The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Though classed as a "redbrick university", its expansion in recent decades has seen the addition of a variety of building styles from the traditional main buildings, 1960s teaching blocks to modern 'state-of-the-art' additions.^[3][4] The main campus is located in a residential district of North Hull on Cottingham Road. The University has a smaller campus in Scarborough on the North Yorkshire coast. It is a partner in the proposed University Centre of Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education in North East Lincolnshire. The main campus is home to the Hull York Medical School, a joint initiative with the University of York. Students are served by Hull University Union.

The University's Brynmor Jones Library was the workplace of the poet Philip Larkin who served as its Head Librarian for thirty years. The Philip Larkin Society organises activities in remembrance of Larkin including the Larkin 25 festival which was organised during 2010 in partnership with the University. The Library was also the workplace of former poet laureate Andrew Motion and the late film director Anthony Minghella. Lord Wilberforce was chancellor of the University from 1978 until 1994. Robert Armstrong was chancellor from 1994 to 2006. Virginia Bottomley was installed as the current chancellor in April 2006.

Alumni of the University of Hull are prominent in the fields of academia, politics, journalism and drama. They include former MP and Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott of Kingston-upon-Hull (John Prescott), social scientist Lord Anthony Giddens, poet Roger McGough, journalist John McCarthy, politician and author Chris Mullin.

History[link]

The Venn Building

The foundation stone of University College Hull, then an external college of the University of London, was laid in 1927 by the Duke of York (who later became George VI). It was built on land donated by Hull City Council and local benefactors Thomas Ferens and G F Grant. A year later the first 14 departments, in pure sciences and the arts, opened with 39 students. The college at that time consisted of one building, the Venn building (named after the mathematician John Venn, who was born in Hull). The building is the administration centre of the university

The original university coat of arms was designed by Sir Algernon Tudor-Craig in 1928. The symbols are the torch for learning, the rose for Yorkshire, the ducal coronet from the arms of the City of Hull, the fleur-de-lys for Lincolnshire and the dove, symbolising peace, from the arms of Thomas Ferens. These symbols have later been reused to create the modern university logo.^[5]

Royal Charter[link]

The college gained its Royal Charter in 1954, which empowered it to award degrees of its own, making it the third university in Yorkshire and the 14th in England. The Brynmor Jones Library was constructed in 1960, with a tower block extension added in 1970. During the 1960s more academic buildings were added, with their height diminishing from the centre of the campus towards the perimeter, a barrier which the university was quickly outgrowing.

Liquid crystal technology[link]

In 1972 George Gray and Ken Harrison created room-temperature stable liquid crystals in the university chemistry laboratories, which were an immediate success in the electronics industry and consumer products. This led to Hull becoming the first university to be awarded the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement for the joint-development of the long-lasting materials that made liquid crystal displays possible.

Expansion[link]

In 2000 the university bought the site of University College Scarborough on Whitehead Road, Scarborough to become the University of Hull Scarborough Campus. The university then further expanded in 2003, when it purchased the buildings of the adjacent University of Lincoln campus which, from the 2005 academic year, became the west campus of the university. The site now houses the Hull York Medical School and the recently relocated business school, which is housed in three buildings - Wharfe, Derwent and Esk.

Hull History Centre[link]

The Hull History Centre, which opened in 2010, is located in a new building on Worship Street in Hull city centre. It unites the holdings of Hull City Library's Local Studies collections and Hull University's archives and is run in partnership between the City Library and University Library.

Academic Faculties[link]

Brynmor Jones Library

Faculty of Science (FoS)[link]

• Dean: Professor Stephen M Kelly
• Departments: Biological sciences, Chemistry, Computer science, Engineering, Centre for Environmental and Marine sciences (Scarborough Campus), Geography, Physics, Psychology, Sports science Healthcare science & Exercise science

Until recently, there were two faculties, the 'Faculty of Applied Science & Technology' and the 'Faculty of Science & the Environment'.

Notable sub-departments include the Hull Immersive Visualisation Environment^[6] (HIVE), the Institute for Esturine and Coastal Studies^[7] (IECS). The Chemistry department is noted for its research record, and the Computer Science department is noted for its Computer Science and Video Game development degrees.

A new biomedical research facility will bring academics from the biology and chemistry together and will include a Positron Emission Tomography with CT scanning (PET-CT) and two mini cyclotrons, proton-accelerating machines. Two new research groups will be based at the facility, called the Allam building: one focusing on cardiovascular and metabolic research and the other on cancer.

Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)[link]

• Dean: Professor Alison Yarrington
• Departments: Criminology & social sciences (including social work), drama & music, English, gender studies, history, humanities, law school, modern languages (French, German, Italian and Spanish), politics & international studies, school of arts & new media, social work^[8]

Most social science and law-related department housed in the refurbished Wilberforce Building. Includes the School of Arts and New Media at Scarborough, formed in August 2006. Drama is taught in the Gulbenkian Centre, including the Donald Roy Theatre. History, English, Languages and Music are in the Larkin Building.

Health and Social Care (FHSC)[link]

• Dean: Professor Steven J Ersser.
• Departments: Nursing & midwifery, applied health studies^[9]

Based in the Calder, Aire and Dearne buildings in the west campus (former campus of universities of Humberside, then finally Lincoln). The Leven building contains mock clinical areas, wards, an operating theatre and a midwifery suite, within a simulated environment.^[9]

The FHSC is running a new degree programe, BSc Global Health and Disease (International Health, Development and Humanitarian Relief).^[10]

Faculty of Education (FoE)[link]

• Dean: Dina Lewis
• Centres: Educational Studies,^[11] Lifelong Learning, Scarborough School of Education^[12] And includes the Scarborough School of Education, a former teacher training college - the North Riding College. This became University College Scarborough, then the Scarborough campus.

Hull York Medical School (HYMS)[link]

• Dean: Professor Tony Kendrick

Began in October 2003 on the west campus. Medical students receive joint degrees from Hull and York. Includes the 'International Society for the Study of Cough' based at Castle Hill hospital on Castle Road in Cottingham. Third and fourth year students train also at hospitals in Scunthorpe, Grimsby, and Scarborough.

Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI)[link]

• Director: Professor Nicholas D. Stafford^[13]

Established in 1994. One of the PGMI's sections is the Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded Centre for Magnetic Resonance Investigations which, under the directorship of Professor Lindsay W. Turnbull, is actively engaged in researching the application of magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques to cancer research.

Hull University Business School (HUBS)[link]

The Business School

• Dean: Professor Terry Williams^[14]

Established in August 1999, Hull University Business School has around 3,500 students from over 100 countries. Students are taught at the Hull and Scarborough campuses, with additional MBA students taught overseas. On the Hull campus, the school occupies refurbished listed buildings on the West Campus which were opened in 2005. The Logistics Institute was completed in September 2007, and officially launched in March 2008.^[15]

The business school is accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB ^[16] the only Business School in Yorkshire to have "triple crown accreditation" status.

Business and Management at Hull University Business School is ranked 80th out of 116 universities in the United Kingdom by the 2012 Guardian University Guide.^[17][17][18]

According to the 2012 Guardian University Guide, Hull University Business School has a student to staff ratio of 35.6:1, placing HUBS 110th out of the 116 universities ranked in the United Kingdom.^[17]

Wilberforce Institute (WISE)[link]

• Director: Professor David Richardson

The Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE) is located in Oriel Chambers on the High Street in Hull's Old Town, adjacent to Wilberforce House. It undertakes graduate research in the field of slavery and human rights and offers an MA in Slavery Studies. WISE draws upon the university's academic expertise in history, law, social sciences and English. The institute's patron is Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.

Maritime Historical Studies Centre[link]

• Director: Dr David J Starkey

The University's Maritime Historical Studies Centre offers a BSc in History and Maritime History, an online Diploma in Maritime History and PhD research in maritime history is also located in the Hull's Old Town in Blaydes House.

Scarborough Campus[link]

Scarborough Campus

The University of Hull: Scarborough Campus is the satellite campus of the university located in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, attended by approximately 1,800 students. Formerly University College Scarborough, a higher education institution offering BSc and BA degrees, the building was acquired by the University of Hull in 2000. Scarborough Campus remains true to its teacher training roots by being best known for its Education courses, particularly at a primary level. Undergraduate degrees on offer also include Marine Biