University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow, founded, 1451, in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a renowned centre for teaching and research, being one of the ancient universities of Scotland, the fourth oldest in the English-speaking world and amongst the largest and most prestigious in the United Kingdom.

History

It was founded in 1451 by papal bull of Pope Nicholas V, at the suggestion of King James II, giving Bishop William Turnbull permission to add the university to the city's cathedral. University of Glasgow - Who, Where and When, retrieved 22nd April 2006 Its founding came about as a result of King James II's wish that Scotland have two Universities to equal Oxford and Cambridge of England. It is the second oldest university in Scotland (the oldest being the 1431-founded University of St Andrews), and the fourth oldest in the English-speaking world. The Universities of St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen are ecclesiastical foundations, while Edinburgh is a city foundation.

Glasgow has enjoyed a (usually friendly) rivalry with the University of St Andrews since its creation, and with the University of Edinburgh since the foundation of the latter in 1583. Of all the universities and tertiary education establishments in Scotland, only Glasgow and Edinburgh offer a complete range of professional studies including law, medicine, dentistry, and engineering, combined with a comprehensive range of academic studies including science, social science, ancient and modern languages, literature, and history.

Present

Glasgow has the fourth largest financial endowment among UK universities at £120m, and the fifth largest endowment per student, according to the Sutton Trust.The Sutton Trust - University Endowments, retrieved 22nd April 2006

As of January 2005, the University had 16 000 undergraduate and 4 000 postgraduate students.University of Glasgow - Facts and Figures 2005 - Student numbers, retrieved 22nd April 2006 Glasgow has an unusually large (for the UK) proportion of home students, with almost half of the student body coming from the Greater Glasgow area, an additional 39% from elsewhere in the UK, leaving 13% from elsewhere in the world. There are 6 000 staff, of whom 3 400 are researchers, bringing in £75M of research income (2003-4). Twenty-three subject areas were awarded 5 or 5* ratings in the 2001 RAE. University of Glasgow - Facts and Figures 2005 - Research, retrieved 22nd April 2006

The university is a member of the Russell Group of research led British Universities The Russell Group Homepage, retrieved 22nd April 2006 and is a founding member of the organisation Universitas 21, Universitas 21 - Member Institutions, retrieved 22nd April 2006 an international grouping of universities dedicated to setting world-wide standards for higher education.

Since 1997, the number of Americans studying in Glasgow has increased to more than 2,200, and the figure is still rising, according to new statistics from the university's planning department.

Facilities

Glasgow University's main buildings

A model of the university's old High Street campus

The university's initial accommodations were part of the complex of religious buildings in the precincts of Glasgow Cathedral. This coexistence became increasingly uneasy with time, particularly following the protestant reformation, after which Glasgow became a predominantly Protestant city. In the 17th century this, combined with the university's growth and the broadening and secularisation of its curriculum, led it to establish its own two-quadrangled building outside the cathedral precincts, on the nearby medieval High Street.

Over the following centuries, the university's size and scope continued to expand. It was a centre of the Scottish Enlightenment and subsequently of the industrial revolution, and its expansion in the High Street was constrained by the density of the burgeoning mercantile district.

Consequently in 1870, it moved to a (then greenfield) site on Gilmorehill in the West End of the city (around three miles west of its prior location), enclosed by a large loop of the River Kelvin. Its accommodations there were a number of custom-made buildings, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic revival style. The largest of these (now called the Gilbert Scott Building) echoed (on a far grander scale) the High Street campus's twin quadrangle layout. Between the two quadrangles Scott built an open cloister, above which are his grand Bute Hall (used for examinations and graduation ceremonies), and the buildings' signature Gothic bell tower. The sandstone cladding and Gothic design of the buildings' exterior belie the modernity of its Victorian construction — Scott's building is hung on a (then cutting-edge) riveted iron frame, with a lightweight wooden-beam roof.

Even these enlarged premises could not contain the ever-growing university, which quickly spread across much of Gilmorehill. The 1930s saw the construction of the award-winning round Reading Room (it is now a grade-A listed building) and an aggressive programme of house purchases, in which the university (fearing the surrounding district of Hillhead was running out of suitable building land) acquired several terraces of Victorian houses and joined them together internally. The departments of Psychology, Computing Science, and Eastern European Languages continue to be housed in these terraces.

More buildings were built beside the main buildings, filling the land between University Avenue and the river with natural science buildings and the faculty of medicine. The medical school spread into neighbouring Partick and joined with the Western General Infirmary. The growth and prosperity of the city, which had forced the university's relocation to Hillhead, again proved problematic when more real estate was required. The school of veterinary medicine, which was founded in 1862, moved to a new campus in the leafy surrounds of Garscube Estate on the edge of the city in 1954. The university later moved its sports ground and associated facilities to Anniesland (around two miles west of the main campus) and built student halls of residence in both Anniesland and Maryhill.

The computing science department, housed in a row of terraced houses

The growth of tertiary education from the 1960s led the university to build numerous modern buildings across the hill, including several brutalist concrete blocks: the Maclaurin building (housing the department of mathematics, named after university graduate Colin Maclaurin); the Boyd Orr building (a squat grey concrete tower housing lecture rooms and laboratories named after university graduate and Nobel Peace Prize winner John Boyd Orr); and the Adam Smith building (housing the social science faculty, named after university graduate Adam Smith). Other additions around this time, including the glass-lined library tower and the amber-brick geology building, were more in keeping with Gilmorehill's leafy suburban architecture. The erection of these buildings around 1968 also involved the demolition of a large number of houses in Ashton Road, and rerouting the west end of University Avenue to its current position.

The University's Hunterian Museum resides in the Gilbert Scott Building, and the related Hunterian Gallery is housed in buildings adjacent to the University Library.University of Glasgow - Facts and Figures 2005 - Visitors, retrieved 22nd April 2006 The latter includes "The Mackintosh House", a rebuilt terraced house designed by, and furnished after, architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

The university opened a campus in the borders town of Dumfries. The Crichton campus, designed to meet the needs for tertiary education in an area far from major concentrations of population, is jointly operated by the University of Glasgow, the University of Paisley, Bell College, and the Open University. It offers a modular curriculum, leading to one of a small number of liberal arts degrees.

In October 2001 the century-old Bower Building (home to the university's botany department and biological museum) was gutted by fire. Manuscripts by naturalist Charles Darwin, together with a large number of samples obtained on his expeditions, were destroyed. The interior and roof of the building were largely destroyed, although the main facade remained intact. After a £10.8 million refit, the building re-opened to staff and students in November 2004.

The Wolfson Medical School Building, with its award-winning glass-fronted atrium, opened in 2002.University of Glasgow - Wolfson Medical School Building, retrieved 22nd April 2006

The university is currently spread over a number of different campuses. The main one is the Gilmorehill campus, in Hillhead. As well as this there is the Vet School at the top of Maryhill Road, on the Garscube Estate. The University also operates a Dental School in the city centre, as well as the aforementioned Crichton campus in Dumfries, and in 2003 they opened their new Education Faculty Building (the St Andrews Building, replacing Bearsden's St Andrews Campus) in the Woodlands area of the city on the site of the former Queens College, which had in turn been bought by Glasgow Caledonian University, from whom the university acquired the site.

As well as these teaching campuses the university has halls of residence in and around the North-West of the city, accommodating a total of approximately 3,500 students University of Glasgow - Facts and Figures 2005 - Accommodation, retrieved 22nd April 2006. They have the Murano Street halls in Maryhill; the Wolfson halls, also in Maryhill; Queen Margaret halls, in Kelvinside; and Kelvinhaugh Gate, in Yorkhill. In recent years, Dalrymple and Horslethill halls in Dowanhill, Reith halls in North Kelvinside and the Maclay halls in Park Circus (near Kelvingrove Park), have closed and been sold, as the development value of such property increased.

The university also has a large sports complex in their Garscube Estate, beside their Wolfson Halls and Vet School. This is a new facility. They sold their previous sports ground (Westerlands) which was in the Anniesland area of Glasgow. The university also has a boathouse situated on the River Clyde. It is out of here that Glasgow University Boat Club train.

The University library tower and the Hunterian Art Gallery

The University reading room

Governance and administration

In common with the other Ancient universities of Scotland the University's constitution is laid out in the Universities (Scotland) Acts. These Act create a tripartite structure of bodies - the University Court (governing body), the Academic Senate (academic affairs) and the General Council (advisory). There is also a clear separation between governance and executive administration.

The University's constitution, academic regulations, and appointments are authoritatively described in the University calendar, and other aspects of its story and constitution in a separate history.

University Court

The governing body of the University is the University Court, which is responsible for contractual matters; employing staff; and all other matters relating to finance and administration. The Court takes decisions about the deployment of resources as well as formulating strategic plans for the university. The Court is chaired by the Rector (see below for more information), who is elected by all the matriculated students at the university.

Academic Senate

The Academic Senate (or University Senate) is the body which is responsible for the management of academic affairs, and the awarding of all degrees. The Senate consists of various academics and is chaired by the Prinicpal of the university.

Committees

There are also a number of committees of both the Court and Senate that make important decisions and investigate matters referred to them. As well as these bodies there is a General Council made up of the university graduates that is involved in the running of the university. The graduates also elect the Chancellor of the university. A largely honorific post, the current Chancellor is Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, former Chief Medical Officer and current Vice-Chancellor of the University of Durham.

Executive administration

Day to day management of the University is undertaken by the University Principal (who is also Vice-Chancellor) and the Secretary of Court. The current principal is Sir Muir Russell who replaced Professor Sir Graeme Davies in October, 2003. The current secretary of court is David Newall.University of Glasgow - Facts and Figures 2005 - Senior officers, retrieved 22nd April 2006

There are also several Vice-Principals, each with a specific remit. They, along with the Clerk of Senate, play a major role in the day to day management of the university.

Faculties

There are currently nine faculties at Glasgow University. They are
* Arts;
* Biomedical and Life Sciences;
* Education (formed when the university merged with St Andrews College of Education);
* Engineering;
* Information and Mathematical Sciences;
* Law, Business and Social Sciences;
* Medicine (includes Dentistry and Nursing);
* Physical Sciences; and
* Veterinary Medicine.

The Veterinary School is perhaps one of Glasgow's most famous faculties, having produced the personalities of James Herriot (aka Alf Wight), Eddie Straiton ("The TV Vet"), Sir William Weipers, among many others and has the distinction of having its degree recognised not only by the UK, but also the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, as well as most other countries in the world, an honour shared by only a handful of other institutions.

The Medical School is also one of Glasgow's greatest strengths. Traditionally considered one of the top schools in the UK, it placed first in The Times' 2004 ranking of UK university medical departments.

Students

Unlike the majority of Scotland's universities, the students at the University of Glasgow are not members of the National Union of Students - membership has been rejected on a number of occasions on both economic (the costs of membership would exceed £70,000 per year for an institution of this size) and political grounds. Neither does their representative body take the form of a Students' Association, as it does at the other Scottish universities. However, every student is automatically represented by the Glasgow University Students' Representative Council (SRC) and has the right to stand for election to this body and elect its members. The President of the SRC, along with one other SRC member, the Court Assessor, sits on the University Court and a number of SRC members sit on the Academic Senate (which also has the responsibility of overseeing student discipline). Each student has the right to opt out of being a SRC member, although this very rarely happens. Due to a lack of interest in elections, however, students with relatively extreme political views tend to assume positions within the SRC and promote opinions and causes which are not necessarily supported by the majority of students.

Glasgow University Union (far left) and "G12", the home of the Film, Theatre and Television Department in a converted church (far right)

Rector

See: List of elections for Rector of Glasgow UniversityStudents also elect a Rector (officially styled "Lord Rector") who holds office for a three year term and is legally entitled to chair the university court. This position is in practice largely an honorary and ceremonial one, and has been held by political figures including William Gladstone, Benjamin Disraeli, Andrew Bonar Law, Robert Peel, Raymond Poincaré, Arthur Balfour, and 1970s union activist Jimmy Reid, and latterly by celebrities such as TV presenters Arthur Montford and Johnny Ball, musician Pat Kane, and actors Richard Wilson, Ross Kemp and Greg Hemphill. In the past, few Rectors have actually been present to perform the duties of their office, although in recent years there has been a trend to elect people on the expectation that they will be working rectors. Ross Kemp was asked to resign by the SRC (which he did) for what they felt was a failure to act as a working rector. In 2004, for the first time in its history, the University was left without a Rector as no nominations were received. When the elections were run in December, Mordechai Vanunu was chosen for the post,BBC News - Vanunu elected university rector, retrieved 22nd April 2006 even though he is unable to attend due to restrictions placed upon him by the Israeli government.

The Wolfson Medical School and Boyd Orr buildings

Student Unions and Representation

In addition to the Students' Representative Council, students can also be members of one of the University's two students' unions, Glasgow University Union (GUU) and the Queen Margaret Union (QMU).University of Glasgow - Facts and Figures 2005 - Student organisations and activities, retrieved 22nd April 2006. These are largely social institutions, providing their members with facilities for dining, recreation, socialising, and drinking, and both have a number of meeting rooms available for rental to members. Postgraduate students, mature students and staff can join the Hetherington Research Club, although postgraduates are entitled to join one of the student unions in addition to the Research Club.

Sporting affairs are regulated by the Glasgow University Sports Association (GUSA) (previously the Glasgow University Athletics Club). Students who join one of the sports clubs affiliated with the university, such as the Glasgow University Shinty Club, must also join GUSA.

Media

There is also an active student media scene at Glasgow University, part of, but editorially independent from, the SRC. There is a newspaper, the Glasgow University Guardian;Glasgow Guardian, retrieved 22nd April 2006 a magazine, Glasgow University Magazine (GUM);Glasgow University Magazine, retrieved 22nd April 2006 a television station, Glasgow University Student Television (GUST)Glasgow University Student Television, retrieved 22nd April 2006; and a radio station, Subcity.Subcity Radio, retrieved 22nd April 2006 In recent years, independent of the SRC, the Queen Margaret Union has published a fortnightly magazine, qmunicate,QMU.org.uk - Qmunicate, retrieved 22nd April 2006 and Glasgow University Union has produced the GUUi.Glasgow University Union website, retrieved 22nd April 2006

Alumni and faculty

See: List of Alumni and Faculty of the University of Glasgow and List of Professorships at the University of Glasgow

Famous scholars associated with the university include Lord Kelvin, Adam Smith, James Watt, John Logie Baird, Colin Maclaurin, and Joseph Lister. Philosopher Francis Hutcheson studied at Glasgow, and Protestant reformer John Knox may also have done so. In more recent times, the university boasts of having Europe's largest collection of life scientists.