Cardiff University

Cardiff University
Prifysgol Caerdydd
Motto	Welsh: Gwirionedd Undod A Chytgord
Motto in English	Truth Unity and Harmony
Established	1883 (as the University College of South Wales & Monmouthshire)
Type	Public
Endowment	£22.09 million (2008/09) [1]
President	Sir Martin Evans
Vice-Chancellor	Dr David Grant
Admin. staff	5,230
Students	30,930[2]
Undergraduates	21,800[2]
Postgraduates	7,840[2]
Other students	1,290 FE[2]
Location	Cardiff, Wales, UK
Campus	Urban
Colours	Black and red
Affiliations	Russell Group EUA University of Wales Universities UK
Website	http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/

Cardiff University (Welsh: Prifysgol Caerdydd) is a university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities.^[3] The university is consistently recognised as providing the best university education in Wales. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, almost 60 per cent of all research at Cardiff University was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent - 4* and 3* the top two categories of assessment.^[4] Ranked number 135 of the world's top universities,^[5] Cardiff University celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2008. Before August 2004, the university was officially known as University of Wales, Cardiff (Welsh: Prifysgol Cymru, Caerdydd), although it used the name Cardiff University publicly.^[6]

History

Park Place entrance

‎The Aberdare Report of 1881 recommended the foundation of university colleges in North Wales and South Wales to complement the already established University College, Wales (now the University of Wales, Aberystwyth) in Aberystwyth.

There was considerable debate about whether the southern college should be located in Cardiff or Swansea. The case for Cardiff was strengthened by stressing the need to take account of the interests of Monmouthshire, at that time not legally considered part of Wales. This influenced the name of the new body. Following a public appeal that raised £37,000, the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire opened on October 24, 1883, offering studies in Biology, Chemistry, English, French, German, Greek, History, Latin, Mathematics & Astronomy, Music, Welsh, Logic & Philosophy and Physics. The University College was incorporated by Royal Charter the following year. John Viriamu Jones was appointed as the University’s first Principal, at age 27. The only college in Wales with its own degree awarding powers at this time was St David's University College. As such, Cardiff entered students for the examinations of the University of London until, in 1893, it became one of the founding institutions of the University of Wales and began awarding their degrees.

School of Biosciences (BIOSI 1)

In 1885, Aberdare Hall opened as the first hall of residence, allowing women access to the university. This moved to its current site in 1895, but remains a single-sex hall. 1904 saw the appointment of the first female professor in the UK, Millicent McKenzie.

Architect W.D. Caroe sought to combine the charm and elegance of his former college (Trinity College, Cambridge) with the picturesque balance of many of the University of Oxford colleges. Building work on Main Building commenced in 1905 and was completed in many stages, the first in 1909. Money ran short for this project, however, and although the side-wings were completed in the 1960s the planned Great Hall has never been built. Prior to then, from its founding in 1883, the University was based in the Old Infirmary on Newport Road, Cardiff which is now part of the University’s Queen’s Buildings.

University buildings on Park Place

The main building of Cardiff University

In 1931, the School of Medicine, which had been founded as part of the College in 1893 when the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology were founded, was split off to form the University of Wales College of Medicine. In 1972, the College was renamed University College, Cardiff.

In 1988, financial problems caused University College, Cardiff and the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology to merge, forming the University of Wales College, Cardiff. Following changes to the constitution of the University of Wales in 1996, this became the University of Wales, Cardiff.

In the early 1990s, the university's computer systems served as the home for The Internet Movie Database.^[7] In 1997, the College was granted full independent degree awarding-powers by the Privy Council (though, as a member of the University of Wales it could not begin using them) and in 1999 the public name of the university was changed to Cardiff University. Some considered this part of an effort at Cardiff to set itself apart from the other colleges of the University of Wales, none of which are members of the Russell Group.

On 1 August 2004 the University of Wales, Cardiff merged with the University of Wales College of Medicine. The merged institution separated from the collegiate University of Wales and officially took the name Cardiff University.

Cardiff today

Glamorgan Building

In 2002, ideas were floated to re-merge Cardiff with the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) following the publication of the Welsh Assembly Government's review of higher education in Wales. This merger became effective on August 1, 2004, on which date Cardiff University ceased to be a constituent institution of the University of Wales and became an independent "link institution" affiliated to the federal University. The process of the merger was completed on December 1, 2004 when the Act of Parliament transferring UWCM's assets to Cardiff University received Royal Assent. On December 17 it was announced that the Privy Council had given approval to the new Supplemental Charter and had granted university status to Cardiff, legally changing the name of the institution to Cardiff University. Cardiff awarded University of Wales degrees to students admitted before 2005, but these have been replaced by Cardiff degrees. Medicine, dentistry and other health-related areas began to admit students for Cardiff degrees in 2006. In 2004, Cardiff University and the Swansea University entered a partnership to provide a four-year graduate-entry medical degree. An annual intake of around 70 post-graduate students undertake an accelerated version of the Cardiff course at the Swansea University for the first two years before joining undergraduate students at Cardiff for the final two years. All medicine/surgery graduates are awarded the degrees MB BCh.

