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Swansea University
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Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was founded as University College, Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales, following the report of the Haldane Commission into University Education in Wales. It later changed its name to the University of Wales, Swansea following structural changes within the University of Wales. The new title of Swansea University was formally adopted on 1 September 2007 when the University of Wales became a non-membership confederal institution and the former members became universities in their own right.
It is the third largest university in Wales in terms of number of students.
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Encyclopedia
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was founded as University College, Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales, following the report of the Haldane Commission into University Education in Wales. It later changed its name to the University of Wales, Swansea following structural changes within the University of Wales. The new title of Swansea University was formally adopted on 1 September 2007 when the University of Wales became a non-membership confederal institution and the former members became universities in their own right.
It is the third largest university in Wales in terms of number of students. The university campus is located next to the coast at the north of Swansea Bay, east of the Gower peninsula, in the grounds of Singleton Park, just outside Swansea city centre. Swansea was granted its own degree-awarding powers in 2005 in preparation for possible changes within the University of Wales.
Swansea University maintains a strong rivalry against Cardiff University, whose sports teams compete in an annual varsity match, known as the Welsh version of the Oxbridge event, termed the Welsh Varsity.
Governance and structure
Swansea received its royal charter in 1920 and like many universities is governed by its constitution that is set out in its statutes and charter. The governing body of Swansea University is its Council, which, in turn, is supported by the Senate and the Court.
- The Council consists of 29 members including the Chancellor, Pro-chancellors, Vice-chancellor, Treasurer, Pro-vice-chancellors, staff and student members, city council representation and a majority of lay members. The council is responsible for all of the University's activities and has a well-developed committee structure to help discharge its powers and duties.
- The Senate consists of 200 members, the majority of whom are academics but includes also representatives from both the Students' Union and the Athletic Union. The senate is chaired by the Vice-chancellor, who is the head of the university both academically and administratively. The senate is the main academic body of the university and is responsible for teaching and research.
- The Court consists of over 300 members, who represent the stakeholders in the university and stretch from local to national institutions. The court meets annually to discuss the university's annual report and its financial statements, as well as to discuss current issues in higher education
Academic structure
Swansea University's academic departments are organised into 10 schools:
- : , , , , (, , , , )
- The School of Business and Economics: Business and Economic departments
- : Biological Sciences, , Centre for Development Studies, Sociology and Anthropology
- The School of Health Science: Adult Studies, Biomedical Studies, Child Health Studies, Clinical Studies, Critical and Emergency Care, E Health Learning, Health Economics and Policy Studies, Midwifery and Gender Studies, Mental Health Studies, Philosophy Humanities and Law in Healthcare, Primary Healthcare, Public Health and Older People
- The School of Engineering: Aerospace, Chemical and Biological, Civil, Electrical and Electronic, Information, Communication & Computing Technology, Materials, Mechanical, Medical, Nanotechnology, Product Design
- The School of Humanities: American Studies; Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology; History; Politics and International Relations Departments (Inc. Callaghan Centre for the study of Conflict)
- The School of Human Science: Psychology, Applied Social Studies, Childhood Studies, Sports Science
- The School of Medicine: Graduate Entry Medicine, Centre for Health Information, Research & Evaluation, Institute of Life Science, BioMedical Research, Genetics Group
- The School of Law: International Maritime, Trade and Commercial Law, Business & Law. Legal Practice Course, Graduate Diploma in Law, IISTL, CEELP, LLB
- The School of Physical Sciences: Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics
Student accommodation
Swansea University provides approximately 3000 places in University halls and can normally offer accommodation to over 75% of new Undergraduate students who require it. Accommodation is also available for all International Postgraduate students.
Swansea University maintains on-campus and off-campus halls of residence and the purpose built Hendrefoelan Student Village. Several new halls of residence were completed in 2004 and in 2008.
There are also a number of University Managed Properties in the Uplands and Brynmill areas of the city.
Hendrefoelan Student Village
Hendrefoelan Student Village is the University’s largest residence site where 1644 students live in self-catering accommodation. The Hendrefoelan estate is 2½ miles from the campus, just off the main Swansea to Gower road, set amongst mature woodland with open grassy areas.
Campus Halls
There are nine halls that make up the campus residences providing accommodation to around 1226 students. The halls offer a combination of part and self-catered rooms and a choice of standard or ensuite study rooms. Three of these halls (Caswell, Langland and Oxwich) were completed in 2004 and the original halls (Kilvey, Preseli, Rhossili and Cefn Bryn [formerly known as Sibly, Lewis Jones and Mary Williams]) have undergone some refurbishment in recent years. Penmaen and Horton are the newest addition to the campus residences providing 351 self-catered, ensuite study rooms. Many rooms have views over the bay or across the park.
Ty Beck/ Beck House
Six large Victorian town houses situated in the Uplands area of Swansea, approximately a mile from the Singleton campus. Predominantly provide rooms for Postgraduates and students with families, as well as overseas exchange students.
Recent developments
The University has restructured in recent years, expanding popular areas such as History, English, Geography and Computer Science, but closing the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and the Department of Philosophy. The Department of Chemistry has also ceased to take undergraduate students, although it continues to carry out research and post-graduate teaching. In the campaign by staff and students against the closures, the Students Union advertised the university on eBay with a starting price of 1p. A new course Aerospace Engineering has been introduced of which the first intake will pass out in June 2007. Another recent development is the partnership with Cardiff University to provide a four-year graduate-entry medical degree (MB BCh)in Swansea which was launched in 2004. In 2007 Swansea University awarded the four year course in its own.
The Western Britain chapter of the International Conference for the Study of Political Thought was moved to the Department of Politics & International Relations from Exeter University earlier in 2006.
In November 2007, the University announced a collaboration with Navitas to found an International College - International College Wales Swansea to provide foundation, 1st year degree and Pre-Masters programmes on campus. The first intake is September 2008.
Boots Centre for Innovation
Boots Centre for Innovation was created in April 2007 as a non profit making partnership between Boots the Chemist, Longbow Capital, Swansea University and the Welsh Assembly Government. The Centre was created to work closely with early stage companies or lone inventors to develop innovative new products and technologies within the health and beauty sectors, and to eventually launch new consumer products for the shelves of Boots stores.
Campus plan
Accelerating growth in research activities is putting pressure on facilities and requires the University to provide additional workspace and an improved infrastructure. The University recently commissioned a team of consultants, Actium Consult, to research options for a ten-year “Estates Strategy”, taking into account the pressures created by its growth and sustained increases in student numbers. The brief was to research and evaluate all options available to the University. The key finding in the report demonstrates that the University will require a significant amount of additional space in order to provide the facilities necessary to meet future demand. Actium Consult proposed three different options to address this need for space.
- Demolish Fulton House and Union House and redevelop the site
- Refurbish Fulton House and redevelop the site between Singleton Hospital and the halls of residence
- Consider an alternative location (two sites are evaluated in the report).
The consultant’s recommendation is to redevelop central areas of Singleton Campus, although this does raise a number of other issues. The University also needs to consider future provision for student accommodation. Currently, all the options are being considered and the University is consulting with staff, as well as other stakeholders in the local community, to identify the best course of action.
The University have indicated that their preferred option would be to have Fulton House, the main building on campus, delisted and to demolish the building. The independent advisors who examined the University and recommended the plans have stated that the University would require Fulton House to be de-listed by June 2007 in order for the plan to be feasible.
In written evidence presented to the Welsh Assembly's Enterprise and Learning Committee in January 2008, the university stated that it was "at an advanced stage of discussion" about a new 'Innovation Campus' on a second site. The new campus could be home to Engineering, Computing, Telecommunications, the Business and Law Schools and a range of "research/test facilities" for large and small companies. One proposal is the development of a site near Fabian Way at Crymlyn Burrows.
University rankings
The Times university 2008 Top 100 league table listed the University as the 46th best university in the UK (out of a total of 109), up from 50th position in 2004 but down from 42nd in 2005. In addition, the University picked up the 2005 Times Higher Education Supplement Award for the UK's "best student experience". However, the survey was criticised by some, as it was carried out by the Student Panel making the sample self-selected and therefore unscientific. The University is also listed as one of the top 500 universities in the World at 401 to 500 in the 2006 Shanghai Jiao Tong University World Rankings. The Guardian league tables placed the university at 83rd in its institution wide table.
Library
Library & Information Services at Swansea provides a combined library, IT and Careers service. The main Library & Information Centre on the Singleton campus has over 800,000 books and periodicals, along with a wide range of electronic resources including over 23,000 electronic journals. There are over 1,000 study spaces, almost half of which are equipped with networked PCs. LIS was awarded the Charter Mark in 2006.
The Library & Information Centre also has major archive collections, based on the South Wales Coalfield Collection, several papers of Welsh writers in English and the Richard Burton Collection, which was recently donated by his wife, Sally Burton. It is hoped that the collection will form the hub of a learning resource dedicated to the actor’s life and work.
Recent developments include a major extension in opening hours (8am to 2am Sundays to Thursdays; 8am to 8pm Fridays and Saturdays), the installation of a Costa coffee pod in the Group Study Area and the transfer of the stock of the Morriston Hospital Nursing Library to the Library and Information Centre.
Another feature of the library is its rather unusual inhabitant, Pelen eira. The spirit of the former Lord of Cardiff's cat. Scholars maintain that this cat was killed in unusual circumstances, when the foundations for the library were first laid. The first sighting of Pelen eira was by former Swansea scholar Gareth Lewis in 1960, when after a long period of study, he sighted the dark grey cat stalking the law library section (filled with leather bound books). A chill went up Mr Lewis's spine when he walked across his path, and watched as the spirit sank into the rich mahogany flooring.
The ghost cat of Swansea University is discussed in a book which is also available within. Search for 'Welsh ghosts -Ysbrydion Cymru' by Jeanette Dixon. (Call number - W/ GR580 >DIX.)
Sports centre
Swansea University's sports centre is located near the main campus on the western side of Sketty Lane. The university sports centre is separate to the adjacent King Edward V Playing fields to the west. The sports centre is used by the university for its sports degree courses as well for general student recreation. Facilities include the Wales National Pool, an indoor 6-lane running track, gymnasium, sports hall, tennis courts, squash courts and a climbing wall. Outdoor facilities include an 8-lane running track and floodlit playing fields including rugby, football, lacrosse and cricket pitches.
Xtreme Radio 1431AM
Xtreme Radio is the radio station of the University, run by students. It was founded in November 1968 as Action Radio. It broadcasts to various areas around campus, around Swansea itself on 1431AM and worldwide on the internet. The station plays a wide variety of music, as well as having a number of specialist programmes including talk and sports shows. Xtreme will be forty years old on 30 November 2008, making it one of the longest established student radio stations in the UK.
Museum of Egyptian Antiquities (Egypt Centre)
Located within the Taliesin building, the Egypt Centre is a museum of Egyptian antiquities open to the public. There are over 4000 items in the collection. Most of them were collected by the pharmacist Sir Henry Wellcome. Others came to the university from: the British Museum; the Royal Edinburgh Museum; National Museums and Galleries of Wales Cardiff; the Royal Albert Museum and Art Gallery and also private donors.
The Centre is a centre of excellence for museology, providing advice to other museums throughout Britain and collaborating with the Department of Classics and Ancient History on the Egyptology BA.
Egypt Centre staff regularly give lectures and talks to museum groups and other outside bodies on widening participation in university museums; social inclusion and volunteering. Schools regularly visit us to take part in a stimulating and interactive programme of events.
Notable alumni
- Lord Anderson of Swansea, former MP
- Annabelle Apsion television and film actress
- Peter Black, AM for South Wales West
- Martin Coles, President of Starbucks Coffee International
- Alan Cox (Shared with University of Wales, Aberystwyth), Linux pioneer
- Andrew Davies, AM for Swansea West & Minister for Finance & Public Service Delivery, Welsh Assembly Government
- Richey Edwards and Nicky Wire of rock group Manic Street Preachers
- Dr Lyn Evans, CBE, Project Leader, Large Hadron Collider, CERN
- Hywel Francis MP, Aberavon
- Ian Hammond, 1972 graduate in history , Bronze medalst in 20k walk at the Montreal Olympic Games, 1976
- Sylvia Heal MP, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons
- Sarah Hendy, television presenter on Price-drop tv and E4 Music
- Andy Hopper CBE FRS, Head of Computing at Cambridge University, co-founder of Acorn Computers Ltd
- Rob Howley, Wales and Lions Rugby Football International
- Sian James MP for Swansea East
- Alun Wyn Jones, Welsh Rugby Football International
- Val Lloyd AM for Swansea East
- Sarah Lyons graduates 1941 first female graduate
- Anne Main MP, St Albans
- Sir Terry Matthews OBE
- John McFall, Paralympic sprinter
- Robin Milner, Computer Scientist
- Dwayne Peel, Welsh Rugby Football International
- Professor D.Z. Phillips
- Chris Roberts (author), author of Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme
- Geoffrey Thomas, President of Kellogg College, Oxford
- Sir John Meurig Thomas, Chemist
- Charlie Williams (UK writer), author of The Mangel Trilogy
- Professor Colin H. Williams Sociolinguist.
- Simon Jones, England Cricketer
See also
External links
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