University of Strathclyde

University of Strathclyde
Oilthigh Srath Chluaidh (Gaelic)
Motto The Place of Useful Learning
Established 1796 Anderson's University ; 1964 granted University Status by Royal Charter
The University of Strathclyde
Type Public
Chancellor Lord Hope of Craighead
Principal Professor Jim McDonald
Convenor of the Court Fraser Livingston
Admin. staff 3,200
Students 26,000 [1]
Undergraduates 16,185 [1]
Postgraduates 9,815 [1]
Location Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Campus Urban
Affiliations AACSB
AMBA
EQUIS
ECIU
Website http://www.strath.ac.uk

The University of Strathclyde (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Srath Chluaidh), Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university. It takes its name from the historic Kingdom of Strathclyde.

Today Strathclyde is one of the UK's leading universities (36 Times Good University Guide 2011; 35 Complete University Guide 2011; 25 Guardian University Guide 2011) and ranking in the top 5 in the UK for accounting and finance; architecture; business, chemical engineering; Education; hospitality; law; other subjects allied to medicine; pharmacology and pharmacy; sports science by the Complete University Guide. It is ranked 35th in the UK, 109th in Europe and 254th in the world by the 2009 QS World University Rankings [1]

Contents

History

The university founded in 1796 through the will of Professor John Anderson, professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow who left instructions and the majority of his estate to create a second university in Glasgow which would focus on "Useful Learning" — specialising in practical subjects - "for the good of mankind and the improvement of science, a place of useful learning". The University later named one of the two campuses after him.

In 1828, the institution was renamed Anderson's University, partially fulfilling Anderson's vision of two universities in the city of Glasgow. The name was changed in 1887, to reflect the fact that there was no legal authority for the use of the title of 'university'.[2] As a result the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College was formed, becoming the Royal Technical College in 1912 , and the Royal College of Science and Technology in 1956 concentrating on science and engineering teaching and research. Undergraduate students could qualify for degrees of the University of Glasgow or the equivalent Associate of the Royal College of Science and Technology (ARCST).

Under Principal Samuel Curran, internationally respected nuclear physicist (and inventor of the scintillation counter), the Royal College gained University Status, receiving its Royal Charter to become The University of Strathclyde in 1964, merging with the Scottish College of Commerce at the same time. Contrary to popular belief, The University of Strathclyde was not created as a result of the Robbins Report - the decision to grant the Royal College university status had been made earlier in the 1960s[3] but delayed as a result of Robbins Report. The University of Strathclyde was the UK's first technological university reflecting its history, teaching and research excellence in technological education. In 1993, the University incorporated Jordanhill College of Education.

The university has developed its reputation and grown from approximately 4,000 full-time students in 1964 to over 20,000 students in 2003, when it celebrated the 100th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the original Royal College building. Today, the university is a major educational centre, the largest postgraduate provider in Scotland and one of the largest in the UK (HESA 2006)for post-graduate studies and research, with students from around 90 countries.

Organisation

Departments are organised into five faculties:

The university delivers teaching to over 25,000 full-time and part-time students: 15,000 undergraduates and 10,000 postgraduates. Another 34,000 people take part in continuing education and professional development programmes. Strathclyde enjoys a reputation for excellence in commercially relevant research and innovation, with commitment to entrepreneurship education, and links with business and industry. The university's main campus, John Anderson Campus, is located in the centre of Glasgow, near George Square, and it has an education campus in the suburb of Jordanhill, at the site of the previous Jordanhill Teacher Training College.

Campus development

The Curran Building - University Library
Andrew Ure Halls of Residence

Currently, the University contains two campuses, John Anderson Campus and the Jordanhill campus. Each campus changed very little from its humble beginnings to the creation of the University of Strathclyde in 1964. The centrepiece building has long been the massive Royal College Building, begun in 1903, and building work took nine years to complete.

The 1960s and 1970s saw a huge programme of new academic buildings being built, while the 1980s concentrated on developing the student residences. Below is a synopsis of the campus history, along with the current occupiers of each building in brackets:

The University is embarking on a major campus renewal project, estimated to take 15 years and cost £300m. The key elements of this will be the sale of the Jordanhill site and the relocation of its departments to the John Anderson Campus. The McCance/Livingstone Tower/Collins complex of buildings will be demolished whilst the James Weir and Colville buildings will be extensively refurbished. A new sports centre building on Cathedral Street is also proposed.

A new biomedical sciences building is currently under construction designed by Shepparrd Robson, and is a purpose-built centre which will bring the multi-faceted disciplines of the Institute together under one roof. The building will be central to the Institute’s aims of delivering speedier, more efficient drug discovery in a pioneering, world-class centre for research and development. Sited on Cathedral Street in Glasgow, the 8,000m2 building is the gateway to the University campus and city centre from the motorway.

Research Assessment Exercise 2008

The university dropped six places to number 50 in the UK league table published by the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES).[4] although it did rank very highly in a number of areas in the same newspaper article reflecting its focus on technological education - Top in Scotland and 8th in the UK for Pharmacy; top in Scotland and 12th in UK for Business and management studies; Second in Scotland and 17th for Chemistry; 13th in the UK and second in Scotland for Law;second in Scotland and 21st in UK for Electrical and Electronic Engineering and ranked 12th in UK for Allied health professions and studies. However the RAE 2008 led directly to cuts in the university's research funding in 2009.[5]

Royal College Building

The Royal College Building, is the oldest building on the John Anderson Campus. Started in 1903 and completed in 1912, it was partially opened in 1910 and at the time was the largest educational building in Europe for technical education. Originally built as the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College Building, it now houses Bioscience, Chemistry, and Electronic and Electrical Engineering. The building is currently undergoing major internal renovation following the relocation of the Pharmacology and Bioscience departments to new accommodation in the John Arbuthnott (SIPBS) building, and the installation of a new heating system.

IET Power Academy

Strathclyde is the only Scottish university that offers the IET Power Academy engineering scholarships to its engineering students.[6]

Notable academics and alumni

See also Category:People associated with the University of Strathclyde

Academics

Dr Duncan Graham - Professor of chemistry and Deputy Director of WestChem

Alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07". Higher Education Statistics Agency online statistics. http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_datatables&Itemid=121&task=show_category&catdex=3#institution. Retrieved 2009-01-25. 
  2. ↑ http://phys.strath.ac.uk/information/history/photos.php
  3. ↑ http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/69524
  4. ↑ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/Journals/THE/THE/18_December_2008/attachments/RAE_2008_THE_RESULTS.pdf
  5. ↑ http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3805
  6. ↑ http://www.theiet.org/about/scholarships-awards/power-academy/qualify.cfm
  7. ↑ "Motorola Biography - Sanjay Jha". http://www.motorola.com/content.jsp?globalObjectId=9087. 
  8. ↑ http://www.journalonline.co.uk/News/1005871.aspx

External links

European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU)

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