Bute Building

However from September 2009 Swansea University will be independently providing medical education in a revised 4-yr Graduate Entry Degree.

In 2005, The Wales College of Medicine, which is part of the University, launched the North Wales Clinical School in Wrexham in collaboration with the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education in Wrexham and the University of Wales, Bangor and with the National Health Service in Wales. This has been funded with £12.5 million from the Welsh Assembly^[8] and will lead to the trebling of the number of trainee doctors in clinical training in Wales over a four year period.

The university has a rivalry with nearby Swansea University, against whom every year they have a varsity match termed the Welsh Varsity.

The university also has a popular Centre for Lifelong Learning which has been teaching a wide range of courses to the public for over 125 years.^[9] In July 2009, the University announced it was ending the teaching of over 250 humanities courses at the centre making over 100 staff redundant. The University has since reintroduced a number of humanities courses for a trial period beginning in 2010.^[10]

In June 2010, the University launched three new Research Institutes ^[11], each of which offers a new approach to a major issue. They are the Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, the Sustainable Places Research Institute, and the Neurosciences & Mental Health Research Institute.

Reputation

Cathays Park campus

Cardiff University has a long standing tradition of providing the best education in Wales, as shown in its five year standing as the best centre of excellence in Wales in the Sunday Times League Tables. Cardiff is also the only university in Wales to be a member of the Russell Group of Research Intensive Universities. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 33 out of the 34 research areas submitted by the University for assessment were shown to be undertaking research that includes world-leading work.

Times Higher Education ranked Cardiff University 99th in the top 100 universities in the world in 2007,^[12] although by 2008 it had dropped 34 places to number 133 ^[13]

Cardiff has two Nobel Laureates on its staff, Professor Sir Martin Evans and Professor Robert Huber. The University has also won four Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher & Further Education. The most recent award was won in 2009 by the University's Violence & Society Research Group.

QS World University Rankings

• 2008 - Ranked 133 globally^[14]
  

  Redwood Building
• 2007 - Moved into the top 100 globally at position 99^[15][16]
• 2006 - placed 141 globally and 8-25 in Europe^[17]

The Times Online - Good University Guide 2010

• Ranked 26th overall out of 114 universities^[18]
  

  Cardiff University - the main building (as seen from Cathays Park in spring time)
  • Ranked 4th for Architecture out of 43 universities^[19]
  • Ranked 5th for Town and Country Planning and Landscape out of 26 universities^[20]
  • Ranked 18th for Law out of 91 universities^[21]
  • Ranked 17th for Business Studies out of 110 universities^[22]

The Guardian University Guide 2007

• Ranked 33rd overall out of 149 universities in the institution-wide league table^[23]
  • Ranked 38th out of 140 universities for business and management studies

Schools and colleges

Cardiff University has 27 academic schools and four graduate schools.

The academic schools are:

• Architecture
  

  Aberdare Hall
• Biosciences
• Business
• Chemistry
• City & Regional Planning
• Computer Science & Informatics
• Cymraeg
• Dentistry
• Earth and Ocean Sciences
  

  Psychology and biosciences complex
• Engineering
• English, Communication and Philosophy
• European Studies
• Healthcare Studies
• History, Archaeology and Religion
• Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
• Law
  

  The Arts and Social Studies Library; one of the University's 18 libraries
• Lifelong Learning
• Mathematics
• Medicine
• Music
• Nursing and Midwifery Studies
• Optometry and Vision Sciences
• Pharmacy
• Physics and Astronomy
• Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education
• Psychology
• Social Sciences

Research and graduate schools

• Humanities
• Social Sciences
• Biomedical and Life Sciences
• Physical Sciences and Engineering

Facilities

There are sporting facilities and sports teams in the BUCS university league, including men's and women's hockey. The university's American football team, the Cardiff Cobras, compete in the British Universities American Football League.

The Cardiff University Students' Union building is over the main railway going north from Cardiff to the Valleys, next door to Cathays railway station. It has shops, a nightclub and the studios of Xpress Radio (which is broadcast on the internet [1] and piped throughout the union) and Gair Rhydd (Welsh for 'Free Word'), the student newspaper.

