Anglia Ruskin University

Anglia Ruskin University
Established 1858
Type Public University
Chancellor Lord Michael Ashcroft
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Michael Thorne, PhD
Students 30,000
Location Cambridge and Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom
Campus Urban
Colours Blue and Yellow          
Nickname ARU
Affiliations Universities UK, EUA, EFMD, BAC, Royal Charter, million+, ERASMUS, SOCRATES, People & Planet, EURASHE, SPACE, BUTEX, ECREA, HUMANE, HECSU, KTP, RAE, SUPC, CIMA, ACCA, CMI, ABS, PRME, AIESEC
Website http://www.anglia.ac.uk

Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000. It was named after John Ruskin, who founded the school in 1858. Its campuses are located in Cambridge and Chelmsford, England, UK.

Contents

History

Anglia Ruskin University has its origins in the Cambridge School of Art opened in 1858 by John Ruskin: William John Beamont was also involved in the founding. In 1960 this became the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT). In 1989 CCAT merged with the Essex Institute of Higher Education to form the Anglia Higher Education College. The merged college became a polytechnic in 1991, using the name Anglia Polytechnic, and was then awarded university status in 1992.

Initially Anglia Polytechnic University (APU), it retained the word 'polytechnic' in its title because "the term 'polytechnic' still had value to students and their potential employers, symbolising as it did the sort of education that they were known for – equipping students with effective practical skills for the world of work"[1] although in 2000 there was some self-doubt about including the term 'polytechnic' – it was the last university in the country to have done so. Wanting to keep the 'APU' abbreviation, a suggestion put forward by the governors was 'Anglia Prior University' (after a former Chancellor), but the Governors decided to keep 'polytechnic' in the title.

The University eventually reconsidered a name change, because "Nowadays, few remember the old polytechnics and technical colleges, and there was no longer any value to students or faculty in retaining the word 'polytechnic' in the title. Indeed, it was sometimes seen as a hindrance, especially in non-vocational subject areas."[1] From over two hundred suggestions and consultations with staff, students and local residents, communities and businesses, the University chose Anglia Ruskin University (thus incorporating into the title the surname of John Ruskin, who founded the Cambridge School of Art in 1858, which eventually became the university), with the new name taking effect following the approval of the Privy Council on 29 September 2005.

Past lecturers include Odile Crick, wife of Francis Crick; she created the simple iconic image of DNA as two intertwined ribbons linked by ten rungs per turn of the double helix that appeared in the article in Nature announcing the discovery of its structure.[2] Author Tom Sharpe was a lecturer in History at CCAT between 1963 and 1972 and Anne Campbell,[3] the Labour MP for Cambridge from 1992 to 2005, was formerly a lecturer in Statistics at CCAT.

The Chelmsford Central campus closed at the end of the 2007/8 academic year, with all facilities moving to the new buildings at the Rivermead campus in the town. Certain facilities had started to move at the end of the 2005/6 academic year when the site was sold to a private developer (with an agreement that the University could still use the site until 2008), and a brief period of demolition work was carried out in early 2007. No further demolition works took place until the beginning of 2010, when most of the ageing buildings on the site were demolished. Three buildings were saved - the East building (built 1931), the Frederick Chancellor building (built 1902), and the Grade 2-listed Anne Knight building (built in the mid-1800s), which was used by Quakers. The East and Frederick Chancellor buildings fall under a conservation area, meaning they cannot be demolished without planning permission, as they are historically important due to their uses in the early days of higher education in Essex. The site is currently vacant due to the recession halting development which had been planned for many years; however, new plans have been released by Genesis Housing, who currently own the site.[4][5][6]

Campuses

Anglia Ruskin University has campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford, University Centres in King's Lynn, Peterborough and Harlow, and collaborative partnerships with institutions in a variety of locations throughout the world, including London, Berlin, Budapest, Athens, Basel, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Trinidad.

The campuses, one in the centre of Cambridge and the other in Chelmsford Essex, have seen over £81 million of investment over the last few years. A further £58m is going to be invested over the next 3 years

Specialist study facilities include:

Organisation

There are four Faculties of study at Anglia Ruskin University:

Faculties are sub-divided into departments or divisions.

At the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic year The Faculty of Education and The Faculty of Health and Social Care merged to create a new faculty called, The Faculty of Health, Social Care & Education.

HSHS, the former Homerton School of Health Studies, was acquired by the University from the Trustees of Homerton College in 2005, after working closely in partnership for a number of years.

Facilities

Anglia Ruskin's Cambridge Campus is home to one of only 5 optometry schools in England (of only 8 in the whole of the UK) having its own optometry clinic offering free eye tests and a full range of optometric services to members of the public throughout the academic year.[7]

The Cambridge campus has recently been redeveloped, which began with the refurbishment of Helmore, the main building on East Road, completed in 2006. In 2009, one of the University's largest buildings, Rackham, in the centre of the campus, was demolished to make way for the brand new Lord Ashcroft International Business School.

The Chelmsford Rivermead campus has also seen much development. The campus already housed the Queen's Building (opened in 1995) and the Sawyer's Building (opened in 2001). The Michael A Ashcroft Building opened in 2003; the Mildmay Sports Centre, and the Tindal Building, in 2005; the William Harvey Building in 2007; The Faculty Building (re-named The Marconi Building in 2011) in 2008; and the Postgraduate Medical Institute building, opened 2011. More minor developments include roadworks to incorporate Park & Ride buses on the site, and the redevelopment of the nearby Bishop Hall Mill Pond.[8][9]

Both the Cambridge and Chelmsford campuses have accommodation for students to live in during term-time.

Ruskin Gallery

The Ruskin Gallery is the University's public art gallery. Admission is free. Exhibits have included historic and contemporary art, as well as works by students and staff. The gallery is surrounded by fine art, illustration, design, and media studios.

Profile and reputation

Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in the East of England, and one of the largest providers of face-to-face part-time training in the country.

In the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008, 31% of Anglia Ruskin's submissions were rated as Internationally Excellent (3*) or World-Leading (4*), resulting in 86th place in the THES rankings, a 35 position improvement over 2001. Among the academic disciplines now rated World-Leading are Allied Health Professions & Studies; Art & Design; English Language & Literature; Geography & Environmental Studies; History; Music; Psychology; and Social Work & Social Policy & Administration.

Anglia Ruskin University was shortlisted for the Outstanding Employer Engagement Initiative Award at the Times Higher Education Awards 2008.[10]

Anglia Ruskin University was awarded a First in the Green League 2011 by People & Planet. The league is based on ten environmental criteria, both policy and performance related. It incorporates data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, including the percentage of waste recycled and CO2 emissions for each individual institution.

Anglia Ruskin University is ranked as the 949th best higher educational intitution by 4icu.org globally, and the 2486th best university in the world according to Webometrics.info. The primary purpose of this ranking is to promote Internet publication, including formal and informal communication, by supporting Open Access initiatives, electronic access to scientific publications and other academic material thus increasing the visibility of universities.

A recent investigation performed at the end of 2007 by the QAA reveal that as a result of its investigations, the audit team's view of Anglia Ruskin University is that confidence can reasonably be placed in the soundness of the institution's present and likely future management of the academic standards of the awards that it offers and the quality of the learning opportunities available to students.[11] However, an external inspection of the Education faculty revealed inadequacies in 2010. The areas highlighted were the effectiveness of the provision in securing high quality outcomes for trainees, and the extent to which the training and assessment ensures that all trainees progress to fulfil their potential given their ability and starting points.[12] The Faculty of Education was awarded 'satisfactory' grades by OFSTED in May 2011.

UK University Rankings
2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993
Times Good University Guide 107th 103rd[13] 106th[14] 104th[15] 87th[16] 94th=[17] 93rd 94th 92nd= 78th 73rd= 73rd= 67th 66th 67th 84th= 93rd 86th= 76th=
Guardian University Guide 84th[18] 83rd[18] 71st[19] 73rd[19] - 87th[20] 60th[21] 79th[22] 92nd[23]
Sunday Times University Guide 100th= 111th[24] 112th[25] 123rd 100th[26] 94th[27] 92nd[27] 112th[27] 107th[27] 107th[27] 87th[27] 82nd[27] 82nd[27]
Daily Telegraph 104th=[28] 81st
FT Good University Guide 91st[29] 83rd[30] 86th[31] 83rd[32]
Complete University Guide 106th=[33] DNR[34] 109th[35] 104th[35]

Partner organisations

Anglia Ruskin's official International College is Cambridge Ruskin International College (CRIC)[36] which is an Associate College of Anglia Ruskin University and is based on both campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford. It offers University Foundation, First Year Degree which is Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Undergraduate Pathway respectively. Students can gain entry into the many Master's degrees at the university via the Pre-Masters, Stage 1 of the Postgraduate Pathway.

