University of Lincoln

Infobox University
name = University of Lincoln


motto = Excellentia Per Studium
mottoeng = Excellence through Studies
established = 1861 (as the Hull School of Art)
type = Public
chancellor = Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll
vice_chancellor = Professor David Chiddick
staff = 1,107
students = 16,705cite 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= 2008-04-10|format= Microsoft Excel spreadsheet|publisher= Higher Education Statistics Agency]
undergrad = 11,295
postgrad = 1,370
other = 4,040 FE
city = Lincolnshire and Hull
country = England, UK
coor = coord|53.2285|N|0.5479|W|type:edu|display=inline,title
colours = Green (Pantone 398) [ [http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/identity/colour.htm Pantone 398 Corp Green] ] color box|#B8C400
affiliations = University Alliance, ACU, East Midlands Universities Association, LiSN, Yorkshire Universities
website = http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/

The University of Lincoln is an English university in Lincolnshire whose origins can be traced back to the 19th century. Originally founded in 1861 as the Hull School of Art,cite web|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/student/into-university/az-uni-colleges/lincoln-university-of-754709.html|title= Lincoln, University of|accessdate= 2008-08-28|date= 2007-07-27|work= A-Z Unis & Colleges|publisher= The Independent] the University of Lincoln proper (in its current form) is a relatively modern 21st century development.

The founding of the Brayford Campus in 1996 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, further revitalised and elevated the cathedral city of Lincoln. The Independent describes the university as "the best thing to happen to Lincoln since the Romans".cite web|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/changing-fortunes-lincoln-universitys-spectacular-transformation-441221.html|title= Changing Fortunes|accessdate= 2008-08-28|date= 2007-03-22|work= Higher Education, The Independent|publisher= The Independent]

The main campus is primarily based in Brayford Pool area, in the city of Lincoln but has campuses in Riseholme, Holbeach and Hull. [cite web|url= http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/maps/index.htm|title= Maps - University of Lincoln|accessdate= 2008-06-05|publisher= University of Lincoln]

The University of Lincoln's official crest bears the head of Minerva, the Ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and knowledge. Although the Goddess' Etruscan origin has long been a subject of fierce debate among historians, it is however the Roman rendition of Minerva that has been incorporated in the crest as a testament to the City of Lincoln's rich and glorious history of Roman association, traditions and cultures that date all the way back to the 1st Century AD.

Shrouded in symbology, Minerva's depiction in the University of Lincoln's official crest, serves to reinforce and embody the ancient Greek ("Athena"), Etruscan ("Menrva"), Celtic ("Sulis Minerva") and the Roman ("Minerva") references to power, independence, wisdom, knowledge, art, war, commerce and medicine among others or as Ovid quite rightly put it "a goddess of a thousand works".

While it can be concluded that the University of Lincoln, or more precisely The Hull School of Arts, is perhaps the oldest university in Lincolnshire and Hull, the university has always refrained from doing so. It can only be assumed that the reasons for doing so might perhaps lie in the fact the university seeks to portray and reflect the rapidly developing city of Lincoln whilst stroking its traditionalist past and highlighting the Lincolnshire heritage.

It must be noted however that on the other end of the scale, Bishop Grossette University College, have been quick to market itself as "the oldest university in Lincolnshire",cite web|url= http://www.radomsko.pl/cms/miasto.php?ppid=363&id=86&kateg=80&jezyk=2|title= The City of Lincoln|accessdate= 2008-09-05|date= 2007-06-28|work= The City of Lincoln, Twin Cities, Radomsko|publisher= Radomsko] despite it being founded a whole year after the establishment of the Hull School of Arts, and being granted degree awarding powers only as recently as 2006.cite web | url=http://www.push.co.uk/Uni_Profile.aspx?id=66c8cba2-bb4b-405b-8baa-ae1daf9a23a8&type=profile | title=University profile: Bishop Grosseteste University College | publisher=Push.co.uk | accessdate=2008-04-24]

History

150 years in the making

The University of Lincoln's roots can be traced back to 1861. These can be traced back to a number of higher educational institutions in Hull, including the Hull School of Art (1861), the Hull Technical Institute (1893), Endsleigh Training College (1905) and the Hull Central College of Commerce (1930).

Thus, when the new campus beside Lincoln's Brayford Pool was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, it was unique in a way that the establishment was simultaneously a modern creation and one that, in 2011, will enjoy a history of a 150 years of education in the East Midlands region.

