(Redirected from Exeter University)
'The University of Exeter' (usually abbreviated as '
Exon.' for post-nominals) is a leading
red brick university in the
South West of
England. Most of its activities are located in the city of
Exeter, in
Devon, where it is the principal higher education institution. It is a member of the
1994 Group, a network of smaller research-intensive universities in the
United Kingdom. British newspapers currently tend to rank Exeter among the top twenty higher education institutions in the UK (see
"Academic reputation", below).
Exeter has three campuses:
Streatham,
St Luke's (both of which are in
Exeter) and
Tremough in
Cornwall. The Tremough campus is maintained in conjunction with the
University College Falmouth under the
Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative.
History
After earlier beginnings, university education in Exeter began in 1922 with the conversion of the previous Royal Albert Memorial College into the 'University College of the South West of England', and the college's inclusion on the list of institutions eligible to receive funds from the then
University Grants Committee. At that time the college was conceived as a territorial institution, making university education available relatively locally for students from the four counties of Devon, Cornwall,
Dorset and
Somerset. As was customary for new university institutions in southern England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the college prepared students for
external degrees of the
University of London. With further growth in the
1920s and
1930s, it was granted increasing autonomy, but full independence was delayed by the
Second World War. The university college received its
Royal Charter and became the free-standing University of Exeter in December
1955. In the post-war period, Exeter like other UK universities became much more of a national institution, with students coming from all over the southern United Kingdom; as a research-intensive institution, it now attracts significant numbers of students from overseas. However regional activity continued, for example through
extra-mural teaching throughout Devon and Cornwall, and the establishment of an Institute of Cornish Studies in
Truro.
Chronological timeline
| 1225 | The earliest evidence of university education in the city dates back to Gilbert le Bond’s grant to St John's Hospital School the sum of 2s per annum for the formation of a centre of ecclesiastical learning. It seems that the fledgling university failed to flourish though. |
| 1829 | John Taylor publishes his Prospectus for a School of Mines in Cornwall |
| 1840 | Foundation of Exeter Diocesan Training College |
| 1855 | Foundation of Exeter School of Art |
| 1863 | Foundation of Exeter School of Science |
| 1868 | Schools of Art and Science relocate to Albert Memorial Museum |
| 1876 | Foundation of Camborne Miners' Association laboratory |
| 1888 | Camborne laboratory established as Camborne Mining School |
| 1893 | Schools of Art and Science renamed to the Exeter Technical and University Extension College |
| 1900 | Exeter Technical and University Extension College renamed to Royal Albert Memorial College, Gandy Street |
| 1922 | Royal Albert Memorial College renamed as The University College of the South-West of England;
Streatham Hall (now Reed Hall) gifted to the University College |
| 1930 | Exeter Diocesan Training College renamed to St Luke's College, Exeter |
| 1955 | The University College received its Charter and became the University of Exeter |
| 1962 | Post-graduate Medical School founded |
| 1966 | St Luke's College became co-educational |
| 1978 | Merger of the University's School of Education and St Luke's College of Education into the University's new Department of Education |
| 1991 | Affiliation of the College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth |
| 1993 | Incorporation of Camborne School of Mines |
| 1995 | Affiliation of St Loyes School of Health Studies |
| 1997 | Establishment of Centre of Leadership Studies |
| 2000 | The Peninsula Medical School was established in conjunction with the University of Plymouth and the National Health Service. This is based at St. Lukes and local hospitals. |
| 2004 | The University's new Cornwall Campus opens, moving all of its interests in Cornwall to a single campus. Closure of Chemistry and Music departments announced. Closure of Italian department considered but plans were eventually dropped. Closure of the Cognitive Science BSc. (Hons) degree programme and the re-structuring of the Biology department, now called the Biosciences department. |
2007 Exeter lets in its first intake of dental students
Chancellors
| 1955–1972 | Mary Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire |
| 1972–1981 | Viscount Amory of Tiverton KG, PC, GCMG, TD, DL |
| 1982–1998 | Sir Rex Richards MA, DPhil, DSc, FRS, FRSC, Hon DSc |
| 1998–2005 | Lord Alexander of Weedon, QC, FRSA, Hon. LLD |
| 2006– | Floella Benjamin, OBE, DLitt (Hon) |
Vice Chancellors
Coat of Arms
The University
coat of arms symbolises the historical associations of the University with the locality. The triangular gold castle with three towers comes from Exeter's coat of arms and is thought to represent the
Rougemont Castle as alluded to by the red background. The 15 gold Besants round the edge of the shield are from Cornwall's coat of arms whilst the green cross on the white background is from the
Devon County Council's coat of arms. The theme of learning is symbolised by the book with gold edges and a Latin motto "lucem sequimur", translating as "we follow the light".
Academic reputation
Ninety-eight per cent of subject areas at Exeter were rated 4, 5 or 5
★ (of national or international standing) in the 2001 UK
Research Assessment Exercise.
Also according to ''
The Sunday Times University Guide 2005'', the University of Exeter was rated Excellent for 20 subjects, including
Archeology;
Business and
Management;
Classics and
Ancient History;
Computer Science;
Drama,
Dance and
Cinematics;
Economics;
Education (continuing professional development);
English;
French;
Geography;
German;
Italian;
Mathematics,
Statistics and
Operational Research;
Molecular Biosciences;
Physics and
Astronomy;
Politics;
Psychology;
Teacher Training;
Theology and
Religious Studies.
In the most recent university league table (Daily Telegraph 2007), Exeter was ranked joint 17th with Kings College, University of London. See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=HXFCSGXMNVABTQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/07/30/ncambs430.xml
The 2008 Times Good University Guide ranks Exeter 17th also, see: http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php
The new Times GUG profile speaks very highly of Exeter's academic record. See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article2166452.ece
''
The Sunday Times''
' university league table for 2006 placed Exeter 18th in the UK, up seven places from 2005. Exeter was ranked 20th in the UK in 2003.
Exeter was also runner-up for University of the Year for the third consecutive year.
" Exeter's excellent record merits special recognition as runner-up this year. Students here are some of the most satisfied in the country, ranking it on the fringes of the top 10. High entry standards and low dropout rates further entrench its standing."
Sunday Times, 10 September 2006
''
The Guardian''
's 2006 university rankings placed Exeter at 28th in the UK (after erroneously reporting the university at 48th place). ''
The Times''
' league table also placed Exeter 18th in 2006, up 6 places from the previous year.
In the
National Student Survey 2005, Exeter was ranked joint 10th nationally for overall satisfaction. The results put Exeter in the top 25 per cent of UK universities for learning resources (such as IT resources) and for course management and organisation.
In the 2006 National Student Survey, Exeter was ranked joint 11th, and the School of Business & Economics was ranked 1st in the country for Business, Accounting & Finance and Management.
For the coming academic year The University of Exeter has seen a rise of 23.8% in applications for places – one of the highest rises among universities in the country.
Centre of Leadership Studies
In
1997 the Centre of Leadership Studies was established as a leading centre for research and advanced study into leadership theory. It is the only specialist centre in the whole of Europe dedicated to scholarship in leadership studies.
The centre offers
MA,
MRes and
Certificate programs in Leadership which can be learned through coached elearning.
Xfi Centre for Finance and investment
A specialist centre for the study of Finance and Investment. It offers an
MSc in Financial Analysis and Fund Management, which is designed around the
CFA curriculam.
It also offers PhD program in Finance.
Campus life
Devonshire House, Streatham campus
Reed Hall, Streatham campus
The main library, Streatham campus
The Peter Chalk Centre, Streatham campus, with the Physics tower in the background
Streatham campus
Main articles: Streatham Campus
Most students work on the main campus, Streatham, which includes the
Northcott Theatre. Sitting on a hillside one side of which looks down across Exeter city centre, the campus is renowned for its beautiful landscaping and excellent views.
The Independent has described the campus environment as ‘sublime’. The campus also has several galleries, including
The Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture. There is also a
Sculpture Walk, including pieces by
Henry Moore,
Barbara Hepworth and a statue to commemorate the events at
Tiananmen Square. There is a pub type bar called the Ram and a Bar/Nightclub Called the Lemon Grove (or Lemmy), both run by the Students' Guild. The campus boasts a medical centre, a counselling service, a children’s day-care centre, and numerous catering outlets. Many halls of residence and some self-catering accommodation are located on this campus or in the near vicinity. In 2005 Streatham Campus's newest building, the Xfi centre, was completed to provide facilities mainly but not exclusively for postgraduate study into finance and investment.
St Luke's campus
Main articles: St. Luke's Campus
The St Luke’s campus is home to the largest academic school of the University, the
School of Education and Lifelong Learning. It shares the campus with the Peninsula Medical School (a joint venture with the
University of Plymouth) and the School of Sport and Health Sciences. The campus is just over a mile from the larger Streatham campus and 10 minutes’ walk from the city centre.
The St Luke’s campus also has its own restaurant, cafeteria, bar, bookshop, bank, indoor swimming pool, two gymnasia including an advanced conditioning studio and grass tennis courts for summer use.
