Lancaster University
Encyclopedia
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...

, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

 in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at Bailrigg
Bailrigg
Bailrigg is a village in Lancashire, England. The University of Lancaster campus is situated in Bailrigg, and the student radio station Bailrigg FM is named after the village.-Campus:...

 in 1968. Lancaster expanded rapidly and now has the 11th highest research quality in the UK and is the 16th highest ranking research institution according to the latest Research Assessment Exercise
Research Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions...

. The university has an annual income of £177 million, 3,025 staff and 12,695 students. Along with the universities of Durham
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...

, Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

, Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...

, Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...

, Newcastle, Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...

 and York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...

, Lancaster is a member of the N8 Group
N8 Group
The N8 Group consists of the eight most research-intensive universities in northern England. Rather than being a lobbying group , it is a research partnership intended to enhance collaboration between the universities in the group...

 of research universities. Lancaster was ranked 7th in the 2012 Guardian University Guide, 9th in the 2012 Complete University Guide, 8th in the Times Higher Education Table and 9th in the 2012 Good University Guide. It was also ranked 124th internationally in THE World University Rankings 2011 and 153rd in the 2011 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....

.

Lancaster is a collegiate
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 university, with its main functions divided between four central faculties and nine colleges. The faculties perform research and provide centralised lectures to students; colleges are responsible for the domestic arrangements and welfare of undergraduates, graduates, post-doctoral researchers and some university staff.

History

After the Second World War higher education became an important concern of government as it tried to cope with the demands of an expanding population and the advent of a new technological age. Between 1958 and 1961 seven new plate glass universities
Plate glass university
The term plate glass university has come into use by some to refer to one of the several universities founded in the United Kingdom in the 1960s in the era of the Robbins Report on higher education. In some cases these were older schools with new Royal Charters, now making them universities...

 were announced including Lancaster.

The university was established by Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

 in 1964. The charter stipulated that
HRH
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...

 Princess Alexandra of Kent
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...

 be the first Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....

. She was inaugurated in 1964. The ceremony also saw the granting of various honorary degrees to dignitaries including Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...

. Princess Alexandra retired as Chancellor in 2004 and was the longest serving chancellor of any British university. On her departure, she gave approval for a Chancellor's Medal to be awarded for academic merit to the highest-performing undergraduates and postgraduates. Each year presentations are made to up to five graduates of taught masters' courses, and up to six to the highest-performing undergraduates.

The university accepted its first students in October 1964 and there were initially 13 professors, 32 additional members of teaching and research staff, 8 library staff and 14 administrators on academic grades. The motto, "patet omnibus veritas", (Truth lies open to all), was adopted. The first science students were admitted in 1965.

The university was temporarily based in the city. A lecture theatre and the university's first Junior Common Room were based in Centenary Church, a former congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....

 beside the old factory premises of Waring & Gillow, which were used to accommodate the new students. Many new students were housed in Morecambe
Morecambe
Morecambe is a resort town and civil parish within the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. As of 2001 it has a resident population of 38,917. It faces into Morecambe Bay...

. The Grand Theatre was leased as a main lecture room and 112 and 114 in the St Leonard's Gate area became teaching and recreational rooms. The library occupied the old workshops of Shrigley and Hunt on Castle Hill.

List of Chancellors

  • HRH
    Royal Highness
    Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...

     Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy
    Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
    Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...

     LG
    Order of the Garter
    The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...

     GCVO
    Royal Victorian Order
    The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

     DMus
    Doctor of Music
    The Doctor of Music degree , like other doctorates, is an academic degree of the highest level. The D.Mus. is intended for musicians and composers who wish to combine the highest attainments in their area of specialization with doctoral-level academic study in music...

    (1964–2004)
  • Sir Christian Bonington
    Chris Bonington
    Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CVO, CBE, DL is a British mountaineer.His career has included nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.-Early life and expeditions:Educated at University College School in...

     CBE
    Order of the British Empire
    The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

    (2005–present)

List of Vice-Chancellors

  • Professor Sir Charles Carter
    Charles Frederick Carter
    Professor Sir Charles Frederick Carter was an academic known primarily for his role as the founding Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University....