The higher educational institutions, namely the Hull School of Art (1861), the Hull Technical Institute (1893), Endsleigh Training College (1905) and the Hull Central College of Commerce (1930) were merged in 1976 to form the Hull College of Higher Education. In 1983 this institution became the Humberside College of Higher Education ("HCHE") when it absorbed several courses in fishing, food and manufacturing which were running in Grimsby. HCHE gained polytechnic status in 1990, and then in 1992 was one of the many polytechnics in the UK to become full universities.

The University of Lincoln, formerly the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, owing to the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 and the subsequent creation of the University of Humberside in 1992 from Humberside Polytechnic.

Early 90s

The cathedral city of Lincoln was without its own university well into the early 90s which does come across as a bit of surprise since traditionally universities in England have historically enjoyed a strong presence especially in the areas around cathedrals.

Thus, an University establishmnent was planned on a magnificent scale at the southwest end of Lincoln's City centre overlooking the Brayford Pool. This was to be combined with the existing University of Humberside to form the University of Lincoln's antecedent, University of Lincolnshire and Humberside.

21st century

Higher education in Lincoln was consolidated in 2001 when the University acquired Leicester-based De Montfort University's schools in Lincolnshire: the Lincoln School of Art and Design in uphill Lincoln, and the Lincolnshire School of Agriculture's sites at Riseholme, Caythorpe and Holbeach. Caythorpe was later closed permanently and its activities moved to Riseholme. Courses held in Grimsby were also moved to Lincoln around this time.

Throughout the 1990s, the University's campus facilities in Hull were considerably scaled down as the focus shifted towards Lincoln. In 2001 this process was taken a step further when the decision was made to move the administrative headquarters and management to Lincoln and to sell the Cottingham Road campus in Hull, the former main campus, to its neighbour, the University of Hull - The site is now the home of the Hull York Medical School. The University still maintains a smaller campus, the Derek Crothall Building, in Hull city centre. A smaller campus and student halls on Beverley Road, Hull, were also sold for redevelopment.

As a result of these changes, and because the University's double-barrelled name had come to be regarded as unattractive to students, "Humberside" was dropped and the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside was rebranded "University of Lincoln".Fact|date=August 2008

On 28 October 2004, following its redevelopment as a specialist Food science technology park, the campus at Holbeach was reopened by John Henry Hayes, the Member of Parliament for South Holland and the Deepings.

More recently the University's Forensic Science department has been one of only four Universities in the UK accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the department's BSc (Hons) Forensic Science course is accredited by the Forensic Science Society. [cite web|url= http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/courses/fabs/undergraduate/forensicscience/index.asp|title= BSc (Hons) Forensic Science|accessdate= 2008-06-05|date= 2007-11-21|publisher= University of Lincoln]

The University also releases student newspaper "The Linc", founded in 2007.

Campuses

The University has expanded rapidly on the Brayford site since its opening in 1996. Buildings on the Brayford now include a School of Architecture designed by the British architect Rick Mather, a science laboratory facility, a sports centre, and a university library.

*Brayford (Main Campus)
**The Media, Humanities and Computing Building (MHAC Building)
***Minerva Productions
***Siren FM (107.3FM Radio Station)
**The Science Building
**The Architecture Building
**The East Midlands Media and Technology Centre (EMMTEC)
**Great Central Warehouse Library (GCW Library)
**The Engine Shed
**Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (LPAC)
**Sparkhouse Studios
**The Sports Centre
*Cathedral Quarter
**The Lincoln School of Art & Design (LSAD)
*Holbeach
**Holbeach Technology Campus
*Hull
**Hull Centre for Management Development
**Hull School of Health and Social Care
*Riseholme Park
**Department of Biological Sciences (DBS)
**Riseholme College

The main academic building at the Brayford campus was initially designed with the proposed function of a showroom. The large, open atrium space is surrounded by balconies on several floors, with lecture halls on the ground and classrooms on the higher floors.

The University also maintains several buildings of historic interest in uphill Lincoln (the "Cathedral" campus), including a building named after Chad Varah, founder of the Samaritans. At Riseholme, set amongst a convert|240|ha|sqmi|2|lk=on estate and working farm is the former residence of the Bishop of Lincoln. The main building at the much-reduced campus in Hull has been renamed in honour of the late Professor Derek Crothall, a former Pro Vice Chancellor of the University.

Future plans

The University has ambitious plans to complete the physical development of the Brayford campus. These plans are detailed in the University's Brayford campus masterplan, and include:

* Landscaping to create two public squares and a formal pond with surrounding lawns (underway in 2008)
* A second phase of development at Sparkhouse Studios (starts 2008)
* A second science building
* A dedicated building for the Faculty of Business and Law
* A 5,000 m² extension to the Great Central Warehouse University Library

In 2005, the University's halls of residence were leased to a charitable trust for a premium of £30 million. As part of the deal the University would forego the rent that they would have ordinarily received. Part of the £30m will be used to fund the above developments.

Faculties

There are four faculties of study:
*Art, Architecture & Design (Acting Dean: Frances Mannsaker)
**Lincoln School of Art & Design
**Lincoln School of Architecture
*Business & Law (Acting Dean: Professor Andrew Atherton)
**Lincoln Business School
**Lincoln Law School
**Hull Centre for Management Development
**The Centre for Management and Business Research
*Health, Life & Social Sciences (Dean: Sara Owen)
**Department of Biological Sciences
**Department of Forensic & Biomedical Sciences
**Department of Policy Studies
**Department of Psychology
**Department of Sport, Coaching & Exercise Science
**Centre for Clinical and Academic Workforce Innovation CCAWI
**Lincoln School of Health and Social Care
**Hull School of Health and Social Care
*Media, Humanities & Technology (Dean: Professor John Simons)
**Department of Computing and Informatics
**Department of Humanities
**Department of Media Production
**Lincoln School of Performing Arts
**Lincoln School of Journalism

Plus several extra-faculty academic departments:
*Riseholme College (Principal: Val Braybrooks)
*The Centre for Health Improvement and Leadership in Lincoln (CHILL) (Director: Christine Abbott)
*The Centre for Education Research & Development (CERD) (Director: Mike Neary)
*The School of Theology & Ministry Studies (Head of School: the Reverend Dr Mark Hocknull)

Facilities

ports Centre

The University of Lincoln Sports Centre is primarily used to accommodate the needs of both students and staff of the University of Lincoln, providing them with opportunities to participate in fitness classes and many sports based activities. Facilities include:

*Double sports hall
*4 squash courts
*Synthetic pitches
*Fitness suite
*Dance studio
*8 Badminton / short tennis courts
*2 Basketball courts
*2 Volleyball courts
*2 Netball courts
*2 five-a-side football pitches
*1 seven-a-side football pitch

Library

Located in the Great Central Warehouse ("GCW") building, a renovated former industrial railway goods warehouse, the University Library was opened in December 2004. There are smaller libraries at the University's three branch campuses, Holbeach, Kingston-upon-Hull and Riseholme. In total, the University's four libraries house more than a third of a million items. [cite web|url=http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/home/lr/index.htm|title= University of Lincoln - Library and Learning Resources|accessdate= 2008-09-08|date= 2008-08-09|publisher= The University of Lincoln]

The building has won several awards for its sensitive conversion from a derelict former railway grain-storage warehouse.cite web|url=http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:82kS76jSoGIJ:www.uat.lincolnalumni.bit10.net/news.html%3Fnews_id%3D31+GCW+library+lincoln+awards&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=uk|title= Gold and Silver for Library Conversion|accessdate= 2008-09-08|date= 2005-06-27|publisher= University of Lincoln] The GCW was constructed in 1907 by the Great Central Railway. It spent the second half of the twentieth century as a builder's warehouse before falling in to disrepair in 1998.

It was converted into a library (designed by the University's in-house team of architects) and was formally opened in 2004 by the chief executive of the UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.

In 2005, the conversion won gold and silver for conservation and regeneration at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Regional Awards in Leicester. It has also gained awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Accommodation

The University's on-campus, student accommodation "The Student Village" is a stunning waterfront complex, situated near to the University's academic buildings on the Brayford campus and within walking distance of the city centre. There are 17 contemporary buildings of self-catering apartments, each apartment housing five to eight students. Some apartments have specifically designed rooms for students with disabilities.

The site has a range of facilities with a total of 1,037 bedrooms available.

The Engine Shed

Infobox music venue
name = The Engine Shed

|thumb|The Engine Shed
caption =
location = University of Lincoln, Lincoln
type =
genres =
years_active = (c.1874) 2006 - present
capacity = 2,000 personscite web|url=http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/University_of_Lincoln|title= The Student Room - University of Lincoln|accessdate= 2008-08-28|date= 2008-01-03|publisher= The Student Room]
owner = University of Lincoln
promotions = Solid Entertainments
website = [http://www.engineshed.co.uk www.engineshed.co.uk] Constructed in 1874 by Great Central Railways, the Engine Shed's sole acclaim was as the only surviving four-track dead end railway building in Lincolnshire. A multi-million pound refit later, and a fantabulous opening on the night of September 2006, the Engine Shed is now the very hub of Lincoln student life and officially the region's largest live music venue. [cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/may/01/highereducationprofile.highereducation|title= University of Lincoln-Higher Education Profile|accessdate= 2008-08-28|date= 2008-03-01|publisher= The Guardian] Aside from revolutionising the student social scene, the Engine Shed is also home to the Lincoln Student Union (Lincoln SU), the dedicated Student Centre Facility for the University.

The main venue consists of four bars - The Upper Tower Bar, The Engine Shed bar, The Mezzanine bar and the Lower Tower Bar - space for up to 2,000 people on any given night, the Students' Union offices and the Student Opportunities, Activity & Participation (SOAP) Centre, the Athletic Union (AU), the UL Careers Centre and the Lincoln University Volunteers Centre (aka LUV Shack).

Aside from the regular appearances made by a notable number of up and coming Indie Bands and Artists, the Engine Shed has also played host to a number of high profile artists, including The Ting Tings, Bowling For Soup, The Charlatans, The Zutons, Embrace, The Cooper Temple Clause, Deftones, The Beautiful South, Dirty Pretty Things, Babyshambles, Kings of Leon, Stereophonics, Reverend And The Makers, The Kooks, The Guillemots, The Human League, Supergrass and The Cribs.

Recent months have seen the Engine Shed open their doors to the Year 11 Proms, the Gay Pride Festival, the Lincoln Comedy Festival, and to the general public for hire.

Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

The Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (LPAC) (opened January 2008) houses a 450-seat multipurpose auditorium designed for live arts performances, conferences, and film screenings. The theatre's programme of events is designed to complement, rather than compete with, those of its neighbouring venues.

The building is home to the Lincoln School of Performing Arts. Arranged around the theatre are studios for dance, drama and music, as well as office spaces and control and dimming rooms designed specifically to enable instruction of students during live performance.

People

Enrollees at the University of Lincoln have gone from strength to strength every academic year. According to the University website, more than 50 different nationalities are represented among the student population on the Brayford Pool campus.cite web|url=http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/news/fact-figures.htm|title= Facts and Figures - University of Lincoln|accessdate= 2008-08-30|date= 2008-08-12|publisher= The University of Lincoln]

Based on the available 2007/08 academic year data, it can be confirmed the total student population (on campus) stood at 9,695 undergraduates (8,984) and postgraduates (711), while those off-campus stood at a 179 students. There are 496 academic staff across all the campuses, while the support staff is 611 persons strong.

The University's Chancellor is Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll, and the Vice-Chancellor is Professor David Chiddick, appointed in 2001.

Notable alumni include Mary Parkinson, television presenter and the wife of fellow television presenter Michael Parkinson.

tudents' Union

The Lincoln Students' Union, or the Lincoln SU (as it's popularly known as), was refounded in 2001, along with the University, and consists of full and part-time officers. The Students' Union publishes "Bullet Magazine" six times a year.The current Student Union President is Daniel Hutchinson.

tructure

In 2001, the Students' Union was refounded as a "students' union co-operative", the first of its kind in the UK.Fact|date=June 2008 All students were required to buy membership of the Union, which gave them a far greater say in the decision-making process. Regular member meetings were held, across the various campuses; all student members could speak, and present motions to be voted on, which would be accepted by the Union, if constitutional.

However, various legislative changes in the UK – as well as more practical problems (such as the cost of insuring the Union) – meant that the co-operative structure was not viable in the longer term. Accordingly, in 2007, the Union was reconstituted as a company limited by guarantee, and registered as a charity, introducing a more conventional governance structure.

ocieties

*Afro-Carribean
*Alternative Music
*Break Dancing
*Canoeing
*Cheerleading
*Christian Union
*CIM
*Complementary Medicine
*Conservation
*Drama
*Equine
*Forensic Science
*Fire Art
*Gymnastics
*History
*Horse Riding
*Inline Hockey
*Islamic
*Law
*LGBT
*Links
*Live Music
*Motor Racing
*Outdoor Activities
*Psychology
*Rowing
*Sci-Fi
*Surfing
*Tourism
*Trampolining
*V-Gas

In popular culture

In August 2000, the University's Learning Resources Centre (now the Media, Humanities & Technology building) was the location for some of Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart's scenes in "Possession", the 2002 adaptation of A. S. Byatt's eponymous novel. [cite web|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/starstruck-lincoln-608307.html|title= Star-struck Lincoln|last= McCann |first= Grace|accessdate= 2008-06-05|date= 2002-10-24|publisher= The Independent]

References

External links

* [http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/ University of Lincoln] – Official website
* [http://www.lincolnsu.com/ University of Lincoln Students' Union]