Buckinghamshire New University
| File:Bucks corporate logo web.jpg | |
| Motto | Arte et Industria ("By art and industry") |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1893 (as Science and Art School) |
| Vice-Chancellor | Ruth Farwell |
| Students | 9,045[1] |
| Undergraduates | 8,295[1] |
| Postgraduates | 620[1] |
Other students | 125 FE[1] |
| Location | , , |
| Website | http://bucks.ac.uk/ |
Buckinghamshire New University (formerly Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College) is a university in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Great Britain. The Vice-Chancellor is Dr Ruth Farwell. The Institution was a university college between 1999 and 2007, when it announced that its application for university status had been accepted.
History
Buckinghamshire New University owes its existence, at least in part, to a tax imposed on beer and spirits towards the end of the nineteenth century. A fund was created to compensate owners of licensed premises which were forced to close, but it eventually became so large that Parliament agreed to make it available for educational purposes.[citation needed] With additional money from the local County Council, a Science and Art School was established in 1893.
After the First World War, the School began to give special tuition to disabled ex-soldiers and sailors. Veterans were trained in a range of traditional skills including cabinet making, carving and polishing to help them find work in local factories. By 1920, daytime technical classes in metalwork and woodwork had been introduced. The School was then renamed "Wycombe Technical Institute".
Following the Second World War, increased demand for technical education to rehabilitate returning servicemen required immediate additional classroom space and it was proposed to site a new College of Further Education on Queen Alexandra Road. These facilities were built over a period of ten years and officially opened by Minister of Education Sir Edward Boyle on 6 May 1963.
Growth of the "High Wycombe College of Art and Technology", as it was then known, continued. In 1975, it merged with Newland Park College of Education in Chalfont St Giles (a former Teacher Training College) to form Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education.
The most recent addition to the Institution's sites is the Missenden Abbey Management Centre. The Abbey, which dates back to 1133, was officially opened as a management centre by the Duke of Gloucester in May 1988, having been restored after a fire in 1985.
Recent history
The Institution changed its name from "Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College" to its current name of "Buckinghamshire New University" ("Bucks") when its application for university status was approved in 2007 by the Privy Council. Proposed names such as "University of Wycombe", "University of High Wycombe", "High Wycombe University", "University of Buckinghamshire" and "Buckingham Chilterns University" were rejected. The chosen name was swiftly attacked by the University of Buckingham for daring to use the county name.[2] Whether the "New University" moniker will be sustainable or relevant several years into the future is also a subject of debate.[citation needed]
Bucks had ambitious plans to consolidate its divided campuses into a purpose-built site near to Hughenden Park in High Wycombe. While these plans fell through, there are now plans to renovate and enlarge the main campus which will provide more up to date facilities, and a better environment for the University.
The University has started a major development of the High Wycombe campus with a large structure being built onto the front of the existing building, the building itself is based on a study of its contexts and the irregular urban gain of the town centre.
Campuses
The University currently consists of the High Wycombe campus (previously belonging to the High Wycombe College of Art and Technology), the Newland Park Campus (also known as the Chalfont Campus, near Little Chalfont) and the Wellesbourne Campus (near Hazlemere). Off-site student accommodation exists in High Wycombe town centre (Brook Street Halls). The University also owns Missenden Abbey. The Fine Art Department operates within rented space above the Octagon Shopping Centre within High Wycombe town centre.
Departments and academics
Several courses run at the university are rarities in British universities. Courses like Airline and Airport Management, Music Industry Management and Video Production, as well as the extensive Furniture Design and Restoration and Textiles departments are the University's main attractions.[citation needed] The University also offers a degree course in bed sales management, in partnership with bed manufacturer Dreams.[3]
Trevor Baylis is a frequent guest lecturer within the Technology Department, and was present at the 2004 graduating ceremony and graduate degree show. Actor and comedian Noel Fielding also attended Bucks.
External links
- Buckinghamshire New University – official website
- Bucks Students' Union
References
- ^ a b c d "Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07" (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
- ^ Kealey, Terence (2007-11-13). "What's in a name? Our reputation, for a start". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Selling beds is now degree course". BBC News. 2008-04-12. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
