University of Salford

Infobox University
name = The University of Salford

---

motto = "Altiora Petamus"
"Let us seek higher things"
established = 1896 as Royal Technical Institute, Salford
1967 became The University of Salford
type = Public
city = Salford, Greater Manchester
country = England
campus = Urban, Parkland
staff = 2,781
chancellor = Professor Sir Martin Harris
vice_chancellor = Professor Michael Harloe
students = 19,890cite web|url= http://www.hesa.ac.uk/dox/dataTables/studentsAndQualifiers/download/institution0607.xls|title= Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07|accessdate= 2008-04-12|format= Microsoft Excel spreadsheet|publisher= Higher Education Statistics Agency]
undergrad = 15,505
postgrad = 4,385
colours = Navy, Black, White and Gold
mascot = Lion
affiliations = University Alliance Association of Commonwealth Universities North West Universities Association
website = http://www.salford.ac.uk

The University of Salford is a plate glass university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about 1.5 miles north of Manchester City Centre, adjacent to the National Working Class Movement Library and situated in 60 acres of parkland, "a haven of lawns and shrubberies", [citeweb|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article2166708.ece | title=Profile: University of Salford | publisher=The Times | accessdate=2008-02-11] on the banks of the River Irwell.

History

The University was founded in 1896 as the Royal Technical Institute, Salford following a merger of the Salford Working Men's College and Pendleton Mechanics Institute to form the Salford Technical Institute. The Institute received royal letters, allowing the word 'Royal' to be appended, with the then Duke and Duchess of York (later to become King George V and Queen Mary) officiated at the opening ceremony.

At the turn of the century, mechanical engineering, chemical works, textiles and construction dominated the industrial scene in Salford and led the choice of subjects on offer. Initially, students became part of one of nine departments: Mathematics, Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering & Applied Physics, Building, Dyeing, Spinning & Weaving, Domestic, and Art. 1,240 students registered for the first session, and there were only 19 members of staff.

In 1921 the Institute was renamed the Royal Technical College, Salford, but in 1958 the institution split into two separate organisations. The break away college became the Peel Park Technical College but changed its name first to Salford Technical Institute in 1961, then to Salford College of Technology in 1970, and finally to University College Salford in 1992.

In 1963, the Government completed an inquiry into the state of higher education in the United Kingdom and produced a report known as the Robbins Committee Report. It was this that paved the way for the Royal College of Advanced Technology (along with a number of other Colleges of Advanced Technology) to assume university status by Royal Charter.

The "Royal College of Advanced Technology", went on to become the University of Salford on 10 February 1967 when Her Majesty The Queen handed over the Royal Charter. The first Vice-Chancellor was Clifford Whitworth, afrter whom the University's main library is named. The first Chancellor was HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who remained as the University's Chancellor until 1991. Prince Philip took a "keen interest in the University whilst in office which has continued since then, with him making a visit in 2008 to see the University's award winning Acoustics Laboratories. [" [http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1038626_royals_visit_manchester?rss=yes "Manchester Evening news" Royals visit Manchester 28 February 2008] Retrieved on 25 September 2008]

In 1996, the break-away University College Salford (est.1958) and the University of Salford (est.1967) were formally merged into the single institution that makes the University what it is today.

Organisation

The University is organised into four faculties, each of which is sub-divided into schools:

* Faculty of Arts, Media & Social Sciences [http://www.famss.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Art & Design [http://www.artdes.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of English, Sociology, Politics & Contemporary History [http://www.espach.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Languages [http://www.languages.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Media, Music & Performance [http://www.smmp.salford.ac.uk/]

* Faculty of Business, Law & the Built Environment [http://www.fblbe.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of the Built Environment [http://www.sobe.salford.ac.uk/]
** Salford Business School [http://www.business.salford.ac.uk/]
** Salford Law School [http://www.law.salford.ac.uk/]

* Faculty of Health & Social Care [http://www.fhsc.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Community, Health Sciences & Social Care [http://www.chssc.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Health Care Professions [http://www.healthcare.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Nursing [http://www.nursing.salford.ac.uk/]
***NB - The University's Faculty of Health & Social Care has strong links with teaching NHS hospitals in the north west of England and maintains a presence at Salford's Hope Hospital.

