Loughborough University

Infobox University
name = Loughborough University


motto = "Veritate, Scientia, Labore"
("with truth, knowledge and industry")
established = 1909
type = Public
endowment = £2.29 million [2007]
staff = 2,915
chancellor = Sir John Jennings
vice_chancellor = Professor Shirley Pearce
students = 18,220cite web|url= http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/institution0607.xls|title= Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07|accessdate= 2008-04-11|format= Microsoft Excel spreadsheet|publisher= Higher Education Statistics Agency]
undergrad = 11,055
postgrad = 5,960
other = 1,205 FE
city = Loughborough, Leicestershire
country = England
campus = Suburban
colours = Purple (African Violet)
nickname = Lufbra, Lboro
affiliations = 1994 Group Universities UK AMBA EUA ACU EMUA
website = http://www.lboro.ac.uk/

Loughborough University is a campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England.

It has been a university since 1966, but the institution dates back to 1909, when the then Loughborough Technical Institute began with a focus on skills and knowledge which would be directly applicable in the wider world, a tradition which continues to this day, with the UNIEI funded "Annual Survey on University Technology Transfer Activities" finding Loughborough to be the most efficient technology transfer operation in the UK. [http://www.emda.org.uk/uploaddocuments/threecitiesreport.pdf East Midlands Assembly& EMDA: Three Cities Scoping Study: Building A Complementary Development Framework, p66, Box 6.7] It is the 2008 Sunday Times University of the Year. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article4765252.ece Sunday Times] 21 September 2008] It is known as a sporting university, providing 48 competitors to the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Profile

The University has 24 academic departments and over 30 research institutes, divided between three faculties: Science, Engineering and Social Science & Humanities. It has approximately 17,500 students, 61% of whom are undergraduates and 32% are pursuing postgraduate courses and/or research. Its current Chancellor is Sir John Jennings, CBE, FRSE (the previous chancellor, Sir Denis Rooke, OM, CBE, retired from the position in summer 2003, having served for fourteen years), and its Vice-Chancellor is Professor Shirley Pearce. The previous Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir David Wallace CBE FRS DL, was appointed to the Mastership of Churchill College, Cambridge, in succession to Sir John Boyd KCMG. David Wallace was Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University between 1994 until December 2005.The University has won an unbeaten 6 Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education for work with the aeronautical and automotive industries (1994); support for developing countries (1998); for a pioneering role in developing applications of modern optics and laser technologies (2000); for its world leading role in sports research, education and development (2002); for its world leading role in social policy in recognition of its outstanding and widely respected work in evaluating and helping develop social policy-related programmes, such as those for cared for children, social security policy, crime prevention, education initiatives and young carers (2006); and for recognition of its vehicle, road and driver safety research (2007).

In the 2007 Guardian League Tables, Loughborough was ranked 9th. In the 2007 Times rankings it was 6th overall but then fell to 12th position in the latest edition for 2008. [ [http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php University Rankings League Table | Good University Guide - Times Online ] ] .

Loughborough University is well regarded as the country's premier university for sports development, research and education. The University has the largest sports scholarship programme in the UK. There are currently over 250 international athletes studying and training there.

History

Origins

The University traces its roots back to 1909 when a Technical Institute was founded in the town centre. There followed a period of rapid expansion during which the Institute was renamed Loughborough College and the development of the present campus began. In 1952 the College was divided into four separate institutions: Loughborough College of Technology, Loughborough College of Art, Loughborough College of Further Education and Loughborough Training College. In 1966, the College of Advanced Technology as it had then become received University status. In 1977 the University broadened its range of studies by amalgamating with Loughborough College of Education (formerly the Training College). More recently, in August 1998, opportunities were extended still further by the merger of Loughborough College of Art and Design with the University. In the early years, efforts were made to mimic the environment of an Oxbridge college (e.g. requiring students to wear gowns to lectures) whilst maintaining a strong practical counterbalance to academic learning. During World War I, the Institute served as an "Instructional Factory", training workers for the munitions industry [http://www.lboro.ac.uk/anniversary/pages/history.html Loughborough University 40th Anniversary Pages] History] .

