University of Leeds Totally Explained

The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire; one of the largest in the United Kingdom with over 32,000 full-time students. It is a member of the Russell Group and is ranked in the top ten of UK universities for market share of research funding. Established in 1904, it's one of the six original civic universities, and in 2006 it was ranked second for the number of applications received.

History

The University's history is linked to the development of Leeds as an international centre for the textile industry and clothing manufacture in the Victorian era. Its roots stretch back to the early nineteenth century and it was one of six civic universities in industrial cities given royal charters at the beginning of the twentieth century. Prior to this wave of expansion in higher education, only four universities - Oxford, Cambridge, London and Durham - were established in England.

Origins

In 1831, the Leeds School of Medicine was set up, serving the needs of the five medical institutions that had sprung up in the city. Then in 1874, the School was joined by the Yorkshire College of Science, intended to provide education for the children of middle-class industrialists and merchants. Financial support from local industry was crucial (there is a Clothworkers' Court at the University to this day).
   The College of Science was modelled on Owens College, Manchester, established in 1851 as a non-sectarian alternative to Oxford and Cambridge, where religious tests were applied and those outside the Church of England were not allowed to receive degrees or were barred from entry outright. Owens College, like the earlier University College London, applied no such tests and was open to Protestant Dissenters, Catholics and Jews.
   While religious tests for students at Oxford and Cambridge ceased in the 1850s, northern colleges continued to promote themselves as offering a distinct type of teaching. They took pride in the progressive and practical nature of their scientific education; a field in which the ancient universities, with their focus on theological study, were felt to lag behind.
   The Yorkshire College of Science began by teaching experimental physics, mathematics, geology, mining, chemistry and biology, and soon became well known as an international centre for the study of engineering and textile technology. When classics, modern literature and history went on offer a few years later, the Yorkshire College of Science became the Yorkshire College. In 1887, the College merged with the School of Medicine.

Victoria University and royal charter

Leeds was given its first university the following year when the Yorkshire College joined the federal Victoria University, which had begun life when Owens College was awarded a royal charter in 1880. Leeds now found itself in an educational union with close social cousins from Manchester and Liverpool.
Unlike Owens College, the Leeds section of the Victoria University had never barred women from its courses. However, it wasn't until special facilities were provided at the Day Training College in 1896 that women enrolled in significant numbers. The first female student to begin a course here was Lilias Annie Clark, who studied Modern Literature and Education.
The Victoria University was short-lived. Manchester and Liverpool were keen to establish independent universities, unhappy with the practical difficulties posed by maintaining a federal arrangement across broad distances. The University of Leeds was granted a royal charter as an independent body by King Edward VII in 1904.

Present day

Leeds is a leading research institution, and a member of the Russell Group of Universities. In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise - that of 2001 - the University was placed seventh nationally for the number of top scoring researchers and eighth for 'research power' out of 173 institutions taking part in the exercise. Just under 800 researchers at the University were given ratings of 5* or 5, meaning that 70 per cent of the University's researchers were working at the highest level on projects of international importance. The University received the highest 5* grade, denoting work at the forefront of international research, in six subjects: Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, English, Town and Country Planning, Food Science, and Italian.
   The University is committed to working with the private sector and invests heavily in realising the commercial potential of its academic developments. Leeds attracts the highest level of industrial funding of any university in the UK.
   The University’s educational partnerships have included providing formal accreditation of degree awards to Leeds Trinity & All Saints, although this is now establishing itself as a university in its own right.
   In The Times Higher Education Supplement Rankings 2006, Leeds was placed 19th in the UK, 50th in Europe and 121st in the world. For Arts and Humanities subjects it was ranked 55th in the world.
   The University has an excellent reputation for teaching and provides a wide range of courses for students. The Times Good University Guide 2005 ranked the University top in dentistry, sixth in English and fourth in communication and media compared to other UK universities.
   The University of Leeds Business School is regarded as one of the best in the UK. In its most recent ranking the school's MBA programme was placed at 15th in Europe by The Economist.
   During the 2005-2006 academic year, over 32,000 students were attached to 700 different first-degree programmes and 474 postgraduate degree programmes. Additionally, over 32,000 people were enrolled on short courses. It is intended for the re-branding to be complete by October 2007.

