well as placing Plymouth in the coveted "top 20" for ten subjects including social work (5th), architecture, fine art and drama.[5]

Professor Roland Levinsky was the University's vice-chancellor up until his death on 1 January 2007, caused when a wooden pylon collapsed, bringing down live power cables on top of him during a storm.[6] He was replaced in an acting capacity by Professor Mark Cleary (now vice-chancellor of the University of Bradford),[7] who was the senior deputy vice chancellor, and subsequently by Professor Steve Newstead. Professor Wendy Purcell joined the University as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive on 1 December 2007.

Contents

[edit] History

Portland Square Building, University of Plymouth, Plymouth Campus, UK
Portland Square Building, University of Plymouth, Plymouth Campus, UK

The University of Plymouth has a wide variety of Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes which are currently taught across campuses in Plymouth, Exeter, and Exmouth. The University of Plymouth was previously known as Polytechnic South West between 1989 and 1992. Before that, its constituent bodies were known as Plymouth Polytechnic, Rolle College, and Seale-Hayne College. The new university also absorbed the Plymouth School of Maritime Studies. It was designated a university in 1992 along with the other former polytechnics.

[edit] Courses

The Roland Levinsky Building.
The Roland Levinsky Building.

the University of Plymouth is particularly renowned for its courses in maritime business, marine engineering, marine biology and Earth, ocean & environmental sciences. The University is also internationally renowned for its courses in shipping and logistics.[citation needed]

In October 2005, The Sun newspaper voted the University of Plymouth as having the most bizarre degree course in the country, the BSc (Hons) in Surf Science & Technology. Commonly known as "surfing", this course is centred on surfing equipment design and surfing-related business, which has its popularity increased by the geographical location of the University.

The University also scores well in law, psychology, geographical sciences, computer science, fine art and art history.[citation needed] The Planetary Collegium, the international centre for research in art, technology and consciousness is based at Plymouth, with nodes in Milan and Zurich. The University offers a course in "Digital Art and Technology", a new media and computer science hybrid course. Another possibly unique course is the BA in Business & Perfumery, and there is also an MSc in E-Commerce on offer.[8]

The University provides professional diving qualifications on a numbers of its courses, the only university in the country provide this. This is provided by the University's own diving centre based next to Queen Anne's Battery Marina, with its full time team of instructors and dedicated boats and equipment.

[edit] Recent developments

Construction of the new Arts Complex on the Rowe Street building site at the Southern end of campus.
Construction of the new Arts Complex on the Rowe Street building site at the Southern end of campus.

The University's current policy is to centralise its campus activities in Plymouth. Many of the University's Faculty of Arts subjects (such as History, English, and Media Arts) have already moved to Plymouth. Subjects previously based at Exeter (such as Fine Art, Art History, Photography and 3-D Design) and Exmouth (such as Theatre & Performance) relocated to Plymouth in Autumn 2007 to coincide with the opening of the new arts building, the Roland Levinsky Building. An exception to this trend is the University's extensive activities in education for the health professions. In addition many of its students are taught at Further Education Colleges throughout Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, such as Dartington College of Arts. A new building which opens in 2008 will be shared between the Peninsula Medical School and the Faculty of Health and Social Work, highlighting some movement towards Plymouth.

Recent completed developments include Portland Square, a library extension, refurbished and new laboratory and teaching facilities in many of the campus buildings, halls of residence near the Business School and a new £16 million Peninsula Medical School headquarters at Derriford.[citation needed]

Jointly with the University of Exeter and the National Health Service in the region, the University runs the recently founded Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.[9] A new £13 million building on the University of Plymouth's main campus will provide teaching rooms, office space, a clinical skills laboratory and research facilities for the Plymouth-based activities of the School from 2008 along with the Faculty of Health and Social work. Other investment in campus facilities includes a £30m arts complex, a new £25m building for the Faculty of Education, which is relocating from Exmouth to the main campus in Plymouth in 2008 and an £800,000 extension of the fitness complex.

In 2006 part of the remains of the World War II Portland Square air-raid shelter were rediscovered on the Plymouth campus.[10] On the night of 22 April 1941, during the the Blitz, a bomb fell here killing over 70 civilians, including a mother and her six children.[10] The bomb blast was so violent that human remains were found in the tops of trees. In 2006, an appeal was made to raise money for a public sculpture to honour those who lost their lives.[11]

[edit] Notable academics

Staff include Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, who have written extensively on electoral systems, voting behaviour, polling results and British politics and have regularly appeared on national television election programmes for both the BBC and ITV. Other notable academics include Dr Roy Lowry who, in August 2006, broke the world record for launching the most rockets at once[12] and Dr Iain Stewart who has hosted BBC documentaries like Journeys into the Ring of Fire and Journeys from the Centre of the Earth.

[edit] Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

In 2005 the University of Plymouth was successful in being awarded four HEFCE funded Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs). In addition, Plymouth is a partner in a fifth successful bid, led by Liverpool Hope University College. The University’s CETLs are:

  • Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning (CEPPL)
  • Experiential Learning in the Environmental and Natural Sciences
  • Higher Education Learning Partnerships CETL
  • Education for Sustainable Development
  • Learn Higher

[edit] Sport

The University has many active sport teams. These include:

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07 (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved on 2008-04-12.
  2. ^ "Plymouth jumps 30 places in Guardian league tables", University of Plymouth, May 2nd, 2006. 
  3. ^ "Top Universities 2007 League Table.", The Times, June 05, 2006. 
  4. ^ "Top two position for Plymouth", University of Plymouth, June 05, 2006. 
  5. ^ "University of Plymouth.", The Guardian, May 2nd, 2006. 
  6. ^ "Power cable kills university boss", BBC, January 2nd, 2007. 
  7. ^ "University boss successor named", BBC, January 4th, 2007. 
  8. ^ "MSc E-Commerce", University of Plymouth. 
  9. ^ "Student dental school is approved", BBC, January 26, 2006. 
  10. ^ a b Tony Rees, Gerry Cullum and Steve & Karen Johnson (2007-07-08). Portland Square Air Raid Shelter at Plymouth. CyberHeritage.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  11. ^ Hannah Wood (2006-04-22). For those who died in Portland Square. Evening Herald (Plymouth). Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  12. ^ "Firework Record goes with a Bang.", BBC, August 16, 2006. 

[edit] External links

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