The Loughborough colleges

Following the war, the Institute fragmented into four separate colleges:
* "Loughborough Training College" (Teacher Training)
* "Loughborough College of Art" (Art and Design)
* "Loughborough College of Further Education" (Technical and Vocational)
* "Loughborough College of Technology" (Technology and Science)

The last was to become the nucleus of the present university. Its rapid expansion from a small provincial college to a world famous seat of learning was due largely to the efforts of its dynamic principal Dr. Herbert Schofield (1882-1963).

The influence of Herbert Schofield

Schofield became principal in 1915 and continued to lead the College of Technology until 1950. Over his years as principal, the college changed almost beyond recognition. He purchased the estate of Burleigh Hall on the western outskirts of the town, which became the nucleus of the present 433 acres (1.75 km²) campus. He also oversaw the building of the beautiful Hazlerigg and Rutland halls of residence. The strong sporting tradition all developed under Schofield's influence.

From college to university

In 1963, the Robbins Report on higher education recommended that all Colleges of Advanced Technology should be given the status of universities. Consequently, on 19 April 1966 Loughborough College of Technology was granted the Royal Charter and became Loughborough University of Technology. of the period, which had also been created under Robbins.

Later history

In 1977, Loughborough Training College (now renamed Loughborough College of Education) was absorbed into the University. The Arts College was also amalgamated with the University in 1998. These additions have diluted the technological flavour of the institution, causing it to resemble more a traditional university with its mix of humanities, arts and sciences. Consequently in 1996, the University dropped the "of Technology" from its title, becoming "Loughborough University".

Reputation

Notable departments include CREST, The Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology which runs the internationally recognised masters programme in Renewable Energy. PIRES (Department of Politics, International Relations and European Studies) is home to a number of world class experts in the area of European Politics and International Relations, including Professor Michael H. Smith, Professor David Allen, Professor Brian Hocking, and Mark Webber. PIRES scored a 5 in the latest Research Assessment Exercise, confirming its world class status. [http://education.guardian.co.uk/researchratings/table/0,11229,-4319371,00.html Guardian: European Studies]

The Campus

The University's main campus is in the Leicestershire town of Loughborough and until 2003 it was developing a secondary campus at Peterborough. The Loughborough campus (once the estate of Burleigh Hall) covers an area of 433 acres (1.75 km²), and includes academic departments, halls of residence, The Students Union, two gyms, gardens and playing fields. Of particular interest are the beautiful walled garden, the "garden of remembrance", the Hazlerigg-Rutland Hall ("Rigg-Rut") fountain-courtyard (pictured below) and the Bastard Gates. In the central quadrangle of the campus stands the famous cedar, which has often appeared as a symbol for the University. Unfortunately a heavy snowfall in December 1990 led to the collapse of the upper canopy which gave the tree its distinctive shape. The recent acquisition by the university of Holywell Park from Advantica Technologies and a 23 acre parcel of land between New Ashby Road and Holywell Park from 3M Heath Care Limited has increased the size of the campus to convert|433|acre|km2.

Organisation

Loughborough University is headed by a Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shirley Pearce. The University is organised into three faculties: Science, Engineering and Social Science & Humanities with 24 academic departments and over 30 research institutes.

Faculty of Science

* Chemistry
* Computer Science
* Human Sciences
* Information Science
* Mathematical Sciences
* Physics
* Ergonomics & Safety Research Institute
* Materials

Faculty of Engineering

* Aeronautical & Automotive Engineering
* Chemical Engineering
* Civil & Building Engineering
* Electronic & Electrical Engineering
* Systems Engineering
* Wolfson School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering

Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

* Business School
* Design & Technology
* Economics
* English & Drama
* Politics, International Relations & European Studies
* Geography
* School of Sport & Exercise Sciences
* School of Art & Design
* Social Sciences
* Teacher Education Unit

Traditions

The official colour of the University is African Violet. The . The motto of the University is "Veritate Scientia Labore" (with truth, wisdom and labour, or alternatively with truth, knowledge and industry, depending on the translation).

