Cranfield University

Cranfield University is a British postgraduate and research-based public university specialising in science, engineering, technology and management. It contains two campuses: the main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire, and the second is at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at Shrivenham, southwest Oxfordshire.^[5] The main campus is unique in the United Kingdom for having a semi-operational airport (Cranfield Airport) on campus. The airport facilities are used by Cranfield University's own aircraft in the course of aerospace teaching and research.

Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics in 1946, gained degree awarding powers as the Cranfield Institute of Technology in 1969 and became a university in its own right under its current name in 1993.^[2]

History

The new Vincent Building prior to official opening, May 2008, viewed from the library

College of Aeronautics (1946-1969)

Cranfield University was formed in 1946 as the College of Aeronautics, on the then Royal Air Force base of RAF Cranfield. A major role was played in the development of the college by Roxbee Cox, later Lord Kings Norton, who was appointed to be the first governor of the college in 1945 and then served as vice-chair and (from 1962) chair of the board. He led the drive for the college to diversify, with the Cranfield University School of Management being established in 1967, and petitioned successfully for a royal charter and degree awarding powers. When these were granted in 1969, he became the first chancellor of the Cranfield Institute of Technology, serving until 1997.^[6][7]

Cranfield Institute of Technology (1969-1993)

The Cranfield Institute of Technology was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1969, giving the institution its own degree-awarding powers.^[8]

In 1975 the National College of Agricultural Engineering, founded in 1963 at Silsoe, Bedfordshire, was merged with Cranfield and run as Silsoe College.^[9]

An academic partnership with the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS) at Shrivenham was formed in 1984. RMCS, whose roots can be traced back to 1772, is now a part of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and now forms the Defence College of Management and Technology, known as 'DCMT' and from 2009 as "Cranfield Defence and Security". RMCS became wholly postgraduate in c.2007 with undergraduate courses moved elsewhere.

Cranfield University (1993-present)

In 1993 the institution's Royal Charter was amended granting full university status under the name of Cranfield University.^[2] A decade later in 2003, Cranfield became wholly postgraduate and the Shrivenham site admitted its last undergraduates.^[10] In 2009 Silsoe College was closed and its activities were relocated to the main campus at Cranfield.^[9]

Location and campus

Cranfield

Shrivenham

London

Oxford

Cambridge

Location of Cranfield and Shrivenham campuses in England

Cranfield University Library

Cranfield campus is approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of central London and adjacent to the village of Cranfield,^[11] Bedfordshire. The nearest large towns are Milton Keynes and Bedford, the centres of which are both about 8 miles (13 km) away. Cambridge is about 30 miles (48 km) east.

Shrivenham is about 73 miles (117 km) west of London, adjacent to Shrivenham village, 7 miles (11 km) from the centre of the nearest town, Swindon, and around 23 miles (37 km) from Oxford.

Bedford, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Swindon all have fast rail services to central London terminuses, good access to the main motorway network and London Heathrow airport.

Technology Park

There are a number of companies located on the Cranfield University Technology Park ranging from large international companies to small start-ups. Major companies on the park include:

• The Nissan Technical Centre^[12] Europe, which designs and develops cars for the European market. The NTC Europe facility occupies 19,700 square metres (0.0076 square miles) of the Technology Park, representing an investment of £46m by Nissan.
• Invar Systems Limited,^[13] a major supplier of Warehouse Control Systems and Warehouse Management Systems to clients in the UK, Europe and USA. The company occupies modern air-conditioned offices with excellent facilities for clients and staff.
• Innovation Centre: the Technology Park is also the location for a large number of smaller companies.

Prior to 2016:

• Trafficmaster plc^[14] occupied a 10-acre (40,000 m²) site for its European Headquarters. A leading company in telematics, Trafficmaster's advanced technology enables cars and roads to be used more efficiently.

An extension to the Technology Park was completed in 2008. A new Aerospace Park on the north-eastern part of the campus is planned.

Organisation and governance

Schools

The academic schools are:

• School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing, known as SATM, incorporating the original College of Aeronautics, has a wide range of experimental research facilities for masters and doctoral students and commercial clients;
• School of Water, Energy and Environment, known as SWEE;
• School of Management, known as SoM;
• Cranfield Defence and Security, known as CDS, at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom's Shrivenham site (formerly the Defence College of Management and Technology/Royal Military College of Science).

Chancellors

• 1969–1997: Harold Roxbee Cox, Baron Kings Norton
• 1998–2010: Richard Vincent, Baron Vincent of Coleshill
• 2010–present: Baroness Young of Old Scone

Vice-Chancellors

• 1970–1989: Henry Chilver, Baron Chilver
• 1989–2006: Frank Robinson Hartley
• 2006–2013: Sir John (James) O'Reilly^[15][16]
• 2013–present: Sir Peter Gregson^[17]

Academic profile

The IMRC - Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre at Cranfield University is a project funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) undertaking research that addresses issues identified in the UK government’s High Value Manufacturing strategy.^[18]

Reputation and rankings

As the university is postgraduate, direct comparison with undergraduate institutions is difficult. Some key facts and figures are:

• Cranfield’s staff:student ratio is second among UK universities.^[20]
• Cranfield School of Management was ranked 3rd best European Business School within the UK and 13th within Europe in 2008.^[21] Its MBA is ranked 37th in the world according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (2013).^[22] The Financial Times ranked Cranfield's MBA 38th best in the world in 2013.^[23]
• Cranfield University was ranked 27th in the world for mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering by the QS World University Rankings in 2015.^[24]
• 54% of all aerospace engineering postgraduates and 25% of all agricultural and environmental sciences postgraduates in the UK graduate at Cranfield.^[20]
• Over 10% of the UK’s engineering and sciences PhDs are awarded by Cranfield.^[20]
• Cranfield has received the Queen's Anniversary Prize four times: in 2005 for Further and Higher Education for the Fellowship in Manufacturing Management (FMM) programme; in 2007 for its role in humanitarian demining;^[25] in 2011 for contribution to aviation safety through research and training in accident investigation;^[26] and in 2015 for its work in water and sanitation.^[27]
• Students on Cranfield's Global Security programme were awarded the Imbert Prize in 2006,^[28] 2008^[29] and 2009^[30] for the development of ideas for the advancement of risk and security management in the UK.

Student life

Cranfield Students Association (CSA) is the students' union and runs the main student bar, cafe and shop on the Cranfield campus. Ali Alderete Peralta is the President of Cranfield Students Association for 2017/2018.

Gallery

• 
  Staff, honorary graduates and dignitaries, Shrivenham graduation 2003
• 
  C4D Building, the Centre for Creative Competitive Design, opened 2010
• 
  Army helicopter display team, graduation 2004
• 
  RAF Red Arrows display team, Shrivenham graduation, July 2003
• 
  The new Vincent Building's interior, June 2008
• 
  Lanchester Hall
• 
  Kent House

See also

• Cranfield University campus maps - updated 2016
• Academics of Cranfield University
• Alumni of Cranfield University
• Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements
• Royal School of Military Survey
• Cranfield Institute
• Cranfield experiments
• Map sources for Cranfield University

References

Further reading

• Barker, Revel (1996). Field of Vision; Cranfield University: the first fifty years. Cranfield University Press. ISBN 1-871315-60-3. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cranfield University.

• Cranfield University website
• Cranfield Technology Park
• Cranfield Students Association

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Coordinates: 52°04′24″N 00°37′40″W / 52.07333°N 0.62778°W / 52.07333; -0.62778