University of Northampton
Encyclopedia
The University of Northampton is a university
in Northampton
, Northamptonshire
, England.
in 1932. A School of Art opened later in 1937.
At the beginning of the 1970s, Northamptonshire
was one of the few counties in England to lack a teacher-training college. A teacher-training college in Liverpool
lost its home and was transferred to what is now the Park Campus of the University of Northampton. The college was opened by the then Secretary of State for Education and Science, Margaret Thatcher
, in 1972.
In 1975, this teacher-training college amalgamated with the college of technology and art to become Nene College of Higher Education, taking its name from the River Nene
in Northamptonshire.
In 1993, the college incorporated St. Andrew's School of Occupational Therapy
and was granted taught degree awarding powers. In 1994 it took in the Leathersellers College and in 1997 the Sir Gordon Roberts College of Nursing and Midwifery
. It became University College Northampton in 1999 and gained full university status as The University of Northampton in 2005. In order to gain university status it had to convince the Privy Council
that a Royal Decree, signed by King Henry III
in 1265 following the Battle of Lewes
, should be repealed. This decree banned the establishment of a university in Northampton.
In 2005 the university also received the power to validate its own research degrees, which had formerly been validated by the University of Leicester
. In the graduation ceremonies in July 2006 seven students received the first doctoral degrees validated by the University of Northampton.
In January 2010, the School of Applied Sciences was renamed the School of Science and Technology and moved into the newly refurbished Newton Building at Avenue Campus. The Newton Building itself was officially opened in September 2010 by HRH The Princess Anne
who is the Royal Patron of the Women Into Science and Engineering (WISE) campaign.
, a northern suburb of Northampton, and Avenue Campus just north of the town centre and opposite a large open park known as the Racecourse.
Avenue Campus was from 1924 the site of a college of technology which became part of the university.
The university has various types of halls of residence in its two campuses, with just over 1,600 rooms in total. Most first year students live in halls though few second or third years do so. Many of them live in the Abington
area, north-west of the town centre. The main halls are:
The university also offers accommodation at Belinda Ferrison house in the Mounts area of the town centre of Northampton.
New buildings include a Santander Bank, "one-stop" student centre on Park campus, an innovation centre at Avenue campus for small and start-up businesses and a complete re-fit of the editing and sound studios at Avenue campus.
The university recently took ownership of the Grade II listed former Kingsley Park Middle School next door to Avenue Campus. This has undergone an £11m refurbishment and now houses most of the School of Science and Technology, which was formerly split between Avenue Campus and Park Campus. The building has been renamed the Newton Building after Sir Isaac Newton.
The university achieved the Ecocampus Silver award in 2011.
, who was preceded in the post by Ann Tate (who received an honorary degree from the university in 2011) and Martin Gaskell. On 10 February 2008 the university appointed Baroness Falkner of Margravine as its first Chancellor
.
There is a separate business centre, the Sunley Management Centre. This is a dedicated centre for management training and development that also provides a large amount of the university's conference facilities.
The university offers a wide range of undergraduate degrees with over 250 courses as well as foundation degrees, diplomas and a variety of postgraduate opportunities up to PhD
level. It is one of only a handful of universities in the UK able to offer two-year fast-track degrees (currently for management and marketing and law) though it also offers four-year extended degrees with a year in industry. The university is internationally renowned for Waste Management
education and research. Other centres of excellence include Centre for Children and Youth (childhood and Children's Geographies), Transpersonal Psychology
, leather
technology and lift engineering. Degree programmes in Environmental Science subjects offer overseas fieldwork trips for undergraduate students to locations such as North America and the Canary Islands.
The annual summer fashion show attracts international attention.
In February 2010 it was accredited with Fairtrade status, achieving a 'good' report from the Fairtrade Foundation.
(formerly known as the Department of Trade and Industry) called Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Through this scheme, the university links up with a business and provides expertise in research and development.
Most of the university’s business links operate via its Knowledge Exchange department. The Portfolio Innovation Centre at Avenue campus houses small or start-up creative companies with administrative support. The NVision Business Centre in the Newton Building at Avenue Campus offers space for small and medium sized technology companies, with access to state-of-the-art three dimensional immersive visualisation and modelling equipment.
is increasingly being integrated across student courses at the University. The University aims to become the number one university in the UK for social enterprise by 2015 and was awarded 'The Outstanding HEI (higher education institution) Supporting Social Entrepreneurship Award' at the UK’s ‘Dare to be Different’ national conference in June 2011.
Research, consultancy and knowledge transfer at the university is centred around a number of cognate research groupings, including:
It also carries out internationally renowned research into lift engineering and technology, using the Express Lift Tower
in the town, reflecting the town's now historic role in lift manufacturing.
It also provides numerous other business support schemes and programmes for new companies. These are often run through the university’s Sunley Management Centre. Other schemes run by the university include an art loan facility for offices or conferences. The university has also provided lab facilities for the Channel 4
programme “How Clean Is Your House”.
The Students' Union has various venues across the two campuses. Its main building is at Park Campus and houses a nightclub venue 'NN2', that is also used as a student diner during the day as well as small shop and deli/bar downstairs.
Avenue Campus has the St George's bar, so called because of Avenue Campus's location on St George's Avenue. This plays host to a rather eclectic mix of DJ's and like the Park Campus union, reverts to a student diner during the day.
The union voted to disaffiliate itself from the National Union of Students (NUS) in 2001, but re-affiliated in October 2007.
1st XI team had a highly successful 2005/06 season, leading them to the Universities European Cup final (also known as the Calella Plate). The team lost but the performance was described as a "heroic performance of the highest standard". The following year they went on to win the European Final.
The university also has strong football
teams, with four men's and one women's team. The men's 3rd team, also known as Stanhope Wanderers, won the 2005/06 Calella 7's Plate. The participation in lacrosse
is very popular amongst the students. The university's golf
team also tasted success in 2007, reaching the national final held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
The Rugby League team in 2009 reached the National Shield Cup final, in which they narrowly lost with a last minute try. The club has also produced a number of student internationals.
The university also enters two football teams into the local Northampton league. These teams are called the Northampton Llamas. They won the Gorell Barnes trophy 2007/08 and reached the final in 2008/09.
The university now has an American football team set up in October 2010 and will be competing in the BUAFL for the 2010/11 Season
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, England.
History
In 1924, Northampton Technical College was opened at St George's Avenue, site of the current Avenue Campus. A new building for the college was formally opened by the then Duke and Duchess of YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
in 1932. A School of Art opened later in 1937.
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
was one of the few counties in England to lack a teacher-training college. A teacher-training college in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
lost its home and was transferred to what is now the Park Campus of the University of Northampton. The college was opened by the then Secretary of State for Education and Science, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, in 1972.
In 1975, this teacher-training college amalgamated with the college of technology and art to become Nene College of Higher Education, taking its name from the River Nene
River Nene
The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in the county of Northamptonshire. The tidal river forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk for about . It is the tenth longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for from Northampton to The...
in Northamptonshire.
In 1993, the college incorporated St. Andrew's School of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is a discipline that aims to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments...
and was granted taught degree awarding powers. In 1994 it took in the Leathersellers College and in 1997 the Sir Gordon Roberts College of Nursing and Midwifery
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
. It became University College Northampton in 1999 and gained full university status as The University of Northampton in 2005. In order to gain university status it had to convince the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
that a Royal Decree, signed by King Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
in 1265 following the Battle of Lewes
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...
, should be repealed. This decree banned the establishment of a university in Northampton.
In 2005 the university also received the power to validate its own research degrees, which had formerly been validated by the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
. In the graduation ceremonies in July 2006 seven students received the first doctoral degrees validated by the University of Northampton.
In January 2010, the School of Applied Sciences was renamed the School of Science and Technology and moved into the newly refurbished Newton Building at Avenue Campus. The Newton Building itself was officially opened in September 2010 by HRH The Princess Anne
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
who is the Royal Patron of the Women Into Science and Engineering (WISE) campaign.
Campuses
The university has two sites: Park Campus at KingsthorpeKingsthorpe
Kingsthorpe was once a Northamptonshire village but is now an extremely affluent suburb to the north-west of the major town of Northampton, England. The River Nene flows through the area to the west...
, a northern suburb of Northampton, and Avenue Campus just north of the town centre and opposite a large open park known as the Racecourse.
Avenue Campus was from 1924 the site of a college of technology which became part of the university.
The university has various types of halls of residence in its two campuses, with just over 1,600 rooms in total. Most first year students live in halls though few second or third years do so. Many of them live in the Abington
Abington, Northamptonshire
Abington is a district of the town of Northampton to the east of the town centre.Originally a small village outside the borough boundary of Northampton, Abington is mentioned in The Domesday Book. In the 17th century the village was enclosed and depopulated...
area, north-west of the town centre. The main halls are:
- Simon Senlis (named after Simon de Senlis), Spencer PercevalSpencer PercevalSpencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and First Lord of the Treasury, making him de facto Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated...
and William Carey. - Margaret BondfieldMargaret BondfieldMargaret Grace Bondfield was an English Labour politician and feminist, the first woman Cabinet minister in the United Kingdom and one of the first three female Labour MPs...
- John ClareJohn ClareJohn Clare was an English poet, born the son of a farm labourer who came to be known for his celebratory representations of the English countryside and his lamentation of its disruption. His poetry underwent a major re-evaluation in the late 20th century and he is often now considered to be among...
and Charles BradlaughCharles BradlaughCharles Bradlaugh was a political activist and one of the most famous English atheists of the 19th century. He founded the National Secular Society in 1866.-Early life:...
Hall. One former ground floor flat in Charles Bradlaugh Hall serves as a Multi-Faith Chaplaincy Centre, Whilst another former ground floor flat in John Clare houses the Centre for Community Volunteering. - Bassett-LowkeBassett-LowkeBassett-Lowke was a toy company in Northampton, England, founded by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke in 1898 or 1899, that specialized in model railways, boats and ships, and construction sets...
New buildings include a Santander Bank, "one-stop" student centre on Park campus, an innovation centre at Avenue campus for small and start-up businesses and a complete re-fit of the editing and sound studios at Avenue campus.
The university recently took ownership of the Grade II listed former Kingsley Park Middle School next door to Avenue Campus. This has undergone an £11m refurbishment and now houses most of the School of Science and Technology, which was formerly split between Avenue Campus and Park Campus. The building has been renamed the Newton Building after Sir Isaac Newton.
The university achieved the Ecocampus Silver award in 2011.
Organisation and structure
The current Vice Chancellor is Professor Nick PetfordNick Petford
Nick Petford is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Northampton. Previously he was Pro-Vice Chancellor at Bournemouth University and before that Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Kingston University...
, who was preceded in the post by Ann Tate (who received an honorary degree from the university in 2011) and Martin Gaskell. On 10 February 2008 the university appointed Baroness Falkner of Margravine as its first Chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
.
Academic profile
The university has approximately 10,000 students spread across its two campuses. It is divided into six schools:- The ArtsThe artsThe arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
- Science and TechnologyScience and technologyScience and technology is a term of art used to encompass the relationship between science and technology. It frequently appears within titles of academic disciplines and government offices.-See also:...
(formerly Applied Sciences) - EducationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
- HealthHealthHealth is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
- BusinessBusinessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
- Social SciencesSocial sciencesSocial science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
There is a separate business centre, the Sunley Management Centre. This is a dedicated centre for management training and development that also provides a large amount of the university's conference facilities.
The university offers a wide range of undergraduate degrees with over 250 courses as well as foundation degrees, diplomas and a variety of postgraduate opportunities up to PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
level. It is one of only a handful of universities in the UK able to offer two-year fast-track degrees (currently for management and marketing and law) though it also offers four-year extended degrees with a year in industry. The university is internationally renowned for Waste Management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
education and research. Other centres of excellence include Centre for Children and Youth (childhood and Children's Geographies), Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the transpersonal, self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience....
, leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
technology and lift engineering. Degree programmes in Environmental Science subjects offer overseas fieldwork trips for undergraduate students to locations such as North America and the Canary Islands.
The annual summer fashion show attracts international attention.
Admissions
The average UCAS points range required for entry into undergraduate degree programmes is 260 - 300.Reputation and Rankings
In the 2012 Guardian University League Table, the university was ranked first for 'value added' and climbed 31 places.In February 2010 it was accredited with Fairtrade status, achieving a 'good' report from the Fairtrade Foundation.
| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Times Good University Guide | 92nd | 89th | 92nd | 104th | 102nd |
| Guardian University Guide | 63rd | 94th | 100th | 109th | 92nd |
| Sunday Times University Guide | 108th | 104th | 100th | 92nd | 99th |
| Independent / Complete | 105th | 100th | 105th | 93rd | 95th |
Business links
The university has formed several links with local businesses. It has been particularly successful with an initiative backed by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory ReformDepartment for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was a United Kingdom government department. The department was created on 28 June 2007 on the disbanding of the Department of Trade and Industry , and was itself disbanded on 6 June 2009 on the creation of the Department for Business,...
(formerly known as the Department of Trade and Industry) called Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Through this scheme, the university links up with a business and provides expertise in research and development.
Social enterprise
Social enterpriseSocial enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
is increasingly being integrated across student courses at the University. The University aims to become the number one university in the UK for social enterprise by 2015 and was awarded 'The Outstanding HEI (higher education institution) Supporting Social Entrepreneurship Award' at the UK’s ‘Dare to be Different’ national conference in June 2011.
Research
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) the university achieved significant ratings in Business and Management; Health; Education; History; Metallurgy and Materials; English; Drama, Dance and Performing Arts; Art and Design; and Asian Studies.Research, consultancy and knowledge transfer at the university is centred around a number of cognate research groupings, including:
- Advanced Technologies Research Group
- The Biosciences Research Group
- The Centre for Children and Youth takes an interdisciplinary and multi method approach to the study of children and young people.
- The Centre for Entrepreneurship, Enterprise and Governance (CEEG)
- Centre for Health and Wellbeing Research
- Centre for Practice-led Research in the Arts
- The Centre for Sustainable Wastes Management
- Centre for Special Needs Education and Research
- The Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes (CSAPP) A Parapsychology research unit investigating alleged instances of Psychokinesis, ESP and a controversial Mediumship study. Located within the Division of Psychology.
- East Midlands Centre for Non-Destructive Testing
- Institute for Creative Leather Technologies
- Natural Environment Research Group
- NVision (immersive projection technologies and modelling centre)
- The Centre for Contemporary Narrative and Cultural Theory
- Science and Technology Research in Pedagogy (STRiPe)
- The Social and Cultural Research in Psychology Group (SCRIP) explores intersection of psychological, social and cultural issues.
It also carries out internationally renowned research into lift engineering and technology, using the Express Lift Tower
Express Lift Tower
The National Lift Tower is a lift testing tower built by the Express Lift Company off the Weedon Road in Northampton, England...
in the town, reflecting the town's now historic role in lift manufacturing.
It also provides numerous other business support schemes and programmes for new companies. These are often run through the university’s Sunley Management Centre. Other schemes run by the university include an art loan facility for offices or conferences. The university has also provided lab facilities for the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
programme “How Clean Is Your House”.
Students' Union
Avenue Campus has the St George's bar, so called because of Avenue Campus's location on St George's Avenue. This plays host to a rather eclectic mix of DJ's and like the Park Campus union, reverts to a student diner during the day.
The union voted to disaffiliate itself from the National Union of Students (NUS) in 2001, but re-affiliated in October 2007.
Sports
The University of Northampton Men's HockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
1st XI team had a highly successful 2005/06 season, leading them to the Universities European Cup final (also known as the Calella Plate). The team lost but the performance was described as a "heroic performance of the highest standard". The following year they went on to win the European Final.
The university also has strong football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
teams, with four men's and one women's team. The men's 3rd team, also known as Stanhope Wanderers, won the 2005/06 Calella 7's Plate. The participation in lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
is very popular amongst the students. The university's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team also tasted success in 2007, reaching the national final held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
The Rugby League team in 2009 reached the National Shield Cup final, in which they narrowly lost with a last minute try. The club has also produced a number of student internationals.
The university also enters two football teams into the local Northampton league. These teams are called the Northampton Llamas. They won the Gorell Barnes trophy 2007/08 and reached the final in 2008/09.
The university now has an American football team set up in October 2010 and will be competing in the BUAFL for the 2010/11 Season
Alumni
Prominent alumni include:- Bill DrummondBill DrummondWilliam Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
, - Andrew CollinsAndrew Collins (broadcaster)Andrew Collins is the creator and writer of Radio 4 sitcom Mr Blue Sky. His TV writing work includes EastEnders and the sitcoms Grass and Not Going Out .-Personal life:Collins was a member of the Labour Party between the late 1980s and early 1990s, leaving after Labour's...
- Max GriggsMax GriggsMax Griggs is the president of the R Griggs Group, current owner of the Dr. Martens shoe company, and one of largest shoe manufacturers in the United Kingdom. The company moved all factories etc...
.
Lecturers
- Henry BirdHenry Bird (artist)thumb|220px|right|[[Conversion of St Paul]], a mural by Henry Bird painted in 1973, in [[Denton, Northamptonshire|St Margaret's Church, Denton]]Henry Bird was a British artist from Northampton who painted murals and female nudes. He went to the Royal College of Art and then designed sets at the...
taught drawing at the Art school; his students included the architect, Will AlsopWill AlsopWill Allen Alsop, OBE RA is a British architect based in London. He is responsible for several distinctive and controversial modernist buildings, most in the United Kingdom. Alsop's buildings are usually distinguished by their use of bright colour and unusual forms...
.
External links
- Student union website
- University of Northampton library
- Sunley Management Centre
- Landscape and Biodiversity Research Group
- Women into Science and Engineering Campaign
- The Centre for Children and Youth
- Centre for the Study of Anomolous Psychological Processes (CSAPP)
- Centre for Sustainable Wastes Management
- Research on Leather and Materials Science
- Natural Environment Research Group - Landscape Ecology and Biodiversity
- The Centre for Practice-led Research in the Arts (CPLRA)
- Research Centre for Contempory Fiction and Narrative (CCFN)
- Biosciences Research Group