The future of St Lukes is currently under review, with a proposal to bring one of the Schools located there to the Streatham Campus to allow further expansion (see
below).
Tremough campus (University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus)
Main articles: University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus
The
University of Exeter's Cornwall campus,
Tremough now houses all the university's activity in Cornwall, previously scattered across the county. It is part of the
Combined Universities in Cornwall project, and is shared with
University College Falmouth. University of Exeter departments on the site include the internationally renowned CSM (
Camborne School of Mines), whose graduates who are sought after by earth-based industries ranging from mining to electricity. CSM merged with the university in 1993 and is now part of the School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources. Other departments at Tremough include
Conservation Biology,
English,
Geography and the
Institute of Cornish Studies, and additional departments are being added.
Students' Guild
Students at Exeter are represented by a
Guild of Students,
[4] which has an active role in campaigning at local and national levels.
Exeter's Guild is home to award winning media: a student radio station Xpression FM,
[5] a newspaper
Exeposé,
[6] a website
X-Net[7] and television station
XTV.
[8] There is also a volunteering agency within the Students' Guild called
Community Action,
[9] which runs its own projects with members of the local community that are run by volunteers and provides further volunteering opportunities through links with external partner organisations. There is a RAG (Raising and Giving) group
[10] which exists to raise money for five nominated charities, and collects in town centres around Britain every weekend. RAG events are run by students, under the co-ordination of a full-time member of staff. The main aim of these societies and activities groups is to provide opportunities for student development. The Guild of Students was renamed the Students' Guild in 2005.
There are over 100 affiliated student societies, ranging from the Theatre Company and Creative Writing to the
LDYS,
Conservative Future, and
Socialist Students societies. There are a large number of sports clubs, although the
Athletic Union (AU) is now a separate body from the Students' Guild but strong links remain. The Debating Society which predates establishment of the university, started life in
1927 as The Exeter Debating Society, with the inaugural speaker being
Anthony Eden.
Students are represented by a sabbatical team consisting of a President, Deputy President (based at the
St. Luke's Campus), Finance, Activities and Trading Officer (FATO, Formerly General Secretary), Education Officer, Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer and the Athletic Union President. There are also other non sabbatical officers representing areas of the student population and student activities areas. These are elected by students in a series of elections throughout the academic year.
Evangelical Christian Union disputes
Since late 2006, the Exeter Students' Guild has been in dispute
[11][12][13] with the Evangelical Christian Union (ECU),
[14] over the ECU's requirement that members sign a declaration saying they agree to a statement of beliefs, and the requirement that speakers and committee members agree to a
doctrinal basis.
[15] The ECU's
umbrella organisation, the
Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, promote the idea of the doctrinal basis for committee members.
[16]
On
24 October 2006, the existing Christian Union was instructed by the Guild to change its name to the Evangelical Christian Union, following a referendum vote by all students at Exeter University. The name change was intended to clarify that the society's position was that of
Evangelical Christianity, rather than of all forms of Christianity.
On
26 February 2007, the Guild issued a statement saying that Ben Martin is now willing to follow the Internal Complaints Procedure.
[17]
New developments
The University has undergone an investment programme worth more than £235 million
[1] in recent years. £38 million has been invested in new student accommodation, including the new Holland Hall, named after the former vice-chancellor of the same name. £8m has been invested in sports facilities, including a professional-standard tennis centre. A £1m upgrade has been carried out to the students’ union building and nightclub and £1.5m has been spent improving access for people with disabilities. In October 2002, The
Peninsula Medical School, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, admitted its first students of medicine. In 2005, the new
Xfi Centre for Finance and Investment opened, the result of a multi-million pound gift from an anonymous donor. Thanks to a donation of £650,000 from the Ruler of
Sharjah, His Highness Dr Sheikh
Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi, an extension has been added to the also recently constructed Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies Building. In 2006, the Department of Drama completed a major renovation. The Department of Drama's state-of-the-art £3 million Alexander Building was named after the former University Chancellor Lord Alexander. A new £28 million
Peninsula Dental School, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, will open its doors in October 2007. The dental school will have places for 62 graduate entry students each year. The South West of England Regional Development Agency is investing £9.7m in phase II of the University of Exeter Innovation Centre. The project is currently under construction and will create a 38,000 square ft building for use by new and growing businesses within the development and research sectors at the university's Streatham campus. Phase I of the Innovation Centre was finished in 2000 and houses high-tech businesses from the software, biomedical sectors to advanced manufacturing and internet firms.
Restructuring
For nearly 40 years Exeter was the only university in the south-west peninsula, and as such it sought to offer the maximum number of academic disciplines. By 1995 the University had nearly 50 separate departments and centres. Its
Research Assessment Exercise performance in 1996 was poor, and this was widely attributed to the absence of large strong units. As a result, an internal working party recommendation a reorganisation into a smaller number of Schools (18, now reduced further to 11, though the two schools of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry have been added), with the abolition of the traditional
Faculties of Arts, Science etc.
Despite this internal reorganization, the University again entered the 2001 RAE with substantially more disciplines than most comparable universities, and consequently with smaller units. Since 2000, the University has therefore undergone a further process of restructuring in order to focus on areas of strength. In 2004, it closed two departments (
chemistry and
music) that had been suffering low student demand for a long period, and had failed to achieve a 5-grade in any of the RAEs. At the same time, the University stopped offering
single honours degrees in
Italian, also a subject with poor RAE performance and low student demand. Although similar moves elsewhere had attracted little attention, a media storm blew up around this issue at Exeter, perhaps because of the high profile that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor
Steve Smith, was taking in UK university politics at the time (for example, he had just been appointed as Chair of the 1994 Group). There was also protest within the institution. The closures eliminated 130 jobs, and the
AUT questioned the University's financial figures.
[18]
Protests over department closures. Photograph taken from
Exeposé.
On Thursday,
25 November 2004, about 2,000 students marched in protest over the decision,
[19], making the local television news. Some even attempted to sell the University on
eBay in protest.
[20] Sir
Harold Kroto, a
nobel laureate, returned his
honorary degree from this institution in protest against this move
[21]; shortly afterwards, his own institution, the
University of Sussex, made a similar proposal, though this is currently stalled.
The future of St Luke's
In 2006, the University commissioned a
feasibility study into the future of the St Luke's site, the location of the Schools of Education and Lifelong Learning, the School of Sports and Health Science, and the university's part of the
Peninsula Medical School. The Vice-Chancellor stated that the "problem is one of success, that is if these three Schools achieve their planned expansion ... then we will simply run out of space at St Luke's."
[22]. The options considered were moving the three schools currently located there onto the Streatham campus, with the sale of the St Luke's site; moving one of the Schools to the Streatham campus, and expanding the other two at St Luke's; and attempting to expand all three at St Luke's. Although media and student attention focussed on the first of these possibilities
[23], the consultants' advice was that the middle path of moving one School was the most financially sensible, and it is likely that this is what university management had always intended.
Notable current and former staff members
''NB Vice-chancellors are listed above and are not repeated here''
★
John Adair, Management (Leadership)
★ Neil Armstrong, Sport and Exercise Science (leading expert on obesity in children)
★
Barry Barnes, Sociology
★
Jeremy Black, History
★
Adam Curle, Psychology and Education
★
Edzard Ernst, Complementary Medicine
★
Timothy Gorringe, Theology
★
Alex Haslam, Psychology
★
Philip Hensher, Creative Writing
★
Paul Kline, Psychology
★
Alastair Logan, Theology
★
Linda Long, Biochemistry
★
Richard Lynn, Psychology
★
Colin MacCabe, Film Studies
★
Moelwyn Merchant, English
★
Richard Overy, History
★
Philip Payton, Cornish Studies
★
Nicholas Rodger, History
★
Roy Sambles, Physics
★
Richard Seaford, Classics
★
Dikran Tahta, Mathematics educator
★
Andrew Thorpe, History
★
Malcolm Todd, History
★ Sir
John Tooke, Medicine
★
Paul Webley, Psychology
★
Ted Wragg, Education
Notable alumni
'
Exoniensis' is the formal adjective meaning "of the University of Exeter", this is abbreviated as Exon. in post-nominal letters for alumni.
Writers and Artists
★
Steve Bell - cartoonist (PGCE 1975, St Luke's)
★
Stanley Donwood - artist and writer
★
John O'Farrell - author
★
Marcus D. Gregio - Shakespeare scholar
★
Roger Nash - Philosopher and Poet
★
J. K. Rowling - author of Harry Potter books
★
Robert Shearman - writer for Doctor Who
★
Carol Shields - author and Pulitzer Prize winner
Politicians
★
James Brokenshire - Conservative MP
★
David Burrowes - Conservative MP
★
Martin Cauchon - Former
Minister of Justice in Canada
★
Michael Frendo - Foreign Minister of Malta
★
Vilmundur Gylfason - Former Icelandic politician, historian and poet
★
Philip Ian Hope - Labour MP and vocational education minister
★
Mark Lancaster - Conservative MP
★
Andrew Lansley - Conservative MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Health
★
Caroline Lucas - Green Party MEP
★
Roy Perry - Conservative Politician and former MEP
★
Andrew Slaughter - Labour MP
★
Lau Kong Wah - Member of Legislative Council of Hong Kong
★
Jeremy Wright - Conservative MP
★
Derek Wyatt - Labour MP
Military
★
Jonathon Band -
First Sea Lord and chief of the Naval Staff (head of the
Royal Navy)
Royalty
★
Sultan ibn Muhammad Al-Qasimi - Ruler of
Sharjah.