* Faculty of Science, Engineering & Environment [http://www.fsee.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Computing, Science & Engineering [http://www.cse.salford.ac.uk/]
** School of Environment & Life Sciences [http://www.els.salford.ac.uk/]

Chancellor

It was announced in January 2005 [ [http://www.salford.ac.uk/news/details/273 News: Sir Martin Harris Appointed University Chancellor | News | University of Salford - A Greater Manchester University ] ] that Professor Sir Martin Harris CBE MA PhD LLD was to become the new Chancellor replacing Sir Walter Bodmer. He took office on 4 April 2005 following a ceremony at the University’s Peel Hall [ [http://www.salford.ac.uk/news/details/289 News: Sir Martin Harris installed as Chancellor of University of Salford | News | University of Salford - A Greater Manchester University ] ] . Sir Martin spent fifteen years at the University of Salford as a Senior Lecturer, Professor of Linguistics, Dean and, later, Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

The University Today

The University has established a successful global presence, with some 3,000 international students choosing to study there with significant numbers coming from China, India, Pakistan, Cyprus, Greece, Nigeria, Ireland and Malaysia. With its four faculties, twelve schools, thirteen research institutes, nearly 20,000 students, and over 2,500 staff, Salford had a turnover of some £156m in 2006/07 and has placed itself strongly in serving the needs of industry and commerce.The University of Salford is on the leading edge of research innovation in many fields, including virtual reality, magnetics and optics, genetic algorithms, building design and prosthetics.

The University is also a founding member of the Northern Consortium.

Teaching Excellence

The University is the self-styled university of 'limitless possibilities', and has given equal priority to enterprise alongside teaching and research for the past decade. Its commitment to making learning relevant to the outside world has contributed to the University being ranked in the top ten (out of all UK universities) for teaching excellence and top in the North West by a report in the journal "Quality in Higher Education". According to the "The Times", Salford "averaged 21 points out of 24 from 1996 onwards" on teaching quality grades, "with perfect scores for politics and biological sciences.". [cite web | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/good_university_guide/article2166708.ece | title=Profile: University of Salford | publisher=The Times | accessdate=2008-02-11]

Campus and Facilities

The main Peel Park campus is less than 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) from Manchester City Centre on the banks of the River Irwell, adjacent to Peel Park, which first opened on 1846-08-22 is said to be possibly the first public park in the world. [ [http://www.salford.gov.uk/leisure/parks/parksinsalford/publicparks/parks-bb.htm City of Salford's Parks.] Date of page creation:6 August, 2007. Retrieval Date: 1 October, 2007.] According to the The Sunday Times the student view of Salford is that it is "a relaxed campus close to Manchester, but cheaper and greener." [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/sunday_times_university_guide/article2505569.ece The Times Online, Review of the University of Salford.] Date of page creation:21 September, 2007. Retrieval Date: 1 November, 2007.] There is also a mainline railway station on the Campus, Salford Crescent railway station. In addition, there are a number of other university facilities located within a mile of the main campus, namely the Frederick Road Campus, Adelphi Campus and Irwell Valley campus.

Major Investment Projects

The University has embarked on a £150 million programme of investment, to deliver new buildings and carry out major refurbishment projects. These include:
* £22m Mary Seacole Building the purpose-built five storey facility for the Faculty of Health & Social Care.
* £10m Lady Hale Building for the Salford Law School. The whole building acts as its own night storage heating and cooling system thanks to a "Termodeck" system.
* £10m Innovation Forum Building
* Joule Physics Teaching Laboratory provides a purpose-built single laboratory space.
* Due to be completed in 2011 - A new building for the University's Faculty of Arts, Media & Social Sciences on the site in Salford Quays - which will be home to five BBC departments and some of the world’s biggest companies in broadcasting and new media.
* Significant investment in IT facilities, with the setting up of wireless networks in many buildings across campus.
* Improvements/refurbishment of facilities for the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Environment.

Peel Hall

With seating for nearly 400 people, Peel Hall hosts many musical performances and is the main venue for the Midday Recitals. The hall is housed in the Peel Building, a red brick and terracotta Victorian building located on the Peel Park Campus.

Robert Powell Theatre

The University's Robert Powell Theatre, named after the Salfordian actor, mostly stages live performances of modern works and participatory work for younger audiences.

Maxwell Hall

Situated at the front of Peel Park Campus the Maxwell Building plays host to concerts and recitals. The building contains an upper hall and a lower hall which together can seat up to 1200.

Chapman Gallery

Situated in the heart of the Peel Park campus, the Chapman Gallery hosts a wide range of modern and contemporary art exhibitions which showcase the work of up and coming artists, University staff, students and the community of Salford.

Tom Husband Leisure Centre

Situated on the Peel Park Campus and adjacent to the Students' Union, the Leisure Centre boasts a gym, swimming pool, sauna and spa, squash courts, climbing wall, snooker room and a multi-use sports hall.

Adelphi Studio Theatre

The Adelphi Studio Theatre is a small theatre venue based in the school of Music, Media and Performances Adelphi Building.

tudent Life

Accommodation

The University provides five self-catered halls of residence accommodating students from all of the Faculties and Schools of the University. Four of the sites are owned and run by the University, whereas the Seaford Road iQ Village is owned and run by CRM Ltd in partnership with the University. All accommodation includes free gym membership and free internet access.

* Eddie Colman and John Lester Courts
* Horlock and Constantine Courts
* Bramall and Matthias Courts
* Castle Irwell Student Village
* Seaford Road iQ Student Quarter

Eddie Colman and John Lester CourtsThese two blocks of flats contain 755 rooms in total, and each flat is shared between two, three or four people. The flats are the closest accommodation to Salford Shopping City in Pendleton – colloquially referred to as 'the Precinct'.

Horlock and Constantine CourtsConstantine Court is the only "en suite" University-owned accommodation, consisting of 80 rooms in seven houses. This accommodation is located in the centre of the main university campus, and is situated close to the Student Union shop, a bank and Salford Crescent railway station. Adjacent Horlock Court comprises 168 rooms in 14 houses. Bramall and Matthias CourtsThese flats are located close to the Adelphi campus. Bramall is typically occupied by undergraduates, whereas Matthias tends to be postgraduates. Matthias flats are usually shared between two or three people, and Bramall flats are shared between two, three or four.

Castle Irwell Student VillageThe student village is the largest area of accommodation, housing up to 1600 students, and is situated on the site of the old Manchester Racecourse. At the centre of the site is the SU bar and nightclub, the Pavilion (or 'Pav'). There are both houses (shared between 10-12 people) and flats (six people). Castle Irwell is a popular choice for first years, due to the cheap rent and the Pav's three bars, dance floors, pool tables and large sports plasma screens. There are also grass rugby and football pitches and several floodlit AstroTurf pitches used in society meetings and Varsity Rags.

This accommodation is the furthest from the main university campus but is served by a free university bus, running every half an hour. A taxi rank is situated outside Castle Irwell, and it is near to various amenities in Lower Broughton, including takeaways and local shops.

Seaford RoadThis is the newest accommodation site, consisting of a square of houses around a central reception, lounge and laundry building. Each house contains six flats, which are typically shared by six people with en suite bathrooms. The site also has 'deluxe' rooms available for an extra cost. This accommodation is very close to Castle Irwell. The site includes a purpose built SPAR, Subway, and two takeaways. The halls are also served by the free university bus.

The University of Salford Students' Union (USSU)

University House on the Peel Park Campus is home to the University of Salford Students' Union (USSU). As well as representing students, the union plays host to a number of services, shops and bars (including a nightclub and live music venue) and offers its own gym and swimming pool for student and staff use.

Some of its commercial activities are:

*Shops. Sited on each campus is a student shop, the largest being on the Peel Park campus (next to which is a bank and bookstore).
*Print shops. Sited within University House and the Allerton building, they offer an assortment of print services.
*Café/Bar Yours. Located in University House, "Yours" comprises a coffee shop and cafe, lounge bar and sports bar. The coffee shop and cafe form an alcohol-free space and serves an array of food and drinks from breakfast until early evening.
*The Pav. Located on Castle Irwell Student Village, it is a favourite haunt of many residents of the student village. The Pav also hosts two club nights each week, with extended opening hours, themed nights and DJ sets such as Flirt!

tudent Media

* Student DirectThe official student newspaper of the Students' Union is believed to be one of the widest-circulating student publications in Europe. It serves the University of Salford, the University of Manchester and the University of Bolton. The University of Salford edition aims to represent the views and interests of students and communicate the work of the Union, as well as informing members about local, national and international issues that affect them as students. It differs from the Manchester edition in 12 pages (including the covers, inside front cover and various opt-out pages throughout). A large team of volunteers writes the paper with the editorship being held by the SU's Vice-President Communications who is elected annually. The current VP Communications/Editor is Vickie Scullard.

The paper has a print-run of 22,000 and goes out every week of term-time.

* Shock RadioThe union also has a student radio society called Shock Radio. [http://www.shockradio.co.uk] It was formed in 2000 following the break-up of Storm FM (a joint project between the Manchester Metropolitan University and the Universities of Manchester and Salford). The first broadcast was in 2002 under an FM Restricted Service Licence (valid for 28 days); the sixth broadcast took place successfully in November 2007, with the seventh planned for November 2008. The station also produces podcasts throughout the year, which are available for anyone to download via the website.

Clubs and Societies

The union clubs participate in many competitions, mostly within the BUSA organised leagues. The clubs within the union are:

Badminton, Basketball, Cricket [1] , Diving, Football (Men), Football (Women), Hiking, Hockey, Horseriding, Judo, Mountaineering, Netball, Ninjutsu, Rowing, Rugby League, Rugby Union (Men), Rugby Union (Women), Canoe and Kayak, Ski and Snowboard, Snooker, Pool League (Takes place in The Pav and YOURS bar) and Trampolining.

In addition to the Clubs, there is a large society base within the union, comprising activities, political groups, religious groups and other interest groups. They are:

Arabic, African Caribbean, Airsoft, Rifle, Almost Famous, Breakdancing, Campaign For Real Ale Society, Cheerleading, Christian Union, Circus and Juggling, Conservative Future, High Rollers, Islamic, Jewish, Labour Students, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, Linux, Literary, Manchester United Appreciation, PhysSoc, RAG, Rock, Socialist Workers Students, United Against Communism, Wargames and Roleplay.

The Two Cities Boat Race

The Two Cities Boat Race is an annual boat race which has been running since 1972. It is now an established event in the sporting and social calendar of Salford and Manchester. The event is also significant for the amount of work put in by volunteers from both universities, to help with event set-up, stewarding, and programme selling, raising money for many different charities. In 2007 the recipient of the proceeds was SPARKS, a charity which supports medical research for children.

Notable Academic Staff and Alumni

:"See also "

Business

* Andy Bond: current Chief Executive of Asda
* Dato Paduka Dr Hj Ismail bin Hj Duraman, Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Design

* Rasshied Din: designer of the Princess Diana memorial at Althorp
* John Norafizan (Norafizan Mustaffa): Malaysian Author of two books - Tunjukkan Aku Satu Bintang, Sempadan Tanpa Seri - The latter depicting the life of Malaysian students at the University

Media and Entertainment

* Emma Atkins: former actress on "Emmerdale" who played Charity Dingle/Tate.
* Wes Butters: radio DJ
* Christopher Eccleston: Actor - the 9th "Doctor Who"
* Steve Edge: Comedian and actor
* John Hammond: BBC weather presenter
* Stephen Fretwell: British musician (studied at the University, but didn't complete)
* Shobna Gulati: Actress and former Coronation Street Star
* Peter Kay: comedian from Bolton
* Sir Ben Kingsley: Actor
* James Hamilton: Comedian
* L. S. Lowry. Awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1975 - also studied at the technical college.
* Jason Manford: Manchester Comedian and Perrier Nominee
* Maxine Peake: Actress from Bolton, one of the stars of "Shameless"
* Kaye Wragg: British actress
* Long-view: British band formed here
* Faithless, Doves, Elbow, Oceansize and Fingathing members also studied on the Popular Music and Recording course
* Jim Sturgess, Actor
* Scott Steiner, FOF

Politics

* Qassim Afzal: Liberal Democrat politician
* Anwar Choudhury: British diplomat, current British High Commissioner to Bangladesh
* Stuart Drummond: twice elected Mayor of Hartlepool
* Andrew Gwynne : Labour Member of Parliament for Denton and Reddish
* Barbara Keeley : Labour Member of Parliament for Worsley
* Paul Richards: Labour politician and author
* Ruth Turner: Labour political advisor; co-founder of The Big Issue in the North

ports

* Ieuan Evans: former International rugby union player
* Su Maozhen: assistant coach of the Chinese Olympic football team
* Norman Whiteside: former Manchester United and Northern Ireland footballer

References

Bibliography

Reel Northhttp://www.rts.org.uk/awards.asp?sec_id=841&from=section

External links

* [http://www.salford.ac.uk University of Salford] – official website
* [http://www.salfordstudents.com University of Salford Students' Union] – official website