Atlantic College
Encyclopedia
The United World College of the Atlantic, also known as Atlantic College, is an international IB Diploma Programme
boarding school in the United Kingdom
. Founded in 1962, the school was the first of the United World Colleges
and was among the first schools in the world to follow an international curriculum. It is known for its liberal, progressive and radical educational and global ethos and is attended by approximately 350 students from more than 75 countries. In addition to the International Baccalaureate curriculum, the school encourages student participation in community service.
educationalist Kurt Hahn
— who also set up Gordonstoun
School in Scotland
and the Salem
School in Germany — as a practical response to the search for new and peaceful solutions in a post-war world riven by political, racial and economic divisions.
Kurt Hahn
had been invited to address the NATO Defence College where he saw former enemies from several nations working together towards a common goal. With a number of colleagues Hahn realised how much more could be done to overcome the hostility of the Cold War
if young people from different nations could be brought together in a similar way. He envisaged a college for students who were already grounded in their own cultures but impressionable enough to learn from others. Drawn from all nations, the students would be selected purely on merit and potential, regardless of race, religion, nationality and background.
Atlantic College opened in South Wales in 1962 and was hailed by The Times
as "the most exciting experiment in education since the Second World War." The College was the fruit of Kurt Hahn's vision and the work of men such as the founding Headmaster Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare, Antonin Besse
, who donated St Donat's Castle
for the College's premises, and Air Marshal Sir Lawrance Darvall. Robert Blackburn
was also influential as founding Deputy Headmaster and Director of Studies.
In 1967, Lord Mountbatten of Burma
became President of the organisation and the title United World Colleges
came into existence. Mountbatten was an enthusiastic UWC supporter and encouraged heads of state, politicians and personalities throughout the world to share his interest. He was personally involved in founding the second UWC – the United World College of South East Asia
– in Singapore. A further College followed in 1974: Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson had dreamed of establishing an institution like Atlantic College in Canada and it was fitting that the Lester B Pearson United World College of the Pacific became Canada's living memorial to its much-respected leader.
In 1978, Mountbatten passed the Presidency to his great-nephew, HRH Prince Charles The Prince of Wales. The current presidents of Atlantic College are Nelson Mandela
, Queen Noor of Jordan
and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
.
Students from over 75 countries participate in Atlantic College's rigorous two-year programme in which they combine academic studies with activities and service. Admission, and scholarship awards, are decided by national UWC committees around the world, which also send students to the other United World Colleges
.
At the beginning of the two years, students are obliged to select a service that they will carry out for at least four hours a week for the duration of their time at the college, with the choices including manning and running the RNLI lifeboat station at the college, working on the college’s own organic farm, providing music therapy for dementia patients or running activity sessions with disabled children. Students can choose from ten services offered: Arts Centre Service, Cardiff and Vale Rescue Association (CAVRA) Service, Estates Service, Extramural Centre Service, Inshore Lifeboat Service, Lifeguard Service, Marine Environment Monitoring Service (MEMS), Media and Communications Service, Performing Arts Service, and Social Service. At the beginning of each term, students also select three activities, which must each be carried out for at least two hours a week.
The College is unique in having an active RNLI Lifeboat Station within its grounds, and its Atlantic 75 class boat is manned by staff and students from the College. Much of the development of the Atlantic 21
, 75
and 85
classes of lifeboat took place here. ILB training vessels are still built on-site by students and are in regular use in practice and training of the RNLI crews at the station.
What was to become the world’s most widely-used craft for inshore rescue, the rigid inflatable boat (RIB), was conceived, designed, and built at Atlantic College under its founding headmaster, retired Rear-Admiral Desmond Hoare. The B Class Atlantic Inshore Lifeboat was named by the RNLI after its birthplace, the College. It has often been claimed that, had the College earned royalties on every rigid-hulled inflatable boat now in service, its scholarship fund would have never looked back. But Desmond Hoare, who finally patented the design in 1973, handed over all rights to the RNLI for the nominal fee of one pound. He did not cash the cheque.
David Sutcliffe, a member of the founding staff of the Atlantic College in 1962, published The RIB The Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Lifeboat and its Place of Birth The Atlantic College in 2010, a book that tells the story of the inception of the RIB (rigid inflatable boat).
Atlantic College is located at St Donat's Castle
, a 12th-century castle
near the town of Llantwit Major
on the South Wales
coast, overlooking the Bristol Channel
. The extensive grounds also include the 12th-century St Donat's Chapel and the historic terraced gardens, as well as preserved woodland, farmland and heritage coastline
. St Donat's Castle
is the impressive main building of the school housing the Gothic
Dining Hall, The Great (Bradenstoke) Hall used for assemblies and performances, the Tudor
Hall, extensive 25,000-book Library
, staff offices, student common areas and certain academic departments such as History, Economics and Theory of Knowledge.
Students live in seven accommodation houses named after either Welsh counties or benefactors to the college:
Pentti Kouri — Morgannwg — Powys — Gwynedd — Whitaker — Tice — Sunley.
Lessons take place in modern academic blocks built in the 1960s–80s, converted Medieval estate buildings, and the castle itself. Next to the castle are the Social / Gymnasium blocks and the 12th-century tithe barn
(used by the college and open to the public as a theatre, arts centre and cinema). This building with its contemporary glazed extension by notable local architect Chris Loyn, has received much praise in the UK architectural community as well as from groups interested in building conservation. The college owns sports fields, tennis courts, and in addition to indoor and outdoor swimming pools have a range of surf and rescue equipment, kayaks, sailing boats, RNLI training boats, and a cliff suitable for climbing and rescue practice.
In 2004, the college installed a carbon neutral
biomass heating system to replace an aging and unsustainable oil based system. It runs on locally sourced sustainable woodchip biomass
, and makes the campus the largest site in the UK to be heated in such a way.
The oldest student house, Pentti Kouri (formerly Dyfed), was refurbished in the Autumn of 2008 to include technologies such as geothermal heating and an energy usage monitoring system to lessen its impact on the environment. If the renovation proves successful at reducing the environmental impact, whilst being comfortable to live in, the other older houses may also be renovated over a period of years.
Graduates are typically accepted at the most competitive colleges and universities around the world, with many enrolling in Ivy League
universities. Many other students attend British universities such as Oxford University, Cambridge University, Durham University
, King's College London
, London School of Economics
, University of St Andrews
, Nottingham University
and the University of Warwick
. Students at the college are eligible, after graduation, to participate in The Davis United World College Scholars Program, which funds undergraduate study (based on need) for UWC students at universities in the United States. Despite this, the stated aim of the College is that students return to their home communities or regions after completing their studies to enable and encourage social and economic development around the world and across societies, rather than removing those most able to facilitate change from those areas most in need of it.
The class of 2008 were academically the college’s most successful year in its 46-year history. Seventy-six students, almost half of the graduating class of 163, received a total of 151 unconditional acceptances at top US universities, and 13 students were offered conditional places to study at Oxbridge
.
Among the offers, there were 21 acceptances to Ivy League
universities such as Dartmouth
, Brown
, Harvard
, Columbia
, Yale
and Princeton
.
The following groups of courses are available at Atlantic College: Group 1, Language A: a choice of 18 languages. Seven European languages are taught by teachers and four are self-taught; seven African or Asian languages are self-taught. Group 2, Language B: a choice of 6 languages for either progressors or beginners (English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Arabic). Group 3, Individuals and societies: a choice of 7 subjects (geography, social sciences, history, religion).
Group 4, Science: a choice of 5 subjects, three sciences, two relating to design and human ecology (environment). Group 5, Mathematics: four courses. Group 6, The arts: 3 courses.
When the new year of students arrive in September, the second year students welcome them to the college outside the main gate. The first years spend the first few days at Atlantic College learning about the college and getting to know each other by going on a camping trip.
Open Mic Nights:
To raise money for various charities and causes, students organise 'Open Mic Nights' usually held in the Old Staff Common Room. Students pay for entry and watch their fellow schoolmates performing. Causes include Trade Justice
, Amnesty International
, Students for a Free Tibet
and STAR
.
National Evenings:
Every Sunday, a national group or a conglomeration of national groups (For example: British & Irish, Franco-Italian, Central European (German-Dutch), Latin & Iberic, North American etc.) put together a show celebrating the culture of their region. Nearly every pupil participates and attends the national evenings and the performances are usually both a celebration and a parody of their countries.
ACMUN:
Each year the college hosts a Model United Nations
conference. This is very accurately staged with various committees, councils and events. Students from other United World Colleges
also attend.
Writer in Residence:
Started in September 2007, this is when an author lives on campus and helps students with all literature, including essays, letters home and notes to other students. The most recent writer in residence was Horatio Clare
.
Friday Night Lecturer:
Prominent characters present a speech based on their field of excellence to the school. Friday night lecturers have included entrepreneurs Craig Sams
and Dame Anita Roddick
, Margot Wallström
, European Commission Vice President and the journalist Aernout Van Lynden
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
boarding school in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Founded in 1962, the school was the first of the United World Colleges
United World Colleges
UWC is an education movement comprising thirteen international schools and colleges, national committees in over 130 countries and a series of short educational programmes. The UWC movement aims to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future...
and was among the first schools in the world to follow an international curriculum. It is known for its liberal, progressive and radical educational and global ethos and is attended by approximately 350 students from more than 75 countries. In addition to the International Baccalaureate curriculum, the school encourages student participation in community service.
History
Atlantic College was founded in 1962 by the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
educationalist Kurt Hahn
Kurt Hahn
Kurt Martin Hahn was a German educator whose philosophies are considered internationally influential.-Biography:...
— who also set up Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun
Gordonstoun School is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils in Moray in North East Scotland. Named after the estate originally owned by Sir Robert Gordon in the 1600s, the school now uses this estate as its campus...
School in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the Salem
Schule Schloss Salem
Schule Schloss Salem is a boarding school with campuses in Hohenfels, Salem and Überlingen in Baden-Württemberg, Southern Germany. It is considered one of the most elite schools in Europe.It offers the German Abitur, as well as the International Baccalaureate...
School in Germany — as a practical response to the search for new and peaceful solutions in a post-war world riven by political, racial and economic divisions.
Kurt Hahn
Kurt Hahn
Kurt Martin Hahn was a German educator whose philosophies are considered internationally influential.-Biography:...
had been invited to address the NATO Defence College where he saw former enemies from several nations working together towards a common goal. With a number of colleagues Hahn realised how much more could be done to overcome the hostility of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
if young people from different nations could be brought together in a similar way. He envisaged a college for students who were already grounded in their own cultures but impressionable enough to learn from others. Drawn from all nations, the students would be selected purely on merit and potential, regardless of race, religion, nationality and background.
Atlantic College opened in South Wales in 1962 and was hailed by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as "the most exciting experiment in education since the Second World War." The College was the fruit of Kurt Hahn's vision and the work of men such as the founding Headmaster Rear Admiral Desmond Hoare, Antonin Besse
Antonin Besse
Antonin Besse of Aden, a merchant of French descent. St Antony's College, Oxford was established in 1950 as a result of his gift.-Early life:...
, who donated St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, overlooking the Bristol Channel in the village of St Donat's near Llantwit Major, and about 25km west of Cardiff...
for the College's premises, and Air Marshal Sir Lawrance Darvall. Robert Blackburn
Robert Blackburn (educationalist)
Robert Blackburn was an Irish educator. He was an early pioneer of the International Baccalaureate Organisation and was instrumental in establishing the first United World College in the early 1960s....
was also influential as founding Deputy Headmaster and Director of Studies.
In 1967, Lord Mountbatten of Burma
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
became President of the organisation and the title United World Colleges
United World Colleges
UWC is an education movement comprising thirteen international schools and colleges, national committees in over 130 countries and a series of short educational programmes. The UWC movement aims to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future...
came into existence. Mountbatten was an enthusiastic UWC supporter and encouraged heads of state, politicians and personalities throughout the world to share his interest. He was personally involved in founding the second UWC – the United World College of South East Asia
United World College of South East Asia
The United World College of South East Asia is an independent, international school in Singapore. The school's main campus is in Dover Road. A second campus was opened in 2008 in Ang Mo Kio...
– in Singapore. A further College followed in 1974: Nobel Peace Prize winner and former Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson had dreamed of establishing an institution like Atlantic College in Canada and it was fitting that the Lester B Pearson United World College of the Pacific became Canada's living memorial to its much-respected leader.
In 1978, Mountbatten passed the Presidency to his great-nephew, HRH Prince Charles The Prince of Wales. The current presidents of Atlantic College are Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, Queen Noor of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
.
The College
The College's stated mission is to enable students "to become positive agents of change through action and life choice, fulfilling individual potential and recognizing individual responsibilities as global citizens".United World Colleges
UWC is an education movement comprising thirteen international schools and colleges, national committees in over 130 countries and a series of short educational programmes. The UWC movement aims to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future...
.
At the beginning of the two years, students are obliged to select a service that they will carry out for at least four hours a week for the duration of their time at the college, with the choices including manning and running the RNLI lifeboat station at the college, working on the college’s own organic farm, providing music therapy for dementia patients or running activity sessions with disabled children. Students can choose from ten services offered: Arts Centre Service, Cardiff and Vale Rescue Association (CAVRA) Service, Estates Service, Extramural Centre Service, Inshore Lifeboat Service, Lifeguard Service, Marine Environment Monitoring Service (MEMS), Media and Communications Service, Performing Arts Service, and Social Service. At the beginning of each term, students also select three activities, which must each be carried out for at least two hours a week.
The College is unique in having an active RNLI Lifeboat Station within its grounds, and its Atlantic 75 class boat is manned by staff and students from the College. Much of the development of the Atlantic 21
Atlantic 21 class lifeboat
B class Atlantic 21 class lifeboats serve the shores of the UK as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet. The Atlantic 21 is the first generation Rigid Inflatable Boat , first developed at Atlantic College, Wales. The rollbar assembly installed above the engines contains a self righting bag which is...
, 75
Atlantic 75 class lifeboat
B-Class lifeboats serve the shores of the UK as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet.The Atlantic 75 is the second generation Rigid Inflatable Boat in the B-Class series, developed from the Atlantic 21...
and 85
Atlantic 85 class lifeboat
Atlantic 85 class lifeboats serve the shores of the UK and Ireland as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet.The Atlantic 85 is the third generation B-Class Rigid Inflatable Boat developed from the Atlantic 21 and later Atlantic 75...
classes of lifeboat took place here. ILB training vessels are still built on-site by students and are in regular use in practice and training of the RNLI crews at the station.
David Sutcliffe, a member of the founding staff of the Atlantic College in 1962, published The RIB The Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Lifeboat and its Place of Birth The Atlantic College in 2010, a book that tells the story of the inception of the RIB (rigid inflatable boat).
Grounds and facilities
St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, overlooking the Bristol Channel in the village of St Donat's near Llantwit Major, and about 25km west of Cardiff...
, a 12th-century castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
near the town of Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major is a small coastal town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the Bristol Channel coast. A small stream, the Afon Col-huw, runs through the town.-Local government:...
on the South Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
coast, overlooking the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
. The extensive grounds also include the 12th-century St Donat's Chapel and the historic terraced gardens, as well as preserved woodland, farmland and heritage coastline
Heritage Coast
A Heritage Coast is a strip of UK coastline designated by the Countryside Agency in England and the Countryside Council for Wales as having notable natural beauty or scientific significance.- Designated coastline :...
. St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle
St Donat's Castle is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, overlooking the Bristol Channel in the village of St Donat's near Llantwit Major, and about 25km west of Cardiff...
is the impressive main building of the school housing the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Dining Hall, The Great (Bradenstoke) Hall used for assemblies and performances, the Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
Hall, extensive 25,000-book Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, staff offices, student common areas and certain academic departments such as History, Economics and Theory of Knowledge.
Students live in seven accommodation houses named after either Welsh counties or benefactors to the college:
Pentti Kouri — Morgannwg — Powys — Gwynedd — Whitaker — Tice — Sunley.
Lessons take place in modern academic blocks built in the 1960s–80s, converted Medieval estate buildings, and the castle itself. Next to the castle are the Social / Gymnasium blocks and the 12th-century tithe barn
Tithe barn
A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....
(used by the college and open to the public as a theatre, arts centre and cinema). This building with its contemporary glazed extension by notable local architect Chris Loyn, has received much praise in the UK architectural community as well as from groups interested in building conservation. The college owns sports fields, tennis courts, and in addition to indoor and outdoor swimming pools have a range of surf and rescue equipment, kayaks, sailing boats, RNLI training boats, and a cliff suitable for climbing and rescue practice.
In 2004, the college installed a carbon neutral
Carbon neutral
Carbon neutrality, or having a net zero carbon footprint, refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset, or buying enough carbon credits to make up the difference...
biomass heating system to replace an aging and unsustainable oil based system. It runs on locally sourced sustainable woodchip biomass
Biomass
Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
, and makes the campus the largest site in the UK to be heated in such a way.
The oldest student house, Pentti Kouri (formerly Dyfed), was refurbished in the Autumn of 2008 to include technologies such as geothermal heating and an energy usage monitoring system to lessen its impact on the environment. If the renovation proves successful at reducing the environmental impact, whilst being comfortable to live in, the other older houses may also be renovated over a period of years.
Academics
One of the first colleges in the world and first in UK to follow an international curriculum, Atlantic College continues to lead the way in pioneering new options for the broad-ranging International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Since 1972 the sole academic programme has been the IB, with the first students to study exclusively for the IB having entered the College in 1971. The College was influential in the creation of the International Baccalaureate and continues to be actively involved in its development.Graduates are typically accepted at the most competitive colleges and universities around the world, with many enrolling in Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
universities. Many other students attend British universities such as Oxford University, Cambridge University, Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
, King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, Nottingham University
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
and the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
. Students at the college are eligible, after graduation, to participate in The Davis United World College Scholars Program, which funds undergraduate study (based on need) for UWC students at universities in the United States. Despite this, the stated aim of the College is that students return to their home communities or regions after completing their studies to enable and encourage social and economic development around the world and across societies, rather than removing those most able to facilitate change from those areas most in need of it.
The class of 2008 were academically the college’s most successful year in its 46-year history. Seventy-six students, almost half of the graduating class of 163, received a total of 151 unconditional acceptances at top US universities, and 13 students were offered conditional places to study at Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
.
Among the offers, there were 21 acceptances to Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
universities such as Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Courses
Students choose six subjects from six groups: two Languages (the mother-tongue being one) and courses from Individuals in Societies, Experimental Sciences, Mathematics and the Arts.The following groups of courses are available at Atlantic College: Group 1, Language A: a choice of 18 languages. Seven European languages are taught by teachers and four are self-taught; seven African or Asian languages are self-taught. Group 2, Language B: a choice of 6 languages for either progressors or beginners (English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Arabic). Group 3, Individuals and societies: a choice of 7 subjects (geography, social sciences, history, religion).
Group 4, Science: a choice of 5 subjects, three sciences, two relating to design and human ecology (environment). Group 5, Mathematics: four courses. Group 6, The arts: 3 courses.
Traditions
Induction Week:When the new year of students arrive in September, the second year students welcome them to the college outside the main gate. The first years spend the first few days at Atlantic College learning about the college and getting to know each other by going on a camping trip.
Open Mic Nights:
To raise money for various charities and causes, students organise 'Open Mic Nights' usually held in the Old Staff Common Room. Students pay for entry and watch their fellow schoolmates performing. Causes include Trade Justice
Trade justice
Trade justice is a campaign by non-governmental organisations lobbying for changes to the rules and practices of world trade so that poor people and the environment benefit...
, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, Students for a Free Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet
Students For a Free Tibet is a global grassroots network of students and activists working in solidarity with the Tibetan people for human rights and freedom. The group uses education, advocacy, and nonviolent direct action with the goal of achieving Tibetan independence...
and STAR
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
.
National Evenings:
Every Sunday, a national group or a conglomeration of national groups (For example: British & Irish, Franco-Italian, Central European (German-Dutch), Latin & Iberic, North American etc.) put together a show celebrating the culture of their region. Nearly every pupil participates and attends the national evenings and the performances are usually both a celebration and a parody of their countries.
ACMUN:
Each year the college hosts a Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
conference. This is very accurately staged with various committees, councils and events. Students from other United World Colleges
United World Colleges
UWC is an education movement comprising thirteen international schools and colleges, national committees in over 130 countries and a series of short educational programmes. The UWC movement aims to make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future...
also attend.
Writer in Residence:
Started in September 2007, this is when an author lives on campus and helps students with all literature, including essays, letters home and notes to other students. The most recent writer in residence was Horatio Clare
Horatio Clare
Horatio Clare is an author and journalist. He worked at the BBC as a producer on Front Row , Night Waves and The Verb . He has written two memoirs, 'Running for the Hills' and 'Truant: Notes from the Slippery Slope' and a travel book, 'A Single Swallow'...
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Friday Night Lecturer:
Prominent characters present a speech based on their field of excellence to the school. Friday night lecturers have included entrepreneurs Craig Sams
Craig Sams
-Early life and education:Craig Sams was born in Nebraska. He graduated from Wharton Business School in 1966.-Career:In October 1966, Sams went to England with plans to open a macrobiotic restaurant. He opened Seed, a macrobiotic restaurant in Paddington with his brother Greg Sams in 1968. The Sams...
and Dame Anita Roddick
Anita Roddick
Dame Anita Roddick, DBE was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, a cosmetics company producing and retailing beauty products that shaped ethical consumerism...
, Margot Wallström
Margot Wallström
Margot Elisabeth Wallström is a Swedish social democratic, currently holding the job as . Prior to this post, she served as European Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy...
, European Commission Vice President and the journalist Aernout Van Lynden
Aernout van Lynden
Aernout van Lynden Carel Baron van Lynden, Aernout Diederic is a Dutch-British journalist with over twenty years experience as a war correspondent in the Middle East and the Balkans .-Career:...
Notable former pupils
- Sir Howard Newby (1947–), Pro Vice Chancellor of The University of Liverpool, former Vice Chancellor UWE, former VC University of Southampton.
- Pentti KouriPentti KouriPentti Juho Kalervo Kouri was a Finnish economist and venture capitalist. He was born in Kemijärvi.-Career:...
(1949–2009), Finnish economist and venture capitalist. - Kenneth Surin (1948–), Professor of Literature and Critical Theory, Duke University. Author.
- Marjan ŠetincMarjan ŠetincMarjan ŠETINC is a former MP in the Parliament of Slovenia and a former ambassador to the Court of St. James's, presently working as ambassador in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia on multilateral economic policy matters...
(1949–), SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n politician and diplomat. - Jorma OllilaJorma OllilaJorma Jaakko Ollila is the Chairman and former CEO of the Nokia Corporation and a Member of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company , UPM-Kymmene , and Otava Books and Magazines Group Ltd...
(1950–), Finnish executive, former CEO of Nokia Corporation, current Non-Executive Chairman of Royal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and Nokia. - Seppo HonkapohjaSeppo HonkapohjaSeppo Honkapohja is a Finnish economist. He is a board member of the Bank of Finland and former Professor of International Macroeconomics of the University of Cambridge.- Career :...
(1951–), FinnishFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
board member of the Bank of FinlandBank of FinlandThe Bank of Finland is the central bank of Finland. It is the fourth oldest central bank in the world.-History:The Bank of Finland was established on 1 March in 1812 in the city of Turku by Alexander I of Russia. In 1819 it was relocated to Helsinki...
, former Professor of MacroeconomicsMacroeconomicsMacroeconomics is a branch of economics dealing with the performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of the whole economy. This includes a national, regional, or global economy...
at University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. - Chris MorganChris Morgan (journalist)Christopher Morgan , was a Welsh journalist.Morgan was born in Cardiff and educated at Cardiff High School, and the United World College of the Atlantic in the Vale of Glamorgan. He graduated in 1976 in theology from the University of St Andrews, Scotland.Morgan began his media career in...
(1952–2008), Welsh journalist. - Edoardo AgnelliEdoardo AgnelliEdoardo Agnelli was the eldest son of Gianni Agnelli the industrialist patriarch of Fiat, and Marella Caracciolo. After a troubled life, notable for his search for spiritual values, he committed suicide in 2000.- Life :...
(1954–2000), heir apparent of FiatFiatFIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
. - Kari BlackburnKari BlackburnKari Boto née Blackburn was a BBC reporter and senior executive who specialised in Africa.-Personal life:Blackburn was born in Somerset on 30 March 1954to Irish educationist Robert Blackburnand Esther Archer....
(1954–2007), BBC reporter. - Aernout van LyndenAernout van LyndenAernout van Lynden Carel Baron van Lynden, Aernout Diederic is a Dutch-British journalist with over twenty years experience as a war correspondent in the Middle East and the Balkans .-Career:...
(1954–), war correspondent and journalist in the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. - Tarek Ben HalimTarek Ben HalimTarek Ben Halim was a successful investment banker who left banking in 2000 to pursue charitable work and promote justice and democracy in the Arab World...
(1955–2009), investment banker and founder of AlfanarAlfanarAlfanar is the first venture philanthropy organisation focused specifically on supporting development efforts in the Arab Region...
, the Arab region'sArab worldThe Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...
first venture philanthropyVenture philanthropyVenture philanthropy, also known as philanthrocapitalism, takes concepts and techniques from venture capital finance and high technology business management and applies them to achieving philanthropic goals.Venture philanthropy is characterized by:...
organization. - Hakeem Bello-Osagie (1955–), Chairman of the United Bank for AfricaUnited Bank for AfricaUnited Bank for Africa Plc is a public limited company incorporated in Nigeria in 1961 and headquartered in Lagos. It is one of Africa’s leading financial institutions offering universal banking to more than 7 million customers across 750 branches in 19 African countries and a presence in New...
- Spyros NiarchosSpyros NiarchosSpyros Stavros Niarchos was born in 1955, second son of the Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos and Eugenia Livanos. He is a grandson of another Greek shipping giant, his mother's father, Stavros G. Livanos....
(1955–), GreekGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
shippingShippingShipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
heir. - Fernando Alonso (engineer)Fernando Alonso (engineer)Fernando Alonso Fernández is the President of Airbus's flight test division and has been an Airbus employee since 1982. During his career so far, he has accumulated more than 3000 hours of test flights on new aircraft, such as the A318, A320, A330, A340 and A340-600...
(1956–), Head of AirbusAirbusAirbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
Test Flight Division (A380 first flight crew member). - Charles KutaCharles KutaCharles Stanley "Herb" Kuta is an American electronics engineer and software engineer who was a co-founder of Silicon Graphics, a major graphics workstation manufacturer.Charles Kuta was brought up in Pennsylvania, USA...
(1956–), American computer engineer and co-founder of Silicon GraphicsSilicon GraphicsSilicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
. - Priscilla Ratazzi-Whittle (1956–), author and President of the College's US Foundation.
- Pedro Alonso Fernandez (1957–), founder of the Manhica Center of Health Research.
- Jonathan MichieJonathan MichieProfessor Jonathan Michie is a British economist and holds the joint post of Director of the Department for Continuing Education, and President of Kellogg College, University of Oxford, where he is Professor of Innovation & Knowledge Exchange...
(1957–), Director of the Department for Continuing Education and President of Kellogg College, University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and founder of the Manchester United supporters´ trust. - Julie PayetteJulie PayetteJulie Payette, OC, CQ is a Canadian engineer and a Canadian Space Agency astronaut. Payette has completed two spaceflights, STS-96 and STS-127, logging more than 25 days in space...
(1963–), CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
(1982). - Willem-AlexanderWillem-Alexander, Prince of OrangeWillem-Alexander, Prince of Orange is the eldest child of Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. Since 1980 he is the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He is also the head of the House of Amsberg since the death of his father in 2002. He was in military service and he studied...
(1967–), crown prince of the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... - Eluned Morgan (1967–), politician.
- Saba Douglas-HamiltonSaba Douglas-HamiltonSaba Iassa Douglas-Hamilton is a Kenyan wildlife conservationist and television presenter.-Early life:Born on a farm near Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, she is the daughter of zoologist, Iain Douglas-Hamilton and Oria Douglas-Hamilton née Rocco. Saba means "seven" in Swahili...
(1970–), conservationist and TV presenter. - Louise LeakeyLouise LeakeyLouise Leakey is a Kenyan paleontologist. She does research and field work related to human fossils in Eastern Africa. She first became actively involved in fossil discoveries in 1977, at the age of six, when she became the youngest person to find hominid fossils...
(1972–), palaeontologist. - Horatio ClareHoratio ClareHoratio Clare is an author and journalist. He worked at the BBC as a producer on Front Row , Night Waves and The Verb . He has written two memoirs, 'Running for the Hills' and 'Truant: Notes from the Slippery Slope' and a travel book, 'A Single Swallow'...
(1973–), author. - Ashraf JohaardienAshraf JohaardienAshraf Johaardien is an award-winning playwright, columnist, performer and arts manager. Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans for 2008.-Biography:He was born in Cape Town in 1974 and was schooled in South Africa and the UK...
(1974–), playwright, columnist, performer and arts manager. - Kara MillerKara MillerKara Miller is a writer and director working in film and television. . She is also credited as K.J. Miller .Kara Miller was born in Jamaica and educated in Jamaica and in Barbados at Harrison College high school...
(1974–), writer, director and presenter. - Felicitas von Lovenberg (1974–), German journalist and author.
- Sally El HosainiSally El HosainiSally El Hosaini is an Egyptian Welsh screenwriter & film director. She was one of Screen International's UK Stars of Tomorrow 2009.-Filmography:*My Brother the Devil 2012*Camelia 2011...
(1976–), film-maker and writer. - Princess Raiyah bint Al HusseinPrincess Raiyah bint Al HusseinPrincess Raiyah Bint Al-Hussein is the youngest daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan and Queen Noor. She has two brothers Hamzah and Hashem and an elder sister Princess Iman....
(1986–), daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor of JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
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