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University of Edinburgh

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University of Edinburgh
File:Edinburgh university crest.svg
Latin: Universitas Academica Edinburgensis
TypePublic
Established1582
Endowment£201 million[1]
ChancellorHRH The Duke of Edinburgh
RectorMark Ballard
PrincipalProfessor Timothy O'Shea
Students23,715 [2]
Undergraduates17,135 [2]
Postgraduates6,585 [2]
Address
Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH8 9YL
,
Edinburgh
,
Scotland
,
UK

55°56′50.6″N 3°11′13.9″W / 55.947389°N 3.187194°W / 55.947389; -3.187194
CampusUrban
AffiliationsRussell Group
Coimbra Group
LERU, Universitas 21
Websitehttp://www.ed.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh (Template:Lang-gd), founded in 1582,[4] is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the sixth university to be established in the British Isles, making it one of the ancient universities of Scotland. The university is also amongst the largest in the United Kingdom.[5][6][7][8]

History

Main article: History of Edinburgh University

The founding of the University is attributed to Bishop Robert Reid of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney, who left the funds on his death in 1558 that ultimately provided the University's endowment. The University was established by a Royal Charter granted by James VI in 1582, becoming the fourth Scottish university at a time when more populous neighbour England had only two.

By the 18th century Edinburgh was a leading centre of the European Enlightenment (see Scottish Enlightenment) and became one of the continent's principal universities.

Students at the university are represented by Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA), which consists of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), founded in 1884 by Robert Fitzroy Bell, and Edinburgh University Union (EUU) which was founded in 1889.

In 2002 the University was re-organised from its 9 faculties into three ‘Colleges’, and now comprises the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Science and Engineering (CSE), and Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (MVM). Within these Colleges are 21 ‘Schools’, which are of roughly equal sizes, generally significantly larger than the more-numerous departments they replaced.

Academic reputation

The University's Robert Adam-designed Old College building, home of its Law School
The east façade of the Old College, before the dome was added in 1887

The 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[9]

  • 6th in the UK
  • 8th in Europe overall
  • joint 33rd in the world overall (with University of Hong Kong)
  • 13th in the world for arts and humanities
  • 14th in the world for biomedicine
  • 32nd in the world for science

The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007 [ARWU] ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[10]

  • 6th in the UK
  • 11th in Europe
  • 53nd in the world

The Guardian University Guide 2008 ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[11]

  • 7th in the UK overall
  • 1st in the UK for computer science
  • 1st in the UK for physics
  • 2nd in the UK for medicine
  • 2nd in the UK for veterinary science

The Times Good University Guide 2007 has ranked the University of Edinburgh as the eleventh best university in the UK. In 2005, the University was the Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year.

In 2006 Newsweek ranked the University of Edinburgh 6th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 47th in the world.[12]

Endowment

The university has the third largest financial endowment among UK universities at £201m and the third largest endowment per student, according to the Sutton Trust (2002). The university has an annual turnover of more than £400m

Affiliations

The University of Edinburgh is a member of the Russell Group of large, research-led British universities. It is also the only Scottish university (and the only British university apart from Oxford and Cambridge) to be a member of both the Coimbra Group and the LERU: two associations of leading European universities. The University is a member of Universitas 21, an international association of research-driven universities.

Colleges and Schools

The coat of arms of the University of Edinburgh, displayed on St Leonard's Land

College of Humanities and Social Science

College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

College of Science and Engineering

Miscellaneous

Queen's University, a Canadian university founded in 1841, was modelled after the University of Edinburgh, and continues to display strong Scottish roots and traditions today.

McGill University, another Canadian university, founded in 1821, has strong Edinburgh roots and links to the University of Edinburgh as McGill's first (and, for several years, its only) faculty, Medicine, was founded by four physicians/surgeons who had trained in Edinburgh.

The University of Pennsylvania, an American Ivy League university, has long-standing historical links with the University of Edinburgh, including modelling UPenn's School of Medicine after Edinburgh's.

Location

Edinburgh is considered by some as one of the greenest and most architecturally beautiful cities in Europe often referred to as the "Athens of the North". The University plays an integral role in the city, contributing to its vibrant atmosphere.

With the expansion in topics of study the university has expanded its campuses such that it now has seven main sites:

  • The Central Area including George Square, the Informatics Forum, Old College, and surrounding streets in Edinburgh's Southside, is the oldest region, occupied primarily by the college of humanities and social science, and the schools of informatics and law, as well as the main university library. The Appleton Tower is also used for teaching first year undergraduates in science and engineering. Nearby are the main EUSA buildings of Potterrow, Teviot Row House and the Pleasance Societies Centre. Old residents of George Square include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A number of these buildings are used to host events during the Edinburgh International Festival every summer.
  • The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at Summerhall, at the East end of The Meadows. This houses Veterinary Medicine.
  • Moray House School of Education just off the Royal Mile, used to be the Moray House Institute for Education until this merged with the University in August 1998. The University has since extended Moray House's Holyrood site to include a redeveloped and extended major building housing Sports Science, Physical Education and Leisure Management facilities adjacent to its own Sports Institute in the Pleasance.
  • Pollock Halls, adjoining Holyrood Park to the east, provides accommodation (mainly half board) for a minority of students in their first year. The majority is provided by Self-catered flats. Two of the older houses in Pollock Halls were demolished in 2002 and a new building has been built in their place, leaving a total of ten buildings. Most other students in the city live in private flats in the Marchmont, Newington, Bruntsfield, New Town and Leith areas, although some university-owned flats are also available there.
  • New College, on the Mound, which houses the School of Divinity parts of which are also used by the Church of Scotland.
  • The King's Buildings, further south, houses most of the Science and Engineering schools including a Biology School that is a world leader in genetics. The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and British Geological Survey (BGS) also have a presence on campus.
  • The Chancellor's Building was opened on 12th August 2002 by The Duke of Edinburgh and houses the new £40 million Medical School at the New Royal Infirmary in Little France. It was a joint project between private finance, the local authorities and the University to create a large modern hospital, veterinary clinic and research institute and thus the University is currently (2003) in the process of moving its Veterinary and Medical Faculties there (and quite possibly also the School of Nursing). It has two large lecture theatres and a medical library. It is connected to the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by a series of corridors.

Alumni and faculty

David Hume Statue
Main article: List of University of Edinburgh people

There have been many notable alumni and faculty of the university, including Adam Smith, Gordon Brown, Alexander Graham Bell, Robin Cook, Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, David Hume, James Clerk Maxwell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Michael Atiyah and Ian Wilmut. Lord John Russell also matriculated there but did not graduate.

At graduation ceremonies, the Vice-Chancellor caps graduates with the Geneva Bonnet, a hat which legend says was originally made from cloth taken from the breeches of John Knox or George Buchanan. The hat was last restored in 2000, when a note from 1849 was discovered in the fabric.[13][14] In 2006, a University emblem taken into space by Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva Bonnet.[15]

Student organizations

Media

Newspapers:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ University of Edinburgh (2006). "The University of Edinburgh Reports & Financial Statements for the year to 31 July 2006" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-01-19. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ a b c "Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06". Higher Education Statistics Agency online statistics. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
  3. ^ University of Edinburgh (2006). "Staff Figures". Retrieved 2006-07-31.
  4. ^ http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/history/
  5. ^ http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2005/ARWU2005_Top100.htm
  6. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html
  7. ^ http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/table/0,,-5163901,00.html
  8. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,8403,00.html
  9. ^ "The Top 200 World University Rankings". The Times Higher Education Supplement. 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  10. ^ "Top 500 World Universities (1-99)". Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  11. ^ "Guardian University Guide". The Guardian. 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  12. ^ "The Complete List: The Top 100 Global Universities". MSNBC. 13 August 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  13. ^ "Omniana". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  14. ^ "Graduation cap (Object Details)". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  15. ^ Richard Luscombe (25 June 2006). "One small step for John Knox, one giant leap for university". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
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