Anglia Ruskin operates the Suffolk Anglia Ruskin University Centre at Belstead House in Ipswich, in conjunction with Suffolk County Council. The centre is for Suffolk teachers who wish to study for degrees at MA level in education, and has around 2400 students.[37]

In October 2009, Anglia Ruskin University and Peterborough Regional College opened the University Centre Peterborough. The centre offers foundation and degree programmes along with a number of post-graduate courses, and has 850 students.[38]

Anglia Ruskin also has UK partnerships with Amity Global Business School, London, BPP Learning Media, Cambridge Regional College, Cambridge Theological Federation, Chelmsford College, The College of West Anglia, Epping Forest College, Harlow College, Huntingdonshire Regional College, International Correspondence School Ltd, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, London College of Accountancy, London School of Marketing, London School of Osteopathy, SEEVIC College, St Helena Hospice, The Suffolk Postgraduate and Research Centre, South Essex College and WHCM.

Anglia Ruskin is also partnered with Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia in a student exchange programme.[39] This allows credits earned at one university to count towards the other's degree programmes. A similar agreement is in place with Valparaiso University in the United States and University of New Brunswick in Canada. It is also partnered with Amity Global Business School in India and Singapore, and SKANS School of Accountancy, Pakistan.[40]

Anglia Ruskin is also partnered with Universities in France, Germany and Spain within the Education faculty running an exchange, and welcomes Erasmus students.

Anglia Ruskin University is a founder member of the Cambridge Network.[41]

Notable alumni

Alumni include Pink Floyd members Syd Barrett and David Gilmour. Other alumni include Patricia Scotland (Baroness Scotland), Ronald Searle (creator of St Trinian's), Sean Terrington Wright, pioneer of free indie music, Harry Potter illustrator Thomas Taylor, Nicholas Crane, Australian architect Harry Seidler (Cambridge Polytechnic) Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft and BBC Sport's Manish Bhasin graduated in 1997 from Anglia Ruskin University with a degree in "Communication Studies with English". The founder of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, Lam Shan Muk, is also an alumnus of the CCAT.

Kafeel Ahmed, a terrorist in the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, was a research student in computational fluid dynamics at Anglia Ruskin.[42][43][44]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Anglia Ruskin University
  2. ^ "Cambridge Business News | Cambridgeshire Local Business & Corporate News". Cambridge-news.co.uk. http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2007/07/24/127d9b7c-7fda-456a-ad54-15f4171851ba.lpf. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  3. ^ "Anne Campbell (annecampbell.org.uk), Election". annecampbell.org.uk. 2005-05-06. http://www.annecampbell.org.uk/. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  4. ^ http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=19915
  5. ^ http://www.iankitching.me.uk/five_years/
  6. ^ http://web.anglia.ac.uk/chaplaincy/chelmsford/book/pdf/living_and_learning_web.pdf
  7. ^ http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/faculties/fst/departments/optometry/clinic.html
  8. ^ http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/new_spaces/chelmsford_campus.html
  9. ^ http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/microsites/new_spaces/2009_-_chelmsford.html
  10. ^ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/awards
  11. ^ "QAA Institutional Audit December 2007". Qaa.ac.uk. 2007-12-14. http://qaa.ac.uk/reviews/reports/institutional/AngliaRuskin08/summary.asp. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  12. ^ http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/download/%28id%29/119504/%28as%29/70000_343676.pdf
  13. ^ Naughton, Philippe. "The Times Good University Guide 2010". The Times (London). http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php. 
  14. ^ Naughton, Philippe. The Times (London). http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php. 
  15. ^ Naughton, Philippe. "The Times Good University Guide 2008". The Times (London). http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  16. ^ Naughton, Philippe. "The Times Good University Guide 2007 – Top Universities 2007 League Table". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,102571,00.html. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  17. ^ "The Times Top Universities". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,32607,00.html. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  18. ^ a b "University ranking by institution". The Guardian (London). 2010-06-08. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2010/jun/04/university-league-table. Retrieved 2010-11-22. 
  19. ^ a b "University ranking by institution". The Guardian (London). http://browse.guardian.co.uk/education?SearchBySubject=&FirstRow=29&SortOrderDirection=&SortOrderColumn=GuardianTeachingScore&Subject=University+ranking&Institution=. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  20. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian (London). http://browse.guardian.co.uk/education/2006?SearchBySubject=&FirstRow=20&SortOrderDirection=&SortOrderColumn=GuardianTeachingScore&Subject=Institution-wide&Institution=. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  21. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian (London). http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/table/0,,-5163901,00.html?start=40&index=3&index=3. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  22. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian (London). http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2004/table/0,,1222167,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  23. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian 2003 (University Guide 2004) (London). http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/unitable/0,,-4668575,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  24. ^ "The Sunday Times Good University Guide League Tables". The Sunday Times (London). http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php. 
  25. ^ "The Sunday Times University League Table". The Sunday Times (London). http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php. Retrieved 2008-10-08. 
  26. ^ "The Sunday Times University League Table" (PDF). The Sunday Times (London). http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug2006/stug2006.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-03. 
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h "University ranking based on performance over 10 years" (PDF). London: Times Online. 2007. http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/univ07ten.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-28. 
  28. ^ Archer, Graeme (30 July 2007). "University league table". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=HXFCSGXMNVABTQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/07/30/ncambs430.xml. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
  29. ^ "The FT 2003 University ranking". Financial Times 2003. http://www.grb.uk.com/448.0.html?cHash=5015838e9d&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=9&tx_ttnews%5Buid%5D=9. 
  30. ^ "FT league table 2001". FT league tables 2001. http://specials.ft.com/universities2001/FT3HLLAN6LC.html. 
  31. ^ "FT league table 1999-2000". FT league tables 1999-2000. http://specials.ft.com/ln/ftsurveys/industry/pdf/top100table.pdf. 
  32. ^ "FT league table 2000". FT league tables 2000. http://specials.ft.com/ln/ftsurveys/industry/scbbbe.htm. 
  33. ^ "The Complete University Guide". The Independent (London). 2010-05-20. http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=6477. Retrieved 2010-11-22. 
  34. ^ "The Complete University Guide 2010". Complete University Guide. http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/universities/. 
  35. ^ a b "The Independent University League Table". The Independent (London). 2008-04-24. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/the-main-league-table-2009-813839.html. Retrieved 2010-04-25. 
  36. ^ "Study in Cambridge | University Foundation, First Year Degree is Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the undergraduate pathway and Pre-Masters is Stage 1 of the Postgraduate Pathway of which the Master's is Stage 2. Cambridge Ruskin International College (CRIC)". Anglia.ac.uk. http://www.anglia.ac.uk/cric. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  37. ^ "Suffolk Anglia Ruskin University". Sapu.co.uk. http://www.sapu.co.uk/home.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  38. ^ University Centre Peterborough opening will ‘lift aspirations’ Anglia Ruskin University, 4 March 2010.
  39. ^ "Marshall Exchange Programs". Marshall.edu. http://www.marshall.edu/cip/?page_id=966. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  40. ^ "SKANS School of Acountancy". Skans.edu.pk. http://www.skans.edu.pk/foreign.php. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  41. ^ "Directory of Cambridge Network Members". Cambridgenetwork.co.uk. http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/aboutus/founder_members/. Retrieved 2010-07-26. 
  42. ^ James Sturcke and agencies (2007-07-06). "Glasgow suspect moved to burns unit". Guardian Unlimited (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2120240,00.html. Retrieved 2007-07-13. 
  43. ^ "Property searched in terror probe". BBC News. 2007-07-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6273818.stm. Retrieved 2007-07-12. 
  44. ^ Adam Lusher and Jasper Copping (2007-07-08). "Islamic charity linked to car bomb suspect". Sunday Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/08/nterr308.xml. Retrieved 2007-07-12. 

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