Notable alumni/current staff

Graduation Ceremony at St David's Hall

Alumni and current staff of Cardiff University (and its predecessor) include:

• Professor Sara Ahmed (Professor of Race and Cultural Studies Goldsmiths College)
• Faisal al-Fayez (former Prime Minister of Jordan)
• Paul Atherton (television/film producer)
• Professor Robin Attfield (philosopher)
• Manish Bhasin (journalist)
• Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz (Deputy Rector, Imperial College London and Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council. Vice-Chancellor designate of the University of Cambridge)
• The Rt Revd Gregory Cameron (Bishop of St Asaph)
• Dr Sheila Cameron QC (lawyer and ecclesiastical judge)
• Philip Cashian (composer)
• Christine Chapman (politician)
• Adrian Chiles (television presenter)
• Gillian Clarke (poet)
• Nathan Cleverly (boxer)
• Professor Archie Cochrane
• Professor Peter Coles (Professor of Astrophysics)
• Rt Revd Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross
• William Gareth Davies (Rugby footballer - UWIST, Oxford University, Cardiff, Wales, British Lions and chief executive of Cardiff Rugby Football Club)
• Huw Edwards (journalist)
• Professor Sir Martin Evans (Nobel Prize for Medicine 2007)
• Brian J. Ford (biologist, television presenter)
• Max Foster (CNN Anchor, CNN Today)
• Andrew Gould (Chairman and CEO, Schlumberger Limited)
• Alun Hoddinott (composer)
• Professor Dr Robert Huber (Professor of Chemistry, Nobel Laureate - The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1988)^[42][43]
• Karl Jenkins (composer)
• Alan Johnston (journalist)
• Sir Emyr Jones Parry (former British Permanent Representative to the United Nations)
• Riz Khan (journalist)
• Glenys Kinnock (politician)
• Neil Kinnock (politician)
• Bernard Knight (crime writer)
• Martin Lewis (personal finance journalist, television presenter and website entrepreneur)
• Siân Lloyd (television presenter)
• Los Campesinos!
• Professor John Loughlin, Professor of Politics
• Professor Vaughan Lowe QC (Chichele Professor of Public International Law in the University of Oxford)
• Hilary Marquand (politician)
• Robert Minhinnick (co-founder of Friends of the Earth)
• Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (advisor to Margaret Thatcher)
• John Warwick Montgomery (theologian and barrister)
• Paul Moorcraft (writer)
• Christopher Norris (literary critic)
• Professor Sir Keith Peters FRS PMedSci (Regius Professor of Physic in the University of Cambridge)
• Steven Outerbridge (Bermudian cricketer)
• Bill Rammell (politician)
• General Sir David Richards (current Chief of the General Staff)
• James Righton (musician)
• Dr Alice Roberts (clinical anatomist and osteoarchaeologist)
• Jamie Roberts (Welsh international rugby union player)
• Barham Salih (politician)
• Arlene Sierra (composer)
• Professor Richard Tait (BBC trustee)
• H. W. Lloyd Tanner (Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy (1883–1909))
• Craig Thomas (author)
• The Rt Revd Dominic Walker OGS (Bishop of Monmouth)
• Professor Keith Ward (philosopher, Gresham Professor of Divinity, Gresham College)
• Richard Clarke (Philosopher)
• Grace Williams (composer)
• Brian Wilson (politician)
• Chandra Wickramasinghe (professor of Applied Mathematics - one of the foremost authorities on organic cosmic dust)

References

External links

• Cardiff University
• Cardiff University Students' Union

Education in Cardiff Further and Higher Education Cardiff University • University of Wales Institute, Cardiff • University of Glamorgan • Atrium • Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama • Cardiff Law School • Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies • Cardiff University School of Medicine • Cardiff Business School • Coleg Glan Hafren • St David's Catholic College Primary and Secondary Education Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School • Cardiff High School • Corpus Christi RC High School • Fitzalan High School • Howell's • Lansdowne Primary School • Llanishen High School • Llanrumney High School • Radyr Comprehensive School • Rumney High School • St John's College • St Teilo's Church in Wales High School • The Cathedral School • Whitchurch High School • Willows High School • Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf • Ysgol Gymraeg Plasmawr • Ysgol Gymraeg Treganna • Ysgol Mynydd Bychan Other institutions Cardiff Central Library • Libraries in Cardiff • CEWC-Cymru • Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology • Estyn • National Institute of Adult Continuing Education • Techniquest • Urdd Gobaith Cymru • WJEC • Wales Institute for Research in Art and Design