University of Chichester
Encyclopedia
The University of Chichester is a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

 based in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Campuses are based in the city of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...

 and the nearby coastal resort of Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...

. The university is one of the newest in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, receiving privy council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...

 permission to adapt its status in October 2005.

History

The university has a history dating back to 1839, when a School for training 'Masters' was set up at what is now the Chichester campus, known as the Bishop Otter College. In 1873, the campus became a training institute for women teachers due to the activism of Louisa Hubbard
Louisa Hubbard
Louisa Maria Hubbard was an English feminist social reformer and writer. She is best known for her activism for increased opportunities for women's education and employment....

 after the Elementary Education Act 1870
Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...

 created demand for school teachers. Men were later admitted to the college in the 1950s.

A college at Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...

 was opened as an emergency teacher training institute immediately after the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in 1946.

During the 1970s Bishop Otter College was regarded as one of the most successful teacher training colleges in the country, During that period, the Principal of that establishment was Professor Gordon McGregor, who went on to be Principal of Ripon and York St John
York St John University
York St John University York St John University York St John University (formerly known variously as York St John University College (2004), York St John College (2001), Ripon and York St John: a College of the University of Leeds (c. 1996), University College of Ripon and York St John...

 and latterly Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

.

In 1977 Bishop Otter College and the Bognor Regis college were merged to form the West Sussex Institute of Higher Education (WSIHE), with degrees being awarded by CNAA and later the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...

. Between 1995 and 1999, it was known as Chichester Institute of Higher Education. It gained degree-awarding powers in 1999, becoming known as University College Chichester, and became recognised as a full university in October 2005.

Well-known alumni include the actor Jason Merrells
Jason Merrells
Jason Merrells is an English actor, who received his big break when he starred in Casualty for three years as receptionist Matt Hawley...

 and the bestselling biographer Paula Byrne
Paula Byrne
Paula Byrne, born into a large working-class family in Birkenhead in 1967, is a British author and biographer most famous for her bestsellers Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson and Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead...

.

Campuses

The main campus at College Lane, Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...

 is known as the Bishop Otter Campus, named for the former Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...

, William Otter
William Otter
The Right Reverend William Otter was the first Principal of King's College London who later served as Bishop of Chichester. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge where he was later made a fellow...

. The 38 acres (153,780.7 m²) campus is based around a number of buildings, including a new Learning Resources Centre, ArtOne, and a Sports Activity and Research Centre. The Bishop Otter Campus is currently home to the majority of courses, including all sports based courses, English, Fine Art, History, Music and Theology.

The campus at Bognor Regis consists of three main Georgian buildings - St Michael's, Mordington House and The Dome. Bognor Campus currently houses the majority of teaching courses, as well as business management and tourism related courses.

The Alexandra Theatre in Bognor Regis is used as a base for the University of Chichester Musical Theatre Programme. The Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....

 Minerva Theatre also has links with the university after the Musical Theatre program put on a production of Oh, What a Lovely War!
Oh, What a Lovely War!
Oh, What a Lovely War! is an epic musical originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop in 1963...

in 2009.

Organisation

Courses were previously operated within seven Academic Schools across the two campuses, they were:

  • Cultural Studies
  • Physical Education
  • Social Studies
  • Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences
  • Teacher Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
  • Business and Management - Including Tourism


The university has recently adopted a new organisational structure, with just two faculties that have a series of smaller departments within them. The current organisational structure is as follows:
  • Faculty of Business, Arts and Humanities (BAH)
    • School of Enterprise, Management and Leadership
    • Applied Language Studies (ALS)
    • Dance
    • Drama
    • English and Creative Writing
    • Graphic Design
    • History
    • Media
    • Music
    • Musical Theatre
    • Performing Arts
    • Theology
  • Faculty of Sport, Education and Social Sciences (SESS)
    • Education
    • Childhood and Youth
    • Psychology and Counselling
    • Social Work and Social Care
    • Sport

  • External links

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