★
Peter Phillips - eldest grandson and first grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
★
Zara Phillips - eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
★
Infanta Elena of Spain - eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía.
Media and journalism
★
Toby Amies - T.V presenter
★
Emma B -
Heart 106.2 drivetime presenter
★
Nick Baker - Wildlife TV expert
★
William Bemister - Emmy award winning documentary film maker and journalist
★
Lesley Collier - Television presenter, producer and author
★
Frank Gardner - BBC Security Correspondent
★
Paul Jackson- Television Producer
★
Ted Kravitz - Formula 1 Commentator
★
Isobel Lang - BBC Weather presenter
★
Tim Montgomerie - Editor of
ConservativeHome
★
Henry Staunton - media mogul
★
Katie Hopkins - BBC's The Apprentice
★
Tim Footman - journalist and author
★
Mark Power - journalist and photographer
Actors/Directors
★
Andre Bonifay - Welsh Scriptwriter/Director
★
Adam Campbell Jones - actor
★
Stephen Dillane - actor
★
Jeremy Meadow - theatre director/producer
★
Nicholas Pegg - actor/director
★
Julian Richings - actor
★
Christopher Smith - American actor and improviser
Musicians
★
Felix Buxton of
Basement Jaxx
★
Martin Fielding - Musician and record producer
★
Simon "sHack" Shackleton - half of
Lunatic Calm
★
Thom Yorke - singer
Radiohead
★
Will Young - singer and actor
★ Jackie Oates -
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2003 Finalist.
Entrepreneurs
★
Sam E. Jonah - President of
AngloGold Ashanti
Law and order
★
Patrick Kwateng Acheampong –
Inspector General of Police of the Ghana Police Service
★
Justice Goldring - Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission
★
Keith Weston - Former head of Police International Counter Terrorism Unit
★
Sir Robert Owen - Head of the Western Circuit
★
Dr. Wasim Kausar - former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Motorway Police Pakistan;now promoted to the post of Inspector General (IG) and awaiting posting.
Sport
★
Andy Beattie - England rugby player
★
Richard Dawson - Yorkshire and England cricketer
★
Paul Downton - Former England cricketer
★
Richard Hill -- Former England Rugby Captain
★
Samantha Smith - tennis player and commentator
★
David Sole - Former Scottish Rugby Captain
Academia
★
Stephen J. Ceci - cognitive psychologist
★
William Wakeham - vice-chancellor of Southampton University
★
Owen White- specializes in the history of modern France and the French Empire.
★
Ted Wragg - educationalist and former Professor of Education at Exeter from 1978 to 2003
Others
★
James Stuart Jones - The
Bishop of Liverpool
★
Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury - Head of the
British Orthodox Church
Fictional alumni
★
Debbie Aldridge - Character in radio soap opera ''
The Archers'', played by
Tamsin Greig.
★
The Banker - Character in popular TV Show ''
Deal or No Deal''.
★ One of the characters in
Jonathan Coe's novel
The Rotters' Club
References
1. Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06
2. The University of Exeter - Hospitality Services - Visitors - Events
3. About the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus
4. Students' Guild
5. Xpression FM
6. Exeposé
7. X-Net
8. XTV
9. Community Action
10. RAG
11. Situation regarding the ECU Exeter Guild of Students
12. Special Report: ECU vs. Students' Guild X-Net
13. Christians threaten legal action BBC News website
14. Evangelical Christian Union website
15. Doctrinal Basis Evangelical Christian Union
16. Adrian Interviews Richard Cunningham, director of the UCCF Adrian Warnock
17. ECU Taking Internal Measures
18. AUT questions 130 Exeter redundancies AUT
19. Save Our Departments
20. Students put university on eBay
21. Nobel winner in degree protest
22. Email from the Vice-Chancellor to all students, 2006-10-04
23. Is this the end for St Lukes?
External links
★
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