     (1964–1980)
  • Professor Philip Reynolds CBE (1980–1985)
  • Professor Harry Hanham (1985–1995)
  • Professor William Ritchie OBE (1995–2002)
  • Professor Paul Wellings
    Paul Wellings (Lancaster University)
    Professor Paul William Wellings is an English ecologist and academic administrator. He is the current Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University, Chair of the 1994 Group of smaller research-intesive universities and is a member of the Board of the Higher Education Funding Council for England.Born in...

     (incumbent)
  • Professor Mark Smith (from January 2012)

Colleges

All members of the university are members of a college. Most colleges have about eight or nine hundred members and all on-campus accommodation is linked to a college. The colleges are governed by a "syndicate". The syndicate structures vary, but all include a Principal, a Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...

 and assistant deans.

The university has eight undergraduate colleges, seven of which are named after regions of the traditional county
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

 of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, with County College named after the Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...

 which provided the funds.
Name Foundation Website Named after
Bowland College
Bowland College
Bowland College is the oldest and, traditionally, smallest constituent college of Lancaster University. It celebrated its 40th anniversary in November 2004. The College was named after the Forest of Bowland, to the east of Lancaster...

1964 Website Forest of Bowland
Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...

Cartmel College
Cartmel College
Cartmel College, University of Lancaster, UK was founded in 1968. It is named after the Cartmel peninsula of "Lancashire north of the sands" which was once known as The Land of Cartmel. The college buildings were originally sited at the north end of the university's Bailrigg campus and extended in...

1968 Website Cartmel
Cartmel
Cartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, situated north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. Historically it was in Lancashire; boundary changes brought it into the newly created county of Cumbria in 1974, yet keeping it within the boundaries of the traditional County Palatine...

 peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

The County College
The County College
The County College, mostly known as County College, is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster. The establishment of the college was financed through the benefaction of Lancashire County Council and it is named after it...

1967 Website Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It currently consists of 84 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, who won control of the council in the local council elections in June 2009, ending 28 years of...

Furness College
Furness College, Lancaster University
Furness College is a college of the University of Lancaster. In 1968, due to the continued growth of the university the University Council established a shadow syndicate for the fifth college - Furness. The main college building was completed in 1969, whilst the residences first accommodated...

1966 Website Furness
Furness
Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....

 region
Fylde College
Fylde College
Fylde College is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster, in Lancashire, England. The college was the sixth of the university’s colleges. Construction of the college buildings began in 1968 and the college began accepting students in 1969. The College officially opened in 1971 and will...

1968 Website Fylde peninsula
Graduate College
Graduate College
Graduate College is the only college in Lancaster University to take postgraduate students rather than undergraduates. Until its creation in 1992 each of the other eight colleges also took postgraduates. The university had a lot of success in postgraduate work, and it was felt postgraduates should...

1992 Website Status as a postgraduate college
Grizedale College
Grizedale College
Grizedale College is a college of the University of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. The college is named after the Grizedale Forest area of Lancashire North of the Sands. When it was built it was situated at the southern extremity of the Bailrigg campus...

1975 Website Grizedale Forest
Grizedale Forest
Grizedale Forest is a 24.47 km² area of woodland in the Lake District of North West England, located to the east of Coniston Water and to the south of Hawkshead. It comprises a number of hills, small tarns and the settlements of Grizedale and Satterthwaite...

Lonsdale College
Lonsdale College
Lonsdale College is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster, UK. It was one of the two founding colleges, built when the university first opened in 1964. It is also one of the largest colleges on campus in terms of Junior Common Room membership, with over 1,200 JCR members...

1964 Website Lune Valley (Lonsdale
Lonsdale (hundred)
Lonsdale was a hundred of Lancashire, England. For many decades, it covered most of the northwestern part of Lancashire around Morecambe Bay, including the detached part around Furness, and the city of Lancaster....

)
Pendle College
Pendle College
Pendle College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Lancaster. Founded in 1974, the college is named after the Pendle region of the east of Lancashire, which is dominated by Pendle Hill. The term "Pendle" is associated with a great deal of fantasy and legend...

1974 Website Pendle
Pendle
Pendle is a local government district and borough of Lancashire, England. It adjoins the Lancashire boroughs of Burnley and Ribble Valley, the North Yorkshire district of Craven and the West Yorkshire districts of Calderdale and the City of Bradford...

 region


The college buildings accommodate a number of academic departments, but are primarily social and accommodation facilities, each with its own bar and Junior Common Room. A selling-point of the university is that the colleges are more than mere halls of residence, offering a sense of community. Lancaster's organisation differs from that of Oxford, Cambridge and Durham: while Lancaster's students are allocated a college after stating a preference, the latter three universities employ an application system by which a prospective undergraduate must apply directly to a specific college.

Chancellors Wharf

Chancellors Wharf is the name of Lancaster University's off-campus accommodation for students. It consists of three buildings by the Lancaster canal on Aldcliffe Road. The location is near "The Water Witch" pub, B&Q, central bus routes, Lancaster Royal infirmary
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

 and the city centre. It is open to members of all of the University's colleges. Residents remain members of their various colleges, with Chancellors Wharf itself being only a hall of residence.

Faculties

The four faculties are:
  • Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences comprises the School of Law and the departments of Applied Social Science; Educational research; English and Creative Writing; European Languages and Cultures; History; Linguistics and English Language; PPR (Politics, Philosophy & Religion) and Sociology, the Institutes for Cultural Research; for Health Research; LICA (Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts) for Art, Design, Film, Music & Theatre Studies and the Ruskin centre.


  • The School of Health and Medicine has partnerships with other departments such as neuroscience (Psychology), medical ethics (Law), NHS leadership (Management School), disability studies (Applied Social Science) and environment and health (Lancaster Environment Centre).

  • Faculty of Science and Technology comprises Biological Sciences; Engineering; Lancaster Environment Centre (including Environmental Sciences; Geography; and Biology); Mathematics and Statistics; Natural Sciences; Physics; Psychology and the School of Health and Medicine, and School of Computing and Communications

  • Faculty of Management (Lancaster University Management School
    Lancaster University Management School
    Lancaster University Management School in Lancaster, England, is the business school of Lancaster University. The School was established in 1964. A full range of subjects are taught, ranging from undergraduate degrees to postgraduate degrees including MBAs, PhDs and post-experience executive...

    ) comprises Accounting and Finance; Economics; Management Learning and Leadership; Management Science; Marketing and Organisation, Work and Technology; the Institute for Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development and the centres for e-Science; for Excellence in Leadership (CEL); for the Study of Technology & Organisation (CSTO); International Centre for Research in Accounting (ICRA); Lancaster Centre for Forecasting (LCF); Lancaster Centre for Strategic Management; Lancaster China Management Centre (LCMC); Lancaster Leadership Centre (LLC), Health Leadership Centre (HLC) and Centre for Performance-Led HR (CPHR).

School of Health and Medicine

The Centre for Medical Education co-ordinates medical and health-related activity across the university. It collaborates with the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...

, the University of Central Lancashire
University of Central Lancashire
The University of Central Lancashire is a university based in Preston, Lancashire, England.The university has its roots in The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge which was founded in 1828. In 1992 it was granted University status by the Privy Council...

 and the University of Cumbria
University of Cumbria
The University of Cumbria is a university in Cumbria, England. Its headquarters are in Carlisle. and other major campuses are at Lancaster, Ambleside and Penrith. It was established in 2007, with roots extending back to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts established in 1822 and...

 to establish undergraduate medical education in north Lancashire and Cumbria. Around 50 undergraduate medical students are enrolled each year for an MBChB degree of the University of Liverpool. Teaching is however in Cumbria and north Lancashire.

Bailrigg

The purpose-built campus occupies Bailrigg
Bailrigg
Bailrigg is a village in Lancashire, England. The University of Lancaster campus is situated in Bailrigg, and the student radio station Bailrigg FM is named after the village.-Campus:...

, a 200 acre (0.312500276304357 sq mi; 0.809372 km²) site donated by Lancaster City Council
City of Lancaster
The City of Lancaster , is a local government district of Lancashire, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Morecambe, Heysham, and Carnforth, as well as...

 in 1963. The campus buildings are located on a hilltop, the lower slopes of which are landscaped parkland which includes the "Carter Lake" duckpond and the university playing field
Playing field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...

s. The site is three miles (5 km) south of the city centre. The campus buildings are arranged around a central walkway
Walkway
In US English, a walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. These include sidewalks, footbridges, stiles, stairs, ramps, paseos or tunnels...

 known as "The Spine". The walkway runs from north to south and is covered for most of its length. The main architect was Gabriel Epstein of Shepeard and Epstein., on a barren hilltop on a windswept day in 1963 the two architectural partners surveyed the future site of the university, Peter Shepeard recalled that day: 'We went up there on a windy day, and it was freezing cold. Every time we opened a plan it blew away. And we said Christ! What are we going to do with these students, where are they going to sit in the sun and all that? Well, we decided, it's got to be cloisters. All of the buildings have got to touch at the ground. We then devised this system and it had an absolutely firm principle: it had a great spine down the middle where everybody walked. That led everywhere. The cars were on the outside, on both sides. When you came into the spaces things were square, they were rectangular courtyards and they were all slightly different. There were two or three essentials: one was that the covered way had to be continuous, the buildings had to be three or four storeys high and connecting to the next one. I thought it worked very well.' In contrast to some of the other campus universities, Bailrigg was designed to integrate social, residential and teaching areas. Another major feature of the design was that there would not be a large central Students' Union building, but that the individual colleges would be the centre of social and recreational facilities. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic is separated: this is achieved by restricting motor vehicles to a peripheral road with a linking underpass running east-west beneath Alexandra Square. The underpass accommodates the Bailrigg bus station and was refurbished in autumn 2010. Car parking is arranged in cul-de-sacs running off the peripheral road.
Construction of the Bailrigg campus began in November 1965, with the first building completed a year later. The first on-campus student residences opened in 1968. Alexandra Square is the University's main plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...

.

Named after the first chancellor, HRH
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style ; plural Royal Highnesses...

 Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...

, it is situated at the centre of the original campus and contains the library in the south-west corner, designed in 1964 by Tom Mellor and Partners, the first phase opening in September 1966, the second in July 1968 and the third in January 1971. The library was extended in 1997 and in 1998 the Ruskin Library
Ruskin Library
The Ruskin Library is a library of the University of Lancaster which houses the Whitehouse Collection of material relating to the English poet, author and artist John Ruskin and his circle. This collection was formed by John Howard Whitehouse, Liberal Member of Parliament...

 designed by Sir Richard MacCormac was opened. On the west side of the square is University House as well as various banks and shops. To the south-east of the square is the tallest building on campus: the fourteen-story Bowland Tower, which contains accommodation and disguises the boiler room chimney.

One of the most distinctive of the Bailrigg buildings is the free-standing University Chaplaincy Centre
Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre
Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre, on the campus of Lancaster University in the United Kingdom is a unique building bringing together the many faith groups represented on the campus and in the wider community...

. Opened on 2 May 1969, the architects were the Preston-based firm Cassidy & Ashton. The building has a trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...

 plan with a central spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....

 where the three circles meet. The university's logo is based on the spire. A plan existed to have a twin campus with another eight colleges to the east of the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...

 at Hazelrigg. this would have been linked to Bailrigg by a flyover. The plan was abandoned in the 1970s during a period of financial difficulties.

Major projects

New accommodation blocks for Furness
Furness College, Lancaster University
Furness College is a college of the University of Lancaster. In 1968, due to the continued growth of the university the University Council established a shadow syndicate for the fifth college - Furness. The main college building was completed in 1969, whilst the residences first accommodated...

 and Fylde
Fylde College
Fylde College is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster, in Lancashire, England. The college was the sixth of the university’s colleges. Construction of the college buildings began in 1968 and the college began accepting students in 1969. The College officially opened in 1971 and will...

 colleges, on the east side of campus, were completed in September 2006, while the near complete rebuilding of Grizedale College
Grizedale College
Grizedale College is a college of the University of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. The college is named after the Grizedale Forest area of Lancashire North of the Sands. When it was built it was situated at the southern extremity of the Bailrigg campus...

 and construction of further accommodation for The County College
The County College
The County College, mostly known as County College, is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster. The establishment of the college was financed through the benefaction of Lancashire County Council and it is named after it...

 at the northern edge of campus was completed in Summer 2008. Phase 5 of the residence plan began with the refurbishment of the County Main
The County College
The County College, mostly known as County College, is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster. The establishment of the college was financed through the benefaction of Lancashire County Council and it is named after it...

 building in early 2008. The aim of Phase 5 is to regenerate older accommodation in the University and will continue into 2009 with the refurbishment of much of Bowland College
Bowland College
Bowland College is the oldest and, traditionally, smallest constituent college of Lancaster University. It celebrated its 40th anniversary in November 2004. The College was named after the Forest of Bowland, to the east of Lancaster...

. The Lancaster University Masterplan 2007–2017 envisions improved access across the University with enhanced greenery and the construction of 27 new buildings, which will be largely for academic use. It will cost an estimated £450 million and construction has already been completed on the Information System Services building as well as social space for Grizedale College
Grizedale College
Grizedale College is a college of the University of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. The college is named after the Grizedale Forest area of Lancashire North of the Sands. When it was built it was situated at the southern extremity of the Bailrigg campus...

. In the academic year 2008–2009 work began on a new Management School
Lancaster University Management School
Lancaster University Management School in Lancaster, England, is the business school of Lancaster University. The School was established in 1964. A full range of subjects are taught, ranging from undergraduate degrees to postgraduate degrees including MBAs, PhDs and post-experience executive...

 building, a £21 million sports centre and a new LICA (Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts) building.

South-west campus

The university began expansion onto the lower slopes of Bailrigg with the development of new buildings for Graduate College
Graduate College
Graduate College is the only college in Lancaster University to take postgraduate students rather than undergraduates. Until its creation in 1992 each of the other eight colleges also took postgraduates. The university had a lot of success in postgraduate work, and it was felt postgraduates should...

 in 1998. The is now part of "South-west Campus". Development continued with the construction of "InfoLab 21" and "Alexandra Park" which now houses Lonsdale College
Lonsdale College
Lonsdale College is a constituent college of the University of Lancaster, UK. It was one of the two founding colleges, built when the university first opened in 1964. It is also one of the largest colleges on campus in terms of Junior Common Room membership, with over 1,200 JCR members...

, Cartmel College
Cartmel College
Cartmel College, University of Lancaster, UK was founded in 1968. It is named after the Cartmel peninsula of "Lancashire north of the sands" which was once known as The Land of Cartmel. The college buildings were originally sited at the north end of the university's Bailrigg campus and extended in...

 and the en-suite rooms of Pendle College
Pendle College
Pendle College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Lancaster. Founded in 1974, the college is named after the Pendle region of the east of Lancashire, which is dominated by Pendle Hill. The term "Pendle" is associated with a great deal of fantasy and legend...

.

The decision to expand onto what is now known as south-west campus was met with protests that it would drive up accommodation prices, both on and off campus. Other complaints were that the site was greenfield, with residents of nearby Galgate
Galgate
Galgate is a village in the City of Lancaster, just south of Lancaster University, and about south of Lancaster itself in the English county of Lancashire.-Etymology:...

 being worried about "the impact of the new buildings", flooding of the local area due to increased run-off from the site and increased traffic flow on the A6 and other local roads. The development of InfoLab 21 also met objections with the proposed building being described as a "Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...

 factory". Another concern related to the limited amount of new social space. The older accommodation sometimes consisted of approximately 15 students sharing communal bathrooms and kitchens. The communal kitchens were often a source of social interaction, while the new en-suite areas have fewer students per kitchen, and private bathrooms.

Services

The Bailrigg campus hosts a range of shops and services. Services on campus include Bailrigg post office, Barclays Bank, NatWest Bank, UNI TRAVEL (a travel agent which sells rail and bus tickets), a health centre, a pharmacy and a dental practice. Shops on campus include a SPAR
SPAR
Spar , trades from approximately 12400 stores in 34 countries worldwide and is the world's largest independent voluntary retail trading chain. Spar was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by retailer Adriaan Van Well and now, through its affiliate organisations, operates through most European...

 supermarket, LUSU Shop, LUSU Central (a small supermarket), a charity shop
Charity shop
A charity shop, thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop , resale shop or op shop is a retail establishment run by a charitable organization to raise money.Charity shops are a type of social enterprise...

, the proceeds of which go to Cancer Care and St. Johns Hospice, Waterstone's
Waterstone's
Waterstone's is a British book specialist established in 1982 by Tim Waterstone that employs around 4,500 staff throughout the United Kingdom and Europe....

 bookshop, a newsagent, and an ice cream parlour.