The University has a strong tradition in both engineering and sporting, from its strong engineering and technical background it has now expanded, becoming a centre of excellence in the field of sports and sports science. It has graduated a number of world-class athletes including Paula Radcliffe and Lord Coe. In keeping with this tradition, Loughborough University students have won the British Universities Sports Association championship every year for over two decades. Sports students are entitled to wear a different style of scarf from other undergraduates. The university is the home of the England and Wales Cricket Board's National Academy, opened in November 2003.

The phonetic spelling "Lufbra" is sometimes used amongst students, graduates, and in Students' Union publications, and the name is also often abbreviated to lboro both casually as well as within more formal/academic circles stemmed from the university's url of www.lboro.ac.uk .

The Students' Union

The Union is unusual in English universities, in that its premises are owned by the students themselves. The union building sits in the north-eastern corner of the campus, and offers a range of facilities for clubs and societies, retail, entertainment and other activities. The Union has five rooms, all with their own themes, meaning something for everyone. The most popular night in the Union is on a Wednesday, entitled "Hey Ewe", which is an evening to celebrate the Universities sport successes of the day. Friday Night Disco more popularly known as FND is also a very well frequented amongst the students with a selection of musical genres available in the many rooms. It is not unusual for students from around the country to attend one of the largest student unions in the country. Resident DJs include DJ Bang Bang, DJ Nish and DJ EJ.

Along with Loughborough Students Union's (LSU) numerous sports clubs the union hosts and organises many other activities and societies. Loughborough Students RAG organises charity work, and is among the largest such bodies in the UK, generating increasing amounts of money for charity and continually breaking records - in 2007 raising over £690,000 net, for a range of causes. LSU is also home to Loughborough Campus Radio, LSUTV and Label Magazine.

Degree programmes

Loughborough offers a wide variety of degree programmes, both Undergraduate and Postgraduate

Student halls

Loughborough University is well known for its many halls, and amongst that, lots of hall spirit. There are currently 17 halls, some undergraduate, some postgraduate, some both. [ [http://accommodation.lboro.ac.uk/halls.php Loughborough University] Halls Of Residence] The halls are as follows:
* Butler Court
* Cayley Hall
* David Collett Hall
* Elvyn Richards Hall
* Falkner Eggington Courts (U-G and Post-Grad)
* Faraday Hall
* Forest Court (Post-Grad)
* Harry French Hall (U-G and Post-Grad)
* Hazlerigg and Rutland Hall
* John Phillips (Post-Grad)
* Royce Hall
* Rutherford Hall
* Telford Hall
* The Holt (U-G and Post-Grad)
* Towers Hall
* William Morris (U-G and Post-Grad)
*John Phillips hall was merged with William Morris for the academic year 07/08 after additional accommodation was added, however one of the new halls being built is to be named John Phillips.
*All Stars, new for the academic year 2008/2009 it is designed to group all the off campus private halls, including Waterways, Print House, Asha House and The Foundry together. The University is currently building some new accommodation on the site of an existing car park, car park number 7, on the north side of campus. Three new halls for undergraduates and one new hall for postgraduates will be built. The overall development will be a mix of four and five storey buildings, arranged around a courtyard to identify the individual halls. The halls will be provided with self catering facilities but two of the halls will include flexible packages for the nearby restaurant and social centre. [http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/publicity/news-releases/2007/82_student_accommodation.html Loughborough University, All systems go for new campus student accommodation]

Library

The Pilkington Library opened in 1980. It covers 7,777 square metres over three floors with 780 study places, including 140 workstations over 400,000 books; 4000 printed journals and access to 6000 e- journals. The Library has a history of undertaking research in the field of library and information work.

There is an open access area where students are allowed to take in cold food and drinks as well as to engage in group discussions. The library has full wireless internet access (wifi).