Campus

Location

The main campus is located north of the city centre of Leeds. It is within walking distance for both the city centre and Headingley, a popular residential area for students. The main entrance to the campus for visitors by car is on Woodhouse Lane (A660), near the Parkinson Building (also known as University tower).
In addition to the main campus, there's also a satellite location at Wakefield. Until the 2007/8 academic year, some courses were taught at the Bretton Hall campus in West Bretton. The site closed in summer 2007 after the courses taught there were relocated to the main campus in Leeds.

Facilities

The University Library is spread over five locations and holds, in total, 2.78 million books, 26,000 print and electronic journals, 850 databases and 6,000 electronic books. The main arts, social sciences and law library is the Brotherton Library, located in the Parkinson Building. The main science, engineering and student library is the Edward Boyle Library, located in the centre of the campus. Medicine, dentistry and healthcare students are served by the Health Sciences Library, located in the Worsley building, and there's also a library at St James's University Hospital. There is also a library located on the Wakefield campus.
   There are 9,000 personal computers available across the campus along with 150 Sun computers and servers, 8 high performance Sun servers and 256 supercomputers. There are 29 centrally-managed computer clusters of varying sizes spread across the different sites, along with others managed by specific departments. Five of these clusters are available 24 hours a day.
   The University has of land, with the main campus taking up . The University's student union, Leeds University Union (LUU), includes numerous shops and bars and an award-winning nightclub, and is one of the largest student union operations in the UK.
   The University's Disability Team (based within its Equality Service) arranges and provides academic support services for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, are blind or partially-sighted, have a specific learning difficulty (for example dyslexia), have a physical impairment or mobility difficulty, have a long-term medical condition or have a mental health difficulty. The University of Leeds is also one of the few Universities in the UK to include an on-campus Transcription Centre, managed in conjunction with the RNIB. The Transcription Centre produces information in a range of accessibile formats (including braille, large print, e-text and audio formats) for blind and partially-sighted students and staff members - both at Leeds and at other universities, colleges and schools.
   The University's Muslim Prayer Room is located in the Conference Auditorium building next to the Sports Hall and able to accommodate up to 300 people at any one time. The prayer room has undergone recent refurbishment after half a million pounds was allocated towards its development with joint efforts between Leeds University Union's Islamic Society, John Schless (former LUU Societies Officer) and the Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Arthur.

Accommodation

There is accommodation provided in either catered or self-catered rooms, mostly reserved for first year undergraduate students but also for international students, postgraduates, staff and undergraduates who have been unable to find alternative accommodation.

Self Catered

Organisation

Faculties

The various schools, institutes and centres of the University are arranged into nine faculties, each with a dean, pro-deans and central functions:

Arts

Biological Sciences

Business

Education, Social Sciences and Law

Engineering

Earth and Environment

Mathematics and Physical Sciences

Medicine and Health

Performance, Visual Arts and Communications

Governance

The Court serves as a mechanism for the University’s accountability to the wider community and to stakeholders, making sure that the University is well managed, properly governed and responsive to public and local interests and concerns. It is made up of mainly lay members. The Council is the governing body of the University, constituting of mainly lay members along with representatives of staff and students. It is responsible for the proper management and financial solvency of the University, with major policy decisions and corporate strategy being subject to its approval. The Senate is the principal academic authority of the University. It oversees academic management and sets strategy and priorities, including the curriculum and maintenance of standards.

Chancellor

The Chancellor of the University acts as a ceremonial figurehead and sits on the University Court. The current Chancellor is Melvyn Bragg, Lord Bragg of Wigton. �

Notable people

External results

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