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The University of Edinburgh
File:University of Edinburgh logo.png
Latin: Universitas Academica Edinensis
TypePublic
Established1582
Endowment£185 million[1]
ChancellorHRH The Duke of Edinburgh
RectorIain Macwhirter
PrincipalProfessor Sir Timothy O'Shea
Students24,220 (2007-08)[2]
Undergraduates16,980[2]
Postgraduates7,240[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
EUA
Websitehttp://www.ed.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582,[3] is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It was the fourth university to be established in Scotland,[4] making it one of the ancient universities of the United Kingdom.

The university is consistently placed amongst the best in the world, ranking 20th in the current THES - QS World University Rankings,[5][6] as well as 17th in the current Global University Ranking.[7] THES - QS World University Rankings has consistently ranked University of Edinburgh as the best university in Scotland, and one of the five best universities in UK. The university played an important role leading the city of Edinburgh to its reputation as a chief intellectual centre during the Age of Enlightenment, and helped give the city the nickname of the Athens of the north. Alumni of the university include some of the major figures of modern history.

History

Main article: History of the University of Edinburgh

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, the Edinburgh University Union (EUU) which was founded in 1889. They are also represented by the Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) which was founded in 1866.

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. It is renowned as being one of the most presitigious universities in Scotland.

Academic reputation

The University's Old College building as it currently stands
The east façade of the Old College, before the dome was added in 1887

In the Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators (2004), compiled by the European Commission,[8] the University of Edinburgh ranked as follows:

In 2006 Newsweek ranked the University of Edinburgh 6th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 47th in the world.[9]

The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008 [ARWU] ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[10]

  • 6th in the UK
  • 13th in Europe
  • 55th 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
  • 1st in the UK for Nursing
  • 2nd in the UK for medicine
  • 2nd in the UK for veterinary science

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, an approximately 5 yearly audit of the research quality of British higher education establishments, the University of Edinburgh was placed 10th overall, a rise of 4 places from 14th in the 2001 RAE. The University was also placed 5th in the UK in terms of the power of its research departments.[12] 63% of the University’s research activity was in the highest categories (4* and 3*), of which one third is recognised as “world-leading”. It was rated top in the UK for Computer Science studies, a category in which the University of Edinburgh School of Informatics made every eligible research submission whereas other universities submitted selectively[13]. It was rated top in the UK for medical research submitted to the Hospital-based clinical subjects panel.[14] The University was also placed 3rd in the UK for both Engineering [15] and Chemistry (3rd equal with a joint submission with the University of St Andrews)[16]. Notable positions - among others - include 3rd in English, joint 5th in Pure Mathematics and 6th in Physics [17]. The results for each of the 39 subject areas subjected for quality assessment can be retrieved at Guardian Education or the official RAE website.[18]

In 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked the University of Edinburgh as 23rd in the world in the same pool as Oxbridge, University College London, and Imperial College London.[19] U.S. News and World Report also ranked the University of Edinburgh as 6th in Europe. [20]

Times Higher Education Supplement

The 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[21]

  • 23rd in the world
  • 5th in the UK
  • 5th in Europe overall

The 2008 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[22]

  • 23rd in the world
  • 6th in the UK
  • 6th in Europe overall

The 2009 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[23]

  • 20th in the world
  • 5th in the UK
  • 5th in Europe overall

Rankings

UK University Rankings
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993
Times Good University Guide 14th[24] 18th[24] 13th[25] 11th[26] 5th[27] 13th 14th[28] 15th 8th[29][30] 6th 6th 8th= 7th 10th 4th= 5th= 4th= 6th=
Guardian University Guide 7th[31] 9th[32] 9th[33] 7th[33] 10th 10th[34] 10th[35] 15th[36] 22nd[37]
Sunday Times University Guide 15th=[38] 14th[39] 13th 10th[40] 10th 12th[41] 9th[41] 14th[41] 13th[41] 10th=[41] 10th[41] 14th[41]
Daily Telegraph 16th=[42] 42nd
FT 14th[43][44] 15th[29] 16th[45] 11th[46] 10th[47]
Independent
Complete University Guide
supported by
PriceWaterHouseCoopers 		11th[48] 21st[49] 16th[49]

Endowment

The university has the third largest financial endowment among UK universities at £185m and the third largest endowment per student, according to the Sutton Trust,[50] The university has an annual turnover of more than £400m.[51]

Affiliations

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

Locations

St Leonard's Hall, Pollock Halls of Residence

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

  • The Central Area includes George Square, the Informatics Forum, The Dugald Stewart Building, Old College, the old Medical School buildings in Teviot Place, and surrounding streets in Edinburgh's Southside. It is the oldest region, occupied primarily by the College of Humanities and Social Science, and the Schools of Computing & Informatics and the School of Law, as well as the main university library. The Appleton Tower is also used for teaching first year undergraduates in science and engineering. Meanwhile, Teviot Place continues to house pre-clinical medical courses and biomedical sciences despite relocation of the Medical School to Little France. 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. This department increasingly uses farm facilities and new buildings to the South of the city, near Penicuik.
  • 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. 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. Self-catered flats elsewhere account for the majority of university-provided accommodation. 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 campus, 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 12 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

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

There have been many notable alumni and faculty of the university, including economist Adam Smith, signatories to the US Declaration of Independence James Wilson and John Witherspoon, Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Lord Palmerston and Lord John Russell (the latter matriculated at Edinburgh, but did not graduate), engineers Alexander Graham Bell and William Rankine, naturalist Charles Darwin and biologist Ian Wilmut, physicists James Clerk Maxwell, Max Born, Sir David Brewster, Tom Kibble, Peter Guthrie Tait and Peter Higgs, writers Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, J.M. Barrie, and Sir Walter Scott, actor Ian Charleson, composers Kenneth Leighton, James MacMillan, and William Wordsworth, chemists Joseph Black and Daniel Rutherford, botanist Robert Brown, medical pioneers Joseph Lister and James Simpson, mathematician Colin Maclaurin, cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, philosopher David Hume, geologist James Hutton, chemist and two-time recipient of Alexander von Humboldt research prize for senior scientists Narayan Hosmane, Dr. Valentin Fuster, the only cardiologist to receive all four major research awards from the world's four major cardiovascular organizations,[52] and mathematician and president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Sir Michael Atiyah.

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.[53][54] In 2006, a University emblem taken into space by Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva Bonnet.[55]

Student organisations

Students' Union - Teviot Row House

Students' Association

The Edinburgh University Students' Association consists of the unions and the Student Representative Council. The Unions include Teviot Row House, Potterrow, Kings Buildings House, the Pleasance, and a number of shops, cafés and refectories around the various campuses. Teviot Row House is said[who?] to be the oldest purpose-built student union building in the world.[citation needed] The Student Representative Council represents students to the University and the outside world. It is also responsible for Edinburgh's 222 student societies. The Association has four sabbatical office bearers – a President and three Vice Presidents. Turnout in elections for these positions has, in recent years, been among the highest in the UK. The Association is affiliated to the National Union of Students.

Media

Newspapers:

  • Student is a weekly Scottish newspaper produced by students at the University of Edinburgh. Founded in 1887 by author Robert Louis Stevenson, it is the oldest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. It has held the title of Best Student Newspaper in Scotland, awarded by the Herald Student Press Awards, for two years running, having won in 2006 and again in 2007.
  • The Journal is a very recent addition to the student media scene at the university. It is an independent publication, established in 2007 by three students at the University of Edinburgh, and also distributes to the four other higher education institutions in the city - Heriot-Watt University, Napier University, Queen Margaret University and the Edinburgh College of Art. It is the largest such publication in Scotland, with a print run of 14,000 copies and is produced by students from across the city.

Student sport

Edinburgh University is one of Britain's most successful sporting universities. Student sport consists of 67 clubs from the traditional Football and Rugby to the more unconventional Korfball or Gliding. Run by the Edinburgh University Sports Union, these 67 clubs have seen Edinburgh rise to 4th place in the British Universities' Sports Association (BUSA) rankings in 2006-07 and have been in the British Top 5 sporting Universities since 2005. It continues to be the most successful Scottish University for sport.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the University of Edinburgh alumni and students secured four medals - three gold and a silver.[56] The three gold medals were won by the cyclist Chris Hoy and the silver was won by Katherine Grainger in female rowing.

Student activism

There are a number of campaigning societies at the university. The largest of these is environment and poverty campaigning group People & Planet, which is affiliated to the national People & Planet net. International development organisations include Edinburgh Global Partnerships, which was established as a student-led charity in 1990.

  • Dalhousie University, Canadian G-13 university, founded in 1818. In the early 19th century, George Ramsay, the ninth Earl of Dalhousie and Nova Scotia Lieutenant-Governor at the time, wanted to establish a Halifax college open to all, regardless of class or creed. The earl modeled the fledgling college after the University of Edinburgh, near his Scottish home [57][58]. Endowment $364 million.
  • McGill University, Canadian G-13 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 [59][60]. Endowment $928 million.
  • Queen's University, Canadian G-13 university founded in 1841, was modelled after the University of Edinburgh, and continues to display strong Scottish roots and traditions today. Endowment $660 million.
  • The University of Pennsylvania, an American Ivy League university, has long-standing historical links with the University of Edinburgh, including modelling Penn's School of Medicine after Edinburgh's [61][62][63]. Endowment $6.6 billion.

See also

References

  1. ^ University of Edinburgh (2008). "The University of Edinburgh Reports & Financial Statements for the year to 31 July 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2000-02-21. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d "University of Edinburgh Profile". Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  3. ^ Explore University of Edinburgh - History
  4. ^ History of Edinburgh University
  5. ^ News and Views from The Times and Sunday Times | Times Online
  6. ^ "The Top 200 World University Rankings". The Times Higher Education Supplement. 2006. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
  7. ^ Global University Ranking Top 100
  8. ^ ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/indicators/docs/3rd_report_snaps10.pdf
  9. ^ "The Complete List: The Top 100 Global Universities". MSNBC. 13 August 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  10. ^ "Top 500 World Universities (1-100)". Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  11. ^ "Guardian University Guide". London: The Guardian. 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  12. ^ "RAE 2008: results for UK universities - Guardian Education". London: Guardian. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. ^ "RAE 2008 Results: Informatics and Computer Science".
  14. ^ "RAE 2008: results by subject - Guardian Education". London: Guardian. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/news/Archive/UOA25RankingsResearchFortnightPower.pdf
  16. ^ "RAE 2008: chemistry results". The Guardian. London. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  17. ^ http://submissions.rae.ac.uk/results/
  18. ^ "Research Assessment Exercise Quality Profiles". Research Assessment Exercise. 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  19. ^ [1]
  20. ^ [2]
  21. ^ "The Top 200 World University Rankings". The Times Higher Education Supplement. 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  22. ^ "The Top 200 World University Rankings".
  23. ^ "The Top 200 World University Rankings".
  24. ^ a b The Times. London http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/tol_gug/gooduniversityguide.php. Retrieved 2010-04-09. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  25. ^ "The Times Good University Guide 2008". The Times. London. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  26. ^ "The Times Good University Guide 2007 - Top Universities 2007 League Table". The Times. London. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  27. ^ "The Times Top Universities". The Times. London. 2006-06-05. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  28. ^ "The Times Top Universities 2005". The Times. London. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  29. ^ a b "The 2002 rankings - From Warwick". Warwick Uni 2002.
  30. ^ "Times Good University Guide 2003 - Ignore the 2002 typo in the doucument" (PDF).
  31. ^ "University guide 2010: University league table". The Guardian. London. 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  32. ^ "University guide 2010: University league table". The Guardian. London. 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  33. ^ a b "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  34. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  35. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  36. ^ "University ranking by institution 2004". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
  37. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian 2003 (Guide University 2004). London. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  38. ^ The Times. London http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/stug/universityguide.php. Retrieved 2010-04-09. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. ^ "The Sunday Times University League Table". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 2008-10-08.
  40. ^ "The Sunday Times University League Table" (PDF). The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g "University ranking based on performance over 10 years" (PDF). London: Times Online. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  42. ^ "University league table". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  43. ^ "The FT 2003 University ranking". Financial Times 2003.
  44. ^ "The FT 2002 University ranking - From Yourk". York Press Release 2003.
  45. ^ "FT league table 2001". FT league tables 2001.
  46. ^ "FT league table 2000". FT league tables 2000.
  47. ^ "FT league table 1999-2000" (PDF). FT league tables 1999-2000.
  48. ^ "The Complete University Guide 2010". The Complete University Guide.
  49. ^ a b "The Independent University League Table". The Independent. London. 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  50. ^ The Sutton Trust - University Endowments, retrieved 29th October 2007
  51. ^ University exceeds £400m annual turnover (11 January 2006). ED.ac.uk. Accessed 2007-11-28.
  52. ^ "Doctor Profile”, Mount Sinai Hospital retrieved April 29. 2008
  53. ^ "Omniana". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  54. ^ "Graduation cap (Object Details)". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  55. ^ Richard Luscombe (25 June 2006). "One small step for John Knox, one giant leap for university". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  56. ^ http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2008/august/olympics
  57. ^ http://www.dal.ca/About%20Dalhousie/History/
  58. ^ http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3625&&PHPSESSID=1va25nth57jsr84i5grvcioua6
  59. ^ http://www.mcgill.ca/medicine/about/history/
  60. ^ http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=911
  61. ^ http://www.med.upenn.edu/history.html
  62. ^ http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/schools/med.html
  63. ^ http://shm.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/5/1/19?ck=nck
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