University College London has a long history, beginning in the early 19th century. UCL was founded on 11 February 1826,[1] under the name London University, as a secular alternative to the strictly religious universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It was founded from the beginning as a university, not a college or institute. However its founders encountered strong opposition from the Church of England, which prevented them from securing the Royal Charter that was necessary for the award of degrees, and it was not until 1836, when the latter-day University of London was established, that the college was legally recognised and granted the power to award degrees of the University of London.
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Whether or not UCL is actually the third oldest university in England is open to some debate. Within England, other higher education institutions can trace institutional ancestry before they were formed as universities; for example what is now the University of Nottingham can trace some elements back to 1798. However, Nottingham only received its Royal Charter (conferring university status) in 1948, making it much younger as a university. Conversely, King's College London (KCL) was founded after UCL, but received its Royal Charter before UCL, so arguably KCL is older. This is further confounded by the fact that technically neither UCL nor KCL are universities in their own right (though they are de facto), but colleges of the University of London. All that can really be said safely is that UCL was one of the early members of a rapid expansion of university institutions in the UK, which also included Durham University (founded by Act of Parliament in 1832). However UCL was certainly unique in that it was secular: Thomas Arnold referred to it as "that Godless institution in Gower Street".[2]
UCL was the first higher education institution in England to accept students of any race or religious or political belief.[3] It was possibly the first to accept women on equal terms with men (the University of Bristol also makes this claim — as both were admitting students to University of London degrees at the time, it is possible that this was a simultaneous action).[3]
UCL was the first in England to establish a students' union.[3] However men and women had separate unions until 1945.[4]
UCL was the first university to have professorships in chemical engineering, chemistry, Egyptology, electrical engineering, English, French, geography, German, Italian, papyrology, phonetics, psychology, and zoology, as well as the first chemistry department proper in England.[3]
In 1827, a year after the founding of UCL, construction of the Main Building began on the site of the old Carmarthen Square. The Octagon Building is a term used for the whole of the Main Building, but more appropriately for a central part of it. At the centerpiece of the building is an ornate dome, which is visible throughout the immediate area. The Octagon was designed by the Architect William Wilkins, who also designed the National Gallery. The original plans by Wilkins called for a U shaped enclosure around the Quad (square). These plans however were not completed until the 20th century. The Main Building was finally finished in 1985, 158 years since the foundations were laid, with a formal opening ceremony by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[4]
The philosopher and jurist Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) is often credited with being one of the founders of the University of London, the forerunner of today's University College London. This is not, in fact, true in the strictest sense. Bentham was eighty years of age when the new University opened its doors in 1828, and took no formal part in the direct campaign to bring it into being.[5]
The myth of his direct participation has been perpetuated in a mural by Henry Tonks, in the dome above the Flaxman gallery (by artist John Flaxman in the UCL Main Building. It shows William Wilkins, the architect of the main building, submitting the plans to Bentham for his approval while the portico is under construction in the background. This is however a myth.[5] Although Bentham played no direct part in the establishment of UCL, he still deserves to be considered as its spiritual father. Many of the founders, for example, James Mill, Henry Brougham and the Congregationalist benefactor Thomas Wilson, held him in high esteem, and their project embodied many of his ideas on education and society. Jeremy Bentham was a strong advocate for making higher education more widely available, and is often linked with the University's early adoption of a policy of making all courses available to people regardless of sex, religion or political beliefs.
A further reason for Jeremy Bentham's fame within UCL is because his body is on display to the public. Jeremy Bentham specified in his will that he wanted his body to be preserved as a lasting memorial to the university, and this instruction was duly carried out.[6] This 'Auto-Icon' has become famous. Unfortunately, when it came to preserving his head, the process went disastrously wrong and left the head badly disfigured. A wax head was made to replace it, but for many years the real head sat between his legs. At present the Auto-Icon sits in a wooden cabinet, at the end of the South Cloisters of the UCL Main Building.[7]
It is often claimed that King's College London students stole the head and played football with it. Although the head was indeed stolen, the football story is a myth which is denied by official UCL documentation about Bentham found next to his display case in the college cloisters. The head is now kept in the college vaults.[8] On another occasion, according to legend, the head, again stolen by students, was eventually found in a luggage locker at a Scottish Station (possibly Aberdeen).[9]
A testament to his eccentricity is the often repeated myth that the box containing his remains is wheeled into senior college meetings, and that he is then listed in minutes as 'present but not voting'. He is also said to have a vote on the College council, but only when the vote is split, and that he always votes in favour of the motion. When the Upper Refectory was refurbished in 2003, the room became renamed the Jeremy Bentham Room (sometimes abbreviated JBR) in tribute to the man.
In 1907 the University of London was reconstituted and many of the colleges, including UCL, lost their separate legal existence. This continued until 1977 when a new charter restored UCL's independence.
In 1973, UCL became the first international link to the ARPANET, the precursor of today's internet, sending the world's first electronic mail, or e-mail, in the same year. UCL was also one of the first universities in the world to conduct space research. It is the driving force of the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, managed by UCL's Department of Space and Climate Physics.
In August 1998 the medical school at UCL merged with the Royal Free Hospital Medical School to create the Royal Free and University College Medical School, renamed in October 2008 to the UCL Medical School. The medical school, together with the incorporation of several major postgraduate medical institutes (Institute of Child Health, Institute of Neurology, Eastman Dental Institute and the Institute of Ophthalmology) make UCL one of the leading centres for biomedical research in the world. Indeed, 65% of UCL's turnover resides within biomedicine .
10 Nobel Laureates in Physiology and Medicine either studied or carried out their research at UCL. UCL is particularly strong in cell biology, neuroscience, physiology, paediatrics, neurology and ophthalmology. UCL's strengths in biomedicine will be significantly augmented with the move of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) from Mill Hill to UCL. Founded in 1913 and the Medical Research Council's first and largest laboratory, its scientists have garnered five Nobel prizes. NIMR today employs over 700 scientists and has an annual budget of £27 million.
Even today UCL retains its strict secular position, and unlike most other UK universities has no designated Muslim prayer rooms. It has recently (2005) gained a Christian chaplaincy. Due to this, in general, secularistic attitude, UCL has also been known as "the godless institution of Gower Street". However, there is no restriction on religious groups among students, and a quiet room allows prayer for staff and students of all faiths. The very reason for secularity was that students of different denominations (specifically Catholics and Protestants) could study alongside each other without conflict.
In October 2002, a plan to merge UCL with Imperial College London was announced by both institutions. The merger was widely seen as a de facto takeover of UCL by Imperial College and was opposed by both staff and UCL Union, the students' union, as well as students in general; but what particularly angered many staff and students was the absence of consultation before the proposal was made . At an emergency meeting organised by University College London Union to discuss the merger and the union's stance on it, the then provost Sir Derek Roberts stormed out of the Bloomsbury Theatre, refusing to listen to a speaker who opposed the merger. He himself had just finished delivering a speech in favour . One month later after a vigorous campaign the merger was called off.
On 1 August 2003, Professor Malcolm Grant took the role of President and Provost (the principal of UCL), taking over from Sir Derek Roberts, who had been called out of retirement as a caretaker provost for the college. Shortly after Grant's inauguration, UCL began the 'Campaign for UCL' initiative, in 2004. It aimed to raise £300m from alumni and friends. This kind of explicit campaigning is traditionally unusual for UK universities, and is similar to US university funding. UCL had a financial endowment in the top ten among UK universities at £81m, according to the Sutton Trust (2002). Grant has also aimed to enhance UCL's global links, declaring UCL London's "Global University". Significant interactions with France's École Normale Supérieure, Columbia University, Caltech, New York University, University of Texas, Villanova University and universities in Osaka have developed during the first few years of his tenure as provost.
UCL applied to the Privy Council for the power to award degrees in its own right. This was granted in September 2005, and the first degrees were to be awarded in 2008.