University leadership

Chairs of Governors

* A.A. Bumpus (1909-25)
* B.B. Barrow (1925-34)
* William Bastard (1934-36)
* W. H. Wright (1936-40)
* Sir Robert Martin (1940-52)
* Sir Harold West (1952-1957)
* Sir Edward Herbert (1957-1963)
* Sir Herbert Manzoni (1963-1966)

Chancellors

*Lord Pilkington (1966-1980) [Prior to the 1966 Royal Charter the Chair of Governors held the comparable position]
*Sir Arnold Hall (1980-1989)
*Sir Denis Rooke (1989-2003)
*Sir John Jennings (2003-)

Principals

*S.C. Laws (1909-1915)
*Herbet Schofield (1915-1950)
*Major-General W.F. Hasted (1951-1952)
*Interim 'triumvirate' Jan-Sept 1952: H.E. Falkner, J.W. Bridgeman, C.D. Bentley
*Wing Commander H.E. Falkner (1952-1953) (Acting)
*H.L. Haslegrave (1953-1966)

Vice Chancellors

* H.L. Haslegrave (1966-1967) [Prior to the 1966 Royal Charter the Principal held the comparable position]
* Professor E.J. Richards (1967-1975)
* Sir Clifford Butler (1975-1985)
* Professor J. G. Phillips (1986-1987)
* Professor Sir David Davies (1988-1993)
* Professor Sir David Wallace (1994-2005)
* Professor Shirley Pearce (2006-)

Notable alumni

* Derek Abbott - Physicist and Electronic Engineer
* Rosalind Ayres - Actress
* Steve Backley - Javelin Thrower
* Daniel Bennett - Singaporean footballer
* Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe - Olympic athlete, politician and later Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
* Robin Daniels - Engineer & Entrepreneur
* Tobias Ellwood - Conservative MP
* Diane Farr - Numb3rs actress
* Lorna Fitzsimmons - former NUS President and Labour Party MP
* James Gibson - Swimmer
* Tanni Grey-Thompson - Athlete
* Ben Kay - England Rugby union World Cup 2003 Winner
* Donna Kellogg - Badminton
* Jeanette Kwakye Athlete
* Steve Matchett - Former F1 Mechanic, Author and T.V. Presenter
* Jeff Moody - T.V. Presenter, Director, and Actor
* David Moorcroft - Runner
* Neil Oatley - Formula One Engineer and Designer
* Sunil Gavaskar - Indian Cricketer
* Monty Panesar - England Test Cricketer
* Paula Radcliffe MBE - Athlete
* Chris Read - England Cricket Wicketkeeper
* Dr. Devendra Singh - Strategist at Arthur D Little
* Mark Richardson - 400 m athlete
* Bridget Riley - Artist
* Dr. Sunil Abeyesundere - IT & Electronics Specialist (USA & Sri Lanka)
* Andy Robinson - Rugby player / coach
* Lisa Rogers - Television presenter
* Lawrie Sanchez - Football manager
* Malcolm Sayer - Jaguar Cars Designer and Engineer
* Jodie Swallow - Triathlete
* Jonathan Lee - Author
* David Turner - Politician
* Bob Wilson - Ex-Arsenal goal-keeper.
* Sir Clive Woodward - England Rugby union coach.
* Peter Jones (honoris causa) - former FIFA and Premiership football referee.
* Adnan al-Janabi - Iraq former minister without portfolio.
* Robbie Simpson - Coventry City Football Player (Championship)
* Owen Lewis - Wales Rugby League Player
* Steve Hallam - Formula 1 engineer, Head of the race team for the McLaren Mercedes Team. [http://engineeringf1.free.fr/en/ Engineering F1]
* Jihad Al Wazir - Governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority [www.pma.ps The Palestinian Monetary Authority] .

External links

* [http://www.lboro.ac.uk Loughborough University]
* [http://www.lboro.ac.uk/alumni Alumni Association]
* [http://accommodation.lboro.ac.uk/welcome/welcome.php Student Accommodation in Loughborough]

Further reading

*L. M. Cantor & G. F. Matthews (1977) "Loughborough from College to University: A History of Higher Education at Loughborough", 1909-66 ISBN 0902761196
*Leonard Cantor (1990) "Loughborough University Of Technology: Past And Present" ASIN B0011T8ABK

References