Cultural venues

Within the university's Great Hall complex (at the north end of campus) there are three venues open to student and the public these are; Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster International Concert Series and the Nuffield Theatre. In 2009 the University combined these three organisations into one, initially termed 'The Public Arts' with Matt Fenton appointed as Director of the Public Arts. In 2010 the term Public Arts was dropped and the combined organisation was renamed as Live at LICA.

The Peter Scott
Peter Scott
Sir Peter Markham Scott, CH, CBE, DSC and Bar, MID, FRS, FZS, was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer and sportsman....

 Gallery is open to the public free of charge. The Gallery is located on the Bailrigg campus and houses the University's international art collection, which includes Japanese and Chinese art, antiquities, works by twentieth century British artists including works by artists from the St Ives School
St Ives School
The St Ives School refers to a group of artists living and working in the Cornish town of St Ives.-History:The town became a magnet for artists following the extension to West Cornwall of the Great Western Railway in 1877...

, Sir Terry Frost
Terry Frost
Sir Terry Frost RA was an English artist noted for his abstracts....

, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham CBE was one of the foremost British abstract artists, a member of the influential Penwith Society of Arts.-Life:...

, Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth
Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...

 and William Scott
William Scott (artist)
William Scott was a British artist known for still life and abstract painting. He is the most internationally celebrated of 20th century Ulster painters.-Early life and education:...

. Among other British artists whose work is represented are Norman Adams, Patrick Caulfield
Patrick Caulfield
Patrick Joseph Caulfield, CBE, RA was an English painter and printmaker known for his bold canvases, which often incorporated elements of Photorealism within a pared down scene.-Life and work:...

, Elizabeth Frink, Kenneth Martin
Kenneth Martin
Kenneth Martin was an English painter and sculptor who along with his wife Mary Martin and Victor Pasmore was a leading figure in the revival of Constructivism in Britain and America in the 1940s....

 and Winifred Nicholson
Winifred Nicholson
Winifred Nicholson was an English painter, a colourist who developed a personalized impressionistic style that concentrated on domestic subjects and landscapes. In her work, the two motifs are often combined in a view out of a window, featuring flowers in a vase or a jug.Nicholson was born in...

. Within the last fifteen years works by Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy, OBE is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.-Life and career:The son of F...

, Peter Howson
Peter Howson
Peter Howson OBE is a Scottish painter. He was an official war artist in the 1993 Bosnian Civil War.Peter Howson was born in London and moved with his family to Prestwick, Ayrshire, when Howson was aged four...

 and Albert Irvin have been acquired. The university collection also includes prints by significant European artists such as Dürer, Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...

, Ernst
Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was one of the primary pioneers of the Dada movement and Surrealism.-Early life:...

 and Vasarely.

Lancaster International Concert Series is the main provider of classical music in north Lancashire and Cumbria. Concerts are held within the Great Hall. Between October and March each year the series offers a varied diet of music which includes: orchestral concerts, chamber music, events for young people, jazz, family concerts and world music.

The Nuffield Theatre, a black-box theatre, is one of the largest and most adaptable professional studio theatres in Europe. It presents public performances in the fields of theatre, contemporary dance and live art from some of the best-known and respected companies from the UK and abroad. The focus of the work is new and experimental practice, a focus it shares with many of the teaching and research interest of Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA). The Nuffield presents up to 30 visiting professional shows a year, plus public performances by students from Theatre Studies, and the University’s student theatre and dance societies and a range of local community organisations.

The Ruskin Library
Ruskin Library
The Ruskin Library is a library of the University of Lancaster which houses the Whitehouse Collection of material relating to the English poet, author and artist John Ruskin and his circle. This collection was formed by John Howard Whitehouse, Liberal Member of Parliament...

 houses archive material related to the poet, author and artist John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...

. It is open to the public, although only a small part of the collection is on public display at once. The building was constructed in 1997 by architect Richard MacCormac. The Whitehouse Collection housed in the Ruskin Library is the largest holding of books, manuscripts, photographs, drawings and watercolours by and related to John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...

 in the world.

Reputation and rankings

In the 2011 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....

