The University of Strathclyde is a Scottish public research university
located in Glasgow, United Kingdom. It is Glasgow's second university by age,
being founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, and receiving its Royal
Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university. It takes its
name from the historic Kingdom of Strathclyde.
The University of Strathclyde is Scotland's third largest university by
number of students, with students and staff from over 100 countries. The
institution was awarded University of the Year 2012 and Entrepreneurial
University of the year 2013 by Times Higher Education.
Entry into many of the courses in the university is competitive and successful
entrants in 2015 had an average of 473 UCAS points. This means that successful
applicants to Strathclyde have the 3rd highest average score in Scotland, and
is ranked 12th overall in the UK. It is also one of the 39 old universities in
the UK comprising the distinctive second cluster of elite universities after
Oxbridge. History
The university was founded in 1796 through the will of John Anderson,
professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow who left
instructions and the majority of his estate to create a second university in
Glasgow which would focus on "Useful Learning" – specialising in practical
subjects – "for the good of mankind and the improvement of science, a place of
useful learning". The University later named its city centre campus after him.
In 1828, the institution was renamed Anderson's University, partially
fulfilling Anderson's vision of two universities in the city of Glasgow. The
name was changed in 1887, to reflect the fact that there was no legal authority
for the use of the title of 'university'. As a result, the Glasgow
and West of Scotland Technical College was formed, becoming the Royal Technical
College in 1912, and the Royal College of Science and Technology in 1956
concentrating on science and engineering teaching and research. Undergraduate
students could qualify for degrees of the University of Glasgow or the
equivalent Associate of the Royal College of Science and Technology.
Under Principal Samuel Curran, internationally respected nuclear
physicist, the Royal College gained University Status, receiving its Royal
Charter to become The University of Strathclyde in 1964, merging with the
Scottish College of Commerce at the same time. Contrary to popular belief, The
University of Strathclyde was not created as a result of the Robbins
Report – the decision to grant the Royal College university status had been made
earlier in the 1960s but delayed as a result of Robbins Report. The University
of Strathclyde was the UK's first technological university reflecting its
history, teaching and research excellence in technological education.
In 1993, the University incorporated Jordanhill College of Education.
The university has developed its reputation and grown from approximately
4,000 full-time students in 1964 to over 20,000 students in 2003, when it
celebrated the 100th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the
original Royal College building. In July 2015, Her Majesty The Queen has
opened the Technology and Innovation Centre, at the University of
Strathclyde. Campus
Since taking over the Jordanhill college in 1993, the University operated two
campuses - The John Anderson Campus and the Jordanhill campus until 2012 when
the Jordanhill campus was closed and everything was moved to the John
Anderson Campus. The centrepiece building has long been
the massive Royal College Building. Started in 1903 and completed in 1912,
it was partially opened in 1910 and at the time was the largest educational
building in Europe for technical education. Originally built as the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College Building, it now houses
Bioscience, Chemistry, and Electronic and Electrical Engineering. The building
is currently undergoing major internal renovation following the relocation of
the Pharmacology and Bioscience departments to new accommodation in the
John Arbuthnott building, and the installation of a new heating system.
Meanwhile, a new biomedical sciences building was opened in early 2010. It
was designed by Shepparrd Robson, and aims to bring the multi-faceted
disciplines of the Institute together under one roof. Sited on Cathedral
Street in Glasgow, the 8,000m2 building is the gateway to the University campus
and city centre from the motorway. The James Weir Building has been
reconstructed and reopened in 2014 after a serious fire resulted in many rooms
being unusable. The Architecture Building, completed in
1967, is considered to be the best post-war building on campus. It was
designed by Frank Fielden and Associates, Frank Fielden being the
Professor of Architecture in the Architecture School at the time. The
Architects Journal Magazine at the time highly praised this building for its
restraint in the choice of materials and its organisational of the programme
within the constraints of a difficult site. In 2012, Historic Scotland granted
Listed Building Status to it, along with the Wolfson Building designed by Morris
and Steedman Architects. 2012 also saw the 20th Century Society select the
Architecture Building as their 'Building of the Month' for September due to its
cultural significance and enduring appeal.
= Library and Archives = The Andersonian Library is the principal
library of the University of Strathclyde. Established in 1796, it is
one of the largest of its type in Scotland. It is situated in the Curran
building. Situated over 5 floors at present, the Andersonian Library has
more than 2,000 reader places, 450 computer places and extensive wi-fi
zones for laptop use. It has around one million print volumes as well as access
to over 540,000 electronic books, 239 databases and over 38,000 e-journals
that can be used 24/7 from any suitably enabled computer.
The archives are divided into 3 as follows.
University Archives The official records of the University
of Strathclyde from 1796 to the present day. Includes the records of the
University’s predecessor institutions as well as the papers of many former staff
and students and associated organisations. The University archives
are a resource for the study of education, science and society in
Scotland. Deposited Archives
A diverse range of archives which have been acquired by gift or deposit to
support the University’s teaching and research.
Special Collections Rare or significant printed material and
books, including the Anderson Collection, plus over 30 other
collections spanning the 16th to the 21st centuries.
= Technology and Innovation Centre = The Technology and Innovation Centre at
Strathclyde is a centre for technological research currently under
construction in Glasgow, Scotland. It forms part of the University of
Strathclyde's campus in the heart of the city. The construction of this centre
began in March 2012 and is expected to be completed in mid 2014.
This project secured a £6.7 million funding from the European Regional
Development Fund and another £26 million from the Scottish Government. The
University itself is supplying the other £57 million needed to reach its £89
million budget needed to create the centre.
The work started on the triangular, nine-storey, steel-framed building in
March 2012 with a completion date set in 2014. The facility will be built to
Energy Performance Certificate ‘A’ rating standards – the industry’s
highest energy-efficiency standard. This 25,000m2 space can accommodate around
1200 workers from numerous fields, including engineering, researching and
project management from the university and outside industry. It will include
open plan space for offices, three lecture theatres and areas for
specialist laboratory equipment In addition to the Technology and
Innovation Centre, a 5000m2 Industry Engagement Building, which will be
located adjacent to the TIC building, will accommodate around and extra 500
occupants to the already huge work force at the TIC. This additional building has
now secured planning permission. The research that will be carried out in the
Technology and Innovation Centre, by around 850 researchers from the
University, is in the fields of: Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing,
Advanced Science and Technology, Bionanotechnology, Business Engagement,
Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation, Energy, Health
Technologies at Strathclyde, Human and Social Aspects of Technology, Photonics
and Sensors, and Asset Management. The TIC hosts the UK's first Fraunhofer
research centre, the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics and TIC also plays
a major role in Scotland’s International Technology and Renewable Energy Zone.
Faculties and departments The university currently consists of
four main faculties categorised based on subjects and academic fields that they
deal with and each faculty is sub divided into several departments which
deal with specific academic and research areas. They are:
The university delivered teaching to 19,960 full-time and part-time students
in 2013/14: 14,040 undergraduates and 5,920 postgraduates. Another 34,000
people take part in continuing education and professional development programmes.
The university's main campus, John Anderson Campus, is located in the
centre of Glasgow, near George Square. Till 2012, the University operated an
education campus in the suburb of Jordanhill, at the site of the previous
Jordanhill Teacher Training College which it disposed off and relocated to a
new building in the John Anderson Campus. In January 2012, The
University’s Court also endorsed the recommendation of the Estates Steering
Group that Strathclyde moves to a single campus by disposing of the entire
Jordanhill site and constructing a new building for the Faculty of Education on
the John Anderson campus. Strathclyde is the only Scottish
university that offers the IET Power Academy engineering scholarships to its
engineering students. Academic profile
= Rankings and reputation = The university ranks among the top 30 of
the UK Research Excellence Framework league table published by the Times
Higher Education Supplement, although it did rank much higher in a number of
areas in the same newspaper article – third in the UK for Electrical and
Electronic Engineering; fourth for the combined Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences,
Biomedical Engineering and Speech and Language Therapy submission; fourth for
the joint research including Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Design,
Manufacture and Engineering Management, Chemical and Process Engineering and
Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering; fourth in Chemistry; 8th in
Civil Engineering; and eleventh for Government and Public Policy. The
Department of Physics has been rated the number one department in the UK, and
Strathclyde Business School is in the top 10 in the UK and number one in
Scotland. The university is highly ranked among
the top 10 in the UK in various subjects, namely being 2nd for
Accounting & Finance; 8th for Aural & Oral Sciences; 9th for Business &
Management Studies; 2nd for Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation & Tourism; 4th for
Marketing; 10th for Mechanical Engineering and 1st for Medical
Technology. QS World University Rankings 2013 placed the university among the
top 51-100 internationally for Electrical & Electronic Engineering and
Pharmacy. The University is one of the 39 old
universities in the UK comprising the distinctive Cluster Two of elite
universities after Oxbridge. A detailed study published in 2015 by Vikki Boliver
has shown among the Old universities, Oxford and Cambridge emerge as an elite
tier, whereas the remaining 22 Russell Group universities are undifferentiated
from 17 other Old universities which form the second cluster.
= Research = In 2011 the University’s Advanced
Forming Research Centre was announced as a leading partner in the first UK-wide
Technology Strategy Board Catapult Centre. The Government also announced
that the University is to lead the UK-wide EPSRC Centre for Innovative
Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation.
The University has become the base for the first Fraunhofer Centre to be
established in the UK. Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Europe’s largest
organisation for contract research, is creating the new Fraunhofer Centre for
Applied Photonics in collaboration with Strathclyde, for research in sectors
including healthcare, security, energy and transport.
Strathclyde was chosen in 2012 as the exclusive European partner university
for South Korea’s global research and commercialisation programme – the Global
Industry-Academia Cooperation Programme, funded by South Korea’s Ministry of
Knowledge and Economics. In 2012 the University became a key
partner in its second UK Catapult Centre. Plans for the Catapult Centre
for Offshore Renewable Energy were announced at Strathclyde by Business
Secretary Vince Cable. The University has also become a partner in the
Industrial Doctorate Centre for Offshore Renewable Energy, which is one of 11
doctoral centres at Strathclyde. Engineers at the University are leading
the €4 million, Europe-wide Stardust project, a research-based training
network investigating the removal of space debris and the deflection of
asteroids. Strathclyde has become part of the new
ESRC Enterprise Research Centre, a £2.9 million venture generating world-class
research to help stimulate growth for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The University has centres in pharmacy, drug delivery and development, micro and
ultrasonic engineering, biophotonics and photonics, biomedical engineering,
medical devices, new therapies,prosthetics and orthotics,
public health history, law, crime and justice and social work. The University
is involved in 11 partnerships with other universities through the Scottish
Funding Councils’ Research Pooling Programme, covering areas such as
engineering, life sciences, energy, marine science and technology, physics,
chemistry, computer sciences and economics.
Several Strathclyde staff have been elected to Fellowships in the Royal
Societies of Edinburgh and London, among the UK’s most prestigious honours.
People = Students =
There are around 15,000 undergraduate students out of which almost 4,000 are
mature students who start their studies after gaining experience in the
workplace, and almost 16% are overseas students from more than 100 countries
around the world. Around 7,000 students are undertaking postgraduate studies at
Strathclyde. There are approximately 45,000 students studying part-time in
the university each year, either in the evenings and weekends or through
distance learning. The university also has an alumni population of over 100,000
and growing. = Notable academics and alumni =
Prof Matthew Charteris - taught Medicine at Anderson's from 1876 to 1880
Sir Samuel Curran - Inventor of the Scintillation counter
John Logie Baird - Invented the world's first working television
Thomas Graham - Formulated the law of diffusion of gases
David Livingstone - Explorer and missionary
Dame Elish Angiolini - First female Solicitor General and Lord Advocate of
Scotland Conor McBride - Computer scientist
James Young - Successfully separated paraffin wax, naphtha, lamp oil and
lubricating oil from oil James Blyth - Responsible for the
earliest generation of electrical power from wind
Henry Faulds - Originator of fingerprint identification
James Croll - Early investigator of climate change
Andrew Ure - His research is believed to be the inspiration behind Mary Shelley’s
novel Frankenstein. Dan Harris - Celtic FC and Premier
League with West Bromwich Albion & Birmingham City
Jim McColl - Scotland's richest man Aileen McGlynn - Scottish paralympic
gold medal winning tandem cyclist and world record holder
Sir Thomas Hunter - Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Ian McAllister - Irish-Australian public opinion political scientist
Hugh Hendry - Hedge fund manager Sanjay Jha - Former CEO of Motorola
Mobility and current CEO of GlobalFoundries
Lauren Mayberry - Lead singer of synthpop band CHVRCHES
Paul Barnes - East Sports Editor/Presenter on STV News
Tyrone Smith - North Sports Editor/Presenter on STV News
Jamie Borthwick - Sports reporter on STV News
See also References
External links University of Strathclyde website
Glasgow Digital Library at the University of Strathclyde
Strathclyde Students' Union website EDWARD VII LAYS FOUNDATION STONE – from
the National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE)