University of Surrey
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The University of Surrey (UniS) received its charter on September 9, 1966, and was at that time situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology before gaining university status. Its roots however go back to the Battersea Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1891 to provide further and higher education for London's poorer inhabitants.
The original master plan for an institution with 5,000 students has been exceeded, with the number of students now in excess of 10,000.
Between 2000 and 2004, the University formed part of the "Federal University of Surrey", along with what was then the University of Surrey Roehampton (USR), formerly the Roehampton Institute of Higher Education. However, in June 2004, the Privy Council granted Roehampton an independent university title, and it became Roehampton University from August 1 2004. This move ended the federal partnership between the two institutions, although collaboration between the two is being maintained.
Campus
The university moved in 1968 to a new 30 ha (83 acre) site on Stag Hill in Guildford, Surrey, adjacent to Guildford Cathedral (see picture, right). A further 90 ha (228 acres) allocated to the University remained undeveloped until 2005. The new Manor Park campus, to be designed as a car-free village, is approximately a kilometre from the Stag Hill campus, on the other side of the A3 trunk road, near the Research Park. It will combine residences for students and staff, buildings for research and teaching, and sporting facilities.
Research
A major centre of excellence in technology, science and engineering, The Surrey Research Park is widely regarded as the best of its kind in the UK.The Surrey Research Park is owned and developed by the University as a 28 ha (70-acre) low density, development close to its campus in Guildford, The Surrey Research Park provides large landscaped areas and water features and facilities for over 110 companies engaged in a broad spectrum of research, development and design activities.
The University is noted for research into small satellites, with its Surrey Space Centre and spin-off commercial company, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.
Complete History
The University of Surrey was established on 9 September 1966 with the grant of its Royal Charter but its roots go back to a late nineteenth century concern to provide greater access to further and higher education for the 'poorer inhabitants' of London. The forerunner of the University, the Battersea Polytechnic Institute (founded 1891, first students admitted 1894) began concentrating on science and technology from about 1920 and taught day and evening students for degrees of the University of London. Its academic reputation steadily grew to the point in 1956 where it was one of the first colleges to be designated a 'college of advanced technology'. It was renamed Battersea College of Technology.By the beginning of the sixties the College had virtually outgrown its main building in Battersea Park Road and in 1962 it had already decided to move to Guildford. Shortly afterwards (1963), the Robbins Report proposed that Battersea College, along with the other colleges of advanced technology, should expand and become a university awarding its own degrees. The greenfield site for the University-designate was acquired from Guildford Cathedral, Guildford Borough Council and the Onslow Village Trust in 1965, and the move from Battersea was completed in 1970.
Current reminders of the University's origins include the street signs displayed in Union House and the houses in Battersea Court Hall of Residence, which are named after Chairmen of the Governing Body and Principals of the Battersea Polytechnic.
A history of Battersea College 1891-1962 was written by Harold Arrowsmith and published in 1966 as Pioneering in Education for the Technologies. A history of the University of Surrey by Roy Douglas, entitled Surrey - The Rise of a Modern University, was published by Surrey University Press Ltd in September 1991 to coincide with the silver jubilee of the University. The silver jubilee was further marked in March 1992 by a Service of Thanksgiving in Guildford Cathedral attended by Her Majesty The Queen.
The University of Surrey first validated courses at the Roehampton Institute London in 1980. Following the University's accreditation of Roehampton's taught course provision in 1991, the Institute was granted Taught Degree and Research Degree awarding powers by the Privy Council in 1993 and 1998 respectively.
In 1998, as a result of the continuing development in the relationship between the University of Surrey and the Roehampton Institute London, the two institutions decided to form an academic federation. In November 1999, the Privy Council approved the necessary changes to the University's Charter and Statutes and the Roehampton Institute became The University of Surrey Roehampton at the beginning of 2000. Since then Surrey and Roehampton have worked increasingly together as the Federal University of Surrey.
Since its foundation, the University of Surrey has fostered links with other educational bodies in the local community and region. For example, in recent years it has validated courses at and subsequently accredited Saint Mary's College - a College of the University of Surrey, Wimbledon School of Art and Farnborough College of Technology. The University currently validates courses at North East Surrey College Of Technology (NESCOT), Conservatoire for Acting & Musical Theatre, Guildford College of Further & Higher Education, King Edward VII Hospital Department of Staff Development, The Nuclear Department at HMS Sultan, St John's Seminary, Southern Theological Education & Training Scheme (STETS), the Pre-Retirement Association and SHL (UK) Ltd.
In 1982 the University became the trustee of the building of the Guildford Institute and uses parts of the building for its adult education programme which ensures a University presence in the heart of Guildford. The Assessment and Qualification Alliance (formerly Associated Examining Board) moved from Aldershot to its own headquarter building on the Stag Hill campus in 1985.
One of the most significant site developments by the University has been the Surrey Research Park which currently accommodates over 100 companies employing 2,500 staff engaged in research and development activities, many of which relate closely to the work of the University's own Schools.
In 1991 the University was granted the Queen's Award for Export Achievement, and in 1997 it was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education in recognition of the University's outstanding achievement in satellite engineering and communications, teaching and research by the Centre for Satellite Engineering Research and its associated companies. In 1998 Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) was awarded the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement. This was presented in person by The Queen on her second visit to the University, accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Duke of Kent, Chancellor of the University.
More recently the University has been awarded the 2002 Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher & Further Education, this time for its internationally renowned research and development on optoelectronic devices and ion beam applications. For a university of its size and age, Surrey has one of the highest number of staff who are academicians of the learned societies: 10 Fellows of the Royal Society, 21 Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, one Fellow of the British Academy and 6 Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences.
The University celebrated its 35th anniversary year in May 2002 with a major event in Guildford Cathedral and the gift of the Surrey Scholar sculpture (by Allan Sly FBS), located at the bottom of the town's historic High Street, to the people of Guildford and marking the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen. There are now over 90,000 graduates of the University, working in all parts of the world. 'Understanding the Real World', a visual history of the University, by Christopher Pick, was published to coincide with this anniversary.
Recent major developments on the University campus include the Austin Pearce building (1997), the Duke of Kent building (1998), Millennium House, University Court (2000), the Daphne Jackson Building which houses the University's Advanced Technology Institute (2002), and the Surrey Management School (2003). A new residence for postgraduate students - International House - was opened in Autumn 2003.
On the 1st July 2005 Prof. Christopher M. Snowden became Surrey’s fourth Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, following a period of overlap with his predecessor Prof. Dowling. Like his predecessors Prof. Dowling and Prof. Kelly, Prof. Snowden is a fellow of the Royal Society. He was appointed in recognition of his pioneering work in the fields of microwave engineering and compound semi conductors.
In May 2006 the University announced a rebranding exercise, aiming to more effectively present its values and position to potential students and research organisations in a more competitive higher education market.
Trivia
In 2004 the University was ranked by Virgin's Student Guide as the university where students have the highest chance of 'pulling'. A tabloid paper took this further, claiming that students at this university have the highest chance of having sex in their first month at the university.The University has a medium wave radio station, GU2 Radio (GU2 is the local postcode prefix). The radio station annually broadcasts on FM for one month.
Led Zeppelin performed their very first gig at the University of Surrey on October 15th, 1968.
The University is home to a number of societies and sports clubs who feel the best way of advertising themselves is to post a line on this page. Such as the following:
The University of Surrey is home to the [Surrey Angels] Cheerleading squad.
The University of Surrey is home to the [Surrey Stingers] American Football team.
The Surrey branch of the BBC's Southern Counties Radio local radio station has its studios on the campus. [link]
In 2005 dance students from the University created their own contemporary dance company, Actual Size Dance Company.
Renowned disabled actor Nabil Shaban attended the University in the late 1970's and contributed to the student newspaper Bare Facts.
A well loved urban legend in the seventies was that the main administrative building Senate House had been built to face the wrong way (citiation needed).
External links
Universities: Independent websites related to University of Surrey activities:- [University Of Surrey Students Union website]
- [PA, Lighting and Video hire company run by the Students Union]
- [Surrey Stingers American football team]
- [UniS Conservative Society]
- [University of Surrey Asian Society]
- [Actual Size Dance Company]
References
- [Understanding the Real World], a visual history of the University of Surrey.
| The 1994 Group (of smaller British research universities) | |
|---|---|
| Bath | Birkbeck | Durham | East Anglia | Essex | Exeter | Goldsmiths College | Lancaster | London School of Economics* | Reading | Royal Holloway | St Andrews | Surrey | Sussex | Warwick* | York | |
| Joining 1 August 2006: Leicester | Loughborough | School of Oriental and African Studies | Queen Mary | |
| * Also a member of the Russell Group | |
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