, Lancaster University was ranked 153rd moving up 28 positions from 2010. In April 2008, Lancaster was ranked 10th in the UK in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

 Good University Guide 2009
. In 2007, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...

named Lancaster the top university in the north-west of England. Lancaster is also currently top in the North-West of England in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

 and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

 university guides. Lancaster University Management School
Lancaster University Management School
Lancaster University Management School in Lancaster, England, is the business school of Lancaster University. The School was established in 1964. A full range of subjects are taught, ranging from undergraduate degrees to postgraduate degrees including MBAs, PhDs and post-experience executive...

 is, along with London Business School
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...

 one of only two 6* Management Schools in the UK. THE World University Rankings 2011 placed Lancaster 124th in the World and 31st for Arts and Humanities. The average entry standard at Lancaster is around 410 UCAS points, which is the equivalent of AAAb at A Level.
UK University Rankings
League tables of British universities
Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom are published annually by The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times and The Times...

2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996
Times Good University Guide 9th 10th 23rd 19th 27th 21st 30th 24th 21st 21st 23rd 19th 19th 14th 16th 12th 17th=
Guardian University Guide 7th 6th 16th 12th 23rd 34th 34th 58th 51st 18th 19th 8th
Sunday Times University Guide 18th 19th 18th 18th 21st 28th 24th 27th 15th 15th 14th 19th 15th 15th
The Independent / Complete 9th 8th 12th 10th 19th
The Daily Telegraph 19th 10th 12th=
FT 25th 26th 27th 28rd

Clubs and societies

There are many different clubs and societies operating within the University of Lancaster. Common areas include sports, hobbies, politics and religion. There are several fairs during the freshers period in which various clubs and societies promote themselves.

Bailrigg FM
Bailrigg FM
Bailrigg FM is the radio station for Lancaster University, operating in a music radio format predominantly featuring indie music. During evening and weekend hours programming moves to specialist content where the presenter is free to play whatever they wish...

 is the student radio station and Lancaster University Cinema is the student union's on-campus cinema, based in Bowland College
Bowland College
Bowland College is the oldest and, traditionally, smallest constituent college of Lancaster University. It celebrated its 40th anniversary in November 2004. The College was named after the Forest of Bowland, to the east of Lancaster...

 Lecture Theatre.

Sport

Every summer term the students take part in the Roses Tournament
Roses Tournament
The Roses Tournament is an annual sports competition between Lancaster University and the University of York in England. It is organised by their respective Students' Unions, YUSU and LUSU. It takes its name from the 15th Century civil war, The Wars of the Roses, between the House of Lancaster...

 against the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...

. The venue of the event alternates annually between Lancaster and York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...

. As of 2010, York has won the tournament 23 times to Lancaster's 22, with one tie. Other sporting activities are focused on inter-college competition rather than on national leagues. The colleges compete for the Carter Shield and the George Wyatt Cup. In 2004 the Founder's Trophy was played for the first time between the university's two founding colleges, Bowland and Lonsdale. The university also has a representitve club, Furness Rovers, in division 2 of the North Lancashire and District Football League
North Lancashire and District Football League
The North Lancashire and District Football League is a football competition based in England...

.

Religious groups

The Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre
Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre
Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre, on the campus of Lancaster University in the United Kingdom is a unique building bringing together the many faith groups represented on the campus and in the wider community...

 is located at the north end of campus and the mosque and Islamic Prayer Room, also open to non-Muslims, is located near InfoLab21. There are Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Bahá'í and Pagan societies which hold regular events and meetings.

Lancaster University Students' Union

Lancaster University Students' Union ("LUSU") is the representative body of students at the university. Unusually, there is no main union building – instead the union is organised through the eight college JCRs
Common Room (university)
In some universities in the United Kingdom — particularly collegiate universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and Durham — students and the academic body are organised into common rooms...

, each of which has its own social venues and meeting spaces. The union is, however, allocated an administration building by the university. Scan is the Students' Union newspaper. LUSU owns a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...

 in Lancaster called The Sugarhouse, operates two shops on the campus on LUSU Shop and LUSU Central and also an off campus housing agency LUSU Living.

List of LUSU Presidents

2011–2012: George Gardiner

2010–2011: Robbie Pickles

2008–2010: Michael Payne

2007–2008: Tim Roca

2006–2007: Sooz Palmer

2005–2006: Dwayne Branch

2004–2005: Matt Freeman

2003–2004: Warren Nettleford

2002–2003: Liam Danby

2001–2002: Trish McGrath

2000–2001: Huw Owen

1999–2000: Rob Massy

1998–1999: Mark Elkins

1997–1998: Guy McEvoy

1996–1997: Lee Devlin

1995–1996: Liz Matthews

1994–1995: Paul McGreal

1993–1994: Sarah Carpenter

1992–1993: Rob Killeen

1991–1992: Rhys Newland

1990–1991: Brendan Crawford

1989–1990: Grant Morffew

1988–1989: Simon Ashley

1987–1988: Alun Branigan

1986–1987: Brendad Doyle

1985–1986: David Mainwaring

1984–1985: Robert Newton

1983–1984: Bernard J. Hughes

1982–1983: Kevan. A Collins

1981–1982: Alan Ferns

1980–1981: Alastair J. Gordon

1979–1980: Kevin. L Cook

1977–1978: Stephen. L.L Randall

1976–1977: Margaret R. Gallagher

1975–1976: Victor J. Adereth

1974–1975: Richard M. Soper

1973–1974: Simon Westerman

1972–1973: Jeremy J.H Drew

1971–1972: Michael Murray

1970–1971: Timothy Hamlett

1969–1970: Steven Westacott, Scott Harrison, Robert Bond

1968–1969: Peter Naughton

1967–1968: Alan. M Reid

Visitor

The Visitor of the University of Lancaster is Her Majesty
Majesty
Majesty is an English word derived ultimately from the Latin maiestas, meaning "greatness".- Origin :Originally, during the Roman republic, the word maiestas was the legal term for the supreme status and dignity of the state, to be respected above everything else...

 The Queen. The visitor is the final arbiter of any dispute within the university, except in those areas where legislation has removed this to the law courts or other ombudsmen
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...

. Student complaints and appeals were heard by the visitor until the Higher Education Act 2004 came into force. All student complaints are now heard by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education
Office of the Independent Adjudicator
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education is a body that handles students' complaints against universities within England and Wales Higher Education...

.

Council

The Council of Lancaster University is the governing body, consisting of mainly lay members along with representatives of staff and students. It is responsible for the proper management and financial solvency of the university, with major policy decisions and corporate strategy being subject to its approval.

Senate

The Senate of Lancaster University is the principal academic authority. It oversees academic management and sets strategy and priorities, including the curriculum and maintenance of standards.

George Fox Six controversy

The "George Fox Six" were six members of the local community, including university students, who were prosecuted for aggravated trespass
Trespass
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels and trespass to land.Trespass to the person, historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, mayhem, and maiming...

 during a corporate venturing meeting at the university in September 2004. Speakers at the conference were drawn from one of the largest companies in the north west. The protesters criticised these companies for involvement in the arms trade and the abuse of human rights and the environment. The six protesters entered a lecture theatre in the university's George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...

 building and their supporters say this was to hand out leaflets and engage delegates of the conference. The university says their aim was to aggressively disrupt the conference. On 30 September 2005, the six were found guilty of Aggravated Trespass
Trespass
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels and trespass to land.Trespass to the person, historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, mayhem, and maiming...

: specifically of intending to disrupt the conference and were ordered to each pay £300 costs and were given a two year conditional discharge
Conditional discharge
A discharge is a type of sentence where no punishment is imposed. An absolute discharge is unconditional: the defendant is not punished, and the case is over. In some jurisdictions, an absolute discharge means there is no conviction despite a finding that the defendant is guilty...

.

In the media

The History Man
The History Man
The History Man is a campus novel by the British author Malcolm Bradbury set in 1972 in the fictional seaside town of Watermouth in the South of England. Watermouth bears some resemblance to Brighton. For example, there is a frequent and fast train service to London.-Plot introduction:Howard Kirk...

, a BBC's four part mini-series adaptation of Malcolm Bradbury
Malcolm Bradbury
Sir Malcolm Stanley Bradbury CBE was an English author and academic.-Life:Bradbury was the son of a railwayman. His family moved to London in 1935, but returned to Sheffield in 1941 with his brother and mother...

's novel, was filmed at the university, masquerading as the fictional University of Watermouth.

Notable academics and alumni

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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