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London Metropolitan University

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51.5086°N -0.0752°E / 51.5086°N 0.0752°W / 51.5086; -0.0752 Coordinates: longitude degrees < 0 with hemisphere flag
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London Metropolitan University
File:London Met Logo (165X165).png
TypePublic
Established1 August 2002, by merger of London Guildhall University and University of North London[1]
Endowment£1.2m[2]
Vice-ChancellorAlfred Morris (interim)
Students28,525[3]
Undergraduates20,920[3]
Postgraduates7,055[3]
Location
London
,
England, UK
CampusUrban
ColoursPurple   and Grey  
NicknameLondon Met
Websitelondonmet.ac.uk

The London Metropolitan University, located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of London Guildhall University and the University of North London.[1][5] The University is based in inner London with a campus in the City of London and a second campus in Islington next to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

The University operates its own archives, libraries and museum. The Women's Library houses the archives of the Fawcett Society, and other material on the history of feminism. The other collections are the TUC Library,[6] the Irish Studies Collection and The Frederick Parker Collection.[7]

History

London Metropolitan University was formed on 1 August 2002 by the merger of London Guildhall University with the University of North London. The new institution preserved continuity by assuming the company registration of the former London Guildhall University and as a result there was no hiatus in the corporate existence of the University or its degree awarding powers[citation needed]. The change of name of the merged University was approved by the Privy Council.

File:Super Lab.jpg
The Super Lab in Science Centre

In October 2006, the University opened a new Science Centre, part of a £30m investment in its science department. Close to its Holloway Road site, the facility includes a "Super Lab" claimed to be one of Europe's most advanced science teaching facilities[8][9][10][11] with 280 workstations equipped with digital audio visual interactive equipment.

The President Emeritus, who holds the academic title of Professor, is Sir Roderick Floud.[12]

London Guildhall University

In 1848 Charles Blomfield, the Bishop of London, called upon the clergy to establish evening classes to improve the moral, intellectual and spiritual condition of young men in London. In response, the bishop Charles Mackenzie, who instituted the Metropolitan Evening Classes for Young Men in Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate, London, with student fees at one shilling per session. Subjects on the original curriculum included Greek, Latin, Hebrew, English, History, Mathematics, Drawing and Natural Philosophy. This fledgling college came under royal patronage following the visit of Prince Albert to the classes in 1851. In 1860 the classes moved to Sussex Hall, the former Livery Hall of the Bricklayers' Company, in Leadenhall Street. By this time, some 800 students were enrolled annually.

In 1861 the classes were reconstituted and named the City of London College. Over the next twenty years, the College was one of the pioneers in the introduction of commercial and technical subjects. The college built new premises in White Street at a cost of £16,000 (contributions were received from Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales) and were opened in 1881. In 1891 the college joined Birkbeck Institute and the Northampton Institute to form the City Polytechnic by a Charity Commissioners' scheme to facilitate funding for these institutions by the City Parochial Foundation, and to enable the three institutions to work cooperatively. However this attempted federation did not function in practice, as each institution continued to operate more or less independently. The City Polytechnic concept was dissolved in 1906 and the City of London College came under the supervision of London County Council.

In December 1940 the college's building was destroyed by a German air raid. City of London College subsequently moved into premises at 84 Moorgate in 1944. In 1948, the City of London College celebrated its centenary with a service of thanksgiving addressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St Paul's Cathedral. In 1970 the college merged with Sir John Cass College to form the City of London Polytechnic. From 1992 to July 2002, the institution was known as London Guildhall University.

University of North London

Founded as the Northern Polytechnic Institute in 1896, it merged in 1971 with the North Western Polytechnic which was established in 1929, to become the Polytechnic of North London. Until the passing of the Education Reform Act 1988, the Polytechnic was under the control of the Inner London Education Authority — part of the then Greater London Council and awarded the degrees of the former Council for National Academic Awards. Under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the institution, a pioneer of widening participation and access to higher education, was granted University status and the right to award its own degrees. Following the merger with London Guildhall University, London Metropolitan University became the largest unitary university in Greater London.

Campuses

London Metropolitan University has two campuses named London City campus and London North campus.

London City campus

The London City campus is the site of the former London Guildhall University, near Aldgate East, Tower Hill and Liverpool Street tube stations.

There are buildings located at Minories, Jewry Street,Central House, Moorgate, Whitechapel High Street, Calcutta House, Commercial Road and Goulston Sreet.

The Deconstructivist Graduate Centre on Holloway Road, designed by Daniel Libeskind.

There is a gymnasium for the use of staff and students at the Whitechapel High St. building, although there are also several private gymnasiums nearby.

The City campus is at the intersection of the City of London financial district and the old East end (Jack the Ripper tours frequently pass by the University's buildings). Spitalfields market is close by, offering a variety of bars, coffee shops, and restaurants, as well as market stalls.

London North campus

London North campus is the site of the former University of North London, near Holloway Road and Highbury & Islington tube stations.

The Campus began life in 1896 as the Northern Polytechnic Institute. By 1900, student numbers had doubled and later the Institute's evening degrees were recognised by the University of London.

The Tower Building of London Metropolitan University in North Campus on Holloway Road

In the early 1970s, the Northern Polytechnic merged with the North Western Polytechnic, which was established in 1929, to become the Polytechnic of North London. In 1992 the Polytechnic became the University of North London.

Profile

London Metropolitan University is the largest "single university" in London,[5] serving more than 34,000 students[3] and with buildings spread throughout the centre of London. The University offers 485 degree courses and has the largest choice of courses in London.[9][13][14][15][16] The University has nearly 8,000 overseas students from more than 155 different countries.[5] In 2005/06, London Metropolitan University was ranked third most popular university in United Kingdom for international students[17]

Academic reputation

London Metropolitan chooses not to appear in privately organised league tables because the university believes that the UK Government should be the formal assessor of universities, rather than (private) newspapers' tables.[18]

In the 2006 Institutional Audit, the Quality Assurance Agency awarded London Met expressed "broad confidence" in the soundness of the University's management of the quality of its academic programmes and the academic standards of its awards.[19]

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, London Metropolitan was ranked equal 107th out of 132 institutions by the Times Higher Education's RAE league table.[20]

Academic departments

Holloway Road Library in North Campus of London Metropolitan University

London Metropolitan University currently consists of the following units:

  • Department of Applied Social Sciences
  • Department of Architecture and Spatial Design
  • The Cass ( The Sir John Cass Department of Art, Media and Design)
  • London Metropolitan Polymer Centre
  • London Metropolitan Business School
  • Faculty of Computing
  • Faculty of Life Sciences
  • School of Psychology
  • School of Human Sciences
  • Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Languages and Education
  • School of Humanities, Arts and Languages
  • School of Education
  • Department of Law, Governance and International Relations

Scholarships

Every year London Metropolitan University invests over £700,000 in its scholarship programme to help academically excellent students as well as students with outstanding achievements in various sports disciplines fund their education. London Metropolitan University offers a Merit Scholarship Programme and gives £1000 for all international students who achieve A grades whilst studying any bachelor degree course at the University. London Metropolitan University also offers some scholarships in sports, such as Hockey, Tennis and Basketball.[21]

The University also offers postgraduate scholarships, a range of full tuition scholarships, including some scholarships with free accommodation.

London Metropolitan University offers scholarships in conjunction with:

Study abroad programmes

The London Metropolitan University has several student exchange programmes with academic institutions abroad. The list of U.S. partner institutions includes Alverno College, Canisius College, City College of New York, Roosevelt University, San Francisco State University, Utah State University, Western Carolina University, and SUNY Cortland. Students of Caribbean Studies may have the chance to study for one semester at the University of the West Indies.

London Metropolitan University cooperates with several European universities as part of the ERASMUS programme and has exchange agreements with the University of Applied Arts Vienna in Austria, Charles University in Prague in the Czech Republic, Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences in Finland, Ecole Supérieure de Commerce Et Management, the famous Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux, Paris Descartes University, Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III, well-known University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle, University of Provence University of Savoie and University of Toulouse in France, Fachhochschule Aachen, Fachhochschule Eberswalde, Hochschule Bremen, Humboldt University of Berlin, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Universität Lüneburg and University of Bremen in Germany, Politecnico di Milano, University of Bologna and University of Ferrara in Italy, Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania, Maastricht University, Utrecht School of the Arts and Zuyd University in the Netherlands, the University of Bergen in Norway, the University of Wrocław in Poland, Complutense University of Madrid, Jaume I University, Pompeu Fabra University, University of Alcalá, University of Barcelona, University of Granada, University of Lleida and University of Seville in Spain, Mälardalen University, the very prestigious Lund University and Stockholm University in Sweden, and finally Çankaya University and Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey.

All students who participate in the Erasmus exchange programme receive some grants.

Students

Nearly 29,000[3] students study at London Metropolitan University, of whom 20,920[3] are undergraduate students and 7,055[3] are postgraduates. Almost 7,000 overseas students from more than 155 different countries attend the university.[5]

File:Rocket Complex Logo.jpg
The Logo of The Rocket Complex

Student activities

London Metropolitan University Students' Union ("MetSU") is affiliated to the National Union of Students. The day to day running of the Union is organised by a team of officers who together make up the Executive Committee. A Student Council sets policy and can set the direction that the Executive take. It can also censure and remove officers from their positions.

The University directly manages two award-winning social facilities: The Rocket complex and courtyard located on Holloway Road at North campus; and Hub Bar located on Goulston Street at City campus.[22]The Rocket is renowned for its famous club night, which was once voted best student night out in London by Time Out.[23] At Sub Bar, refurbished after years of neglect in the 1990s, events include acoustic/open mic nights, live bands, quiz and comedy nights, club and dj nights.

File:Sub Bar Logo.jpg
The Logo of The Sub Bar

Both the Rocket and Sub are favoured by club and live music promoters for high profile public events.[24] Recent performances have included acts such as Norman Jay, Mary Ann Hobbs, 2manydjs, Justice and Foreign Beggars with Beardyman.

Governance

The university's operations are overseen by a board of governors comprising external members and senior administrative and academic staff.

Financial crisis

In July 2008 it was reported that a financial crisis was looming for the university. London Met had been misreporting data on student dropouts for several years and, consequently, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was proposing to claw back at least £15 million for the overpayment in 2008-9.[25] In February 2009 it was revealed that London Met had been overpaid £58 million by HEFCE, who were seeking to recover the money.[26] On 19 February, then-Vice-Chancellor Brian Roper e-mailed all staff at London Met to tell them that the University was seeking to "reduce the level of staffing by up to 550 posts by July 2010". He added "I feel it is important to assure you that at no time has there been any deliberate miscalculation or impropriety on the part of London Metropolitan University."

The British government announced in May 2009 that there would be an independent inquiry, exploring the possibility that HEFCE had colluded with London Met by failing to query implausibly low drop-out rates.[27]

During February the Islington Gazette, the local newspaper, reported on the high stress levels among staff, including those on long-term sick leave. Alan Pike, a UNISON official, was quoted as saying "In the past two months, we have had about 20 support staff come to us with stress." [28]

Vice-chancellor Roper's salary for 2006-7, before bonuses, was £276,000,[2] making him the most highly-paid vice-chancellor in the country. On more than one occasion since the formation of London Met he has caused controversy due to the receipt of large pay increases; for instance, in February 2005 the Times Higher reported that he was the "biggest winner" among V-Cs over the past decade, having seen a 124 per cent increase in his salary. This report also noted that his pay rise from 2003-4 had occurred at a time when the university was seeking job cuts "because the institution has failed to meet internal financial targets".[29] Mr Roper has received a series of bonuses during the period when London Met was returning inaccurate data to HEFCE.

It has recently been announced that the university's current plans are to make one in four members of staff redundant. Many students and members of staff have been campaigning for months against these proposed cuts.

On 19 March 2009 Brian Roper resigned his position with immediate effect but will continue to receive his salary until December 2009.[30] In May 2009 Alfred Morris, former vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England and University of Wales, Lampeter was appointed acting Vice-Chancellor.[31]

On 29 April 2009, the University and College Union announced that members at London Metropolitan University voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action and 'action short of a strike' in their fight against at least 550 jobs that are at risk.[32]

On 23 May 2009 the students of London Metropolitan University and the UCU protested against the closure of courses at the university and the threat to 800 jobs as a result of the financial crisis. The march traveled from Highbury Park up until Archway tube station. The rally concluding the protests consisted of union speakers and the Islington Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn.

International offices

The University maintains several offices outside the United Kingdom.

City Country
Dhaka Bangladesh
Brussels Belgium
Beijing China
Delhi and Chennai India
Lagos Nigeria
Lahore and Karachi Pakistan
Havana Cuba

Notable alumni

Notable staff

References

  1. ^ a b "History". London Metropolitan University. 2008-08-12. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
  2. ^ a b http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/londonmet/library/q89076_3.pdf
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2007/08" (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  4. ^ Facts and Figures - from official website
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Green, Chris (2007-07-27). "A-Z Unis & Colleges: London Metropolitan University". The Independent. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  6. ^ http://www.unionhistory.info/about.php
  7. ^ http://www.frederick-parker-foundation.org/
  8. ^ Science centre 'best in Europe' - from BBC World Service
  9. ^ a b Brought to you in association with London Metropolitan University - from Guardian Unlimited
  10. ^ Science ‘superlab’ opens at London Met United Kingdom - from International Education Media
  11. ^ Science Centre-Virtual Tour -from official website
  12. ^ Sir Roderick Floud -from London Metropolitan University official website
  13. ^ London Metropolitan University -from studyLondon
  14. ^ Facts and figures -from London Metropolitan University official website
  15. ^ Foundation Course University Partners -from BellerbysCollege
  16. ^ CITYZONE COMPANY MEMBER - LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY -from cityzone
  17. ^ [1]
  18. ^ Our Ranking -from London Metropolitan University official website
  19. ^ Review reports: London Metropolitan University -from Quality Assurance Agency
  20. ^ Times Higher Education RAE league table
  21. ^ Merit scholarships - from London Metropolitan University Official Website
  22. ^ LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY -from The Guardian Jobs
  23. ^ Campus Services -from London Metropolitan University official website
  24. ^ Review of London Metropolitan University -from The Independent
  25. ^ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=402684&sectioncode=26
  26. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/feb/03/brian-roper
  27. ^ Melanie Newman, "Government announces inquiry into London Met crisis", Times Higher Education, 21 May 2009
  28. ^ http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED04%20Feb%202009%2015%3A53%3A36%3A603
  29. ^ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=194320&sectioncode=26 Heads enjoy 100% rise in pay over 10 years
  30. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/19/brian-roper-resignation-london-met
  31. ^ Newman, Melanie (21 May 2009). "Governors have explored the legal scenarios if London Met goes bust". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  32. ^ http://www.ucu.org.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3838
  33. ^ Garth Crooks Biography
  34. ^ London Met graduate fronts Brit-nominated band
  35. ^ Spin doctor to resign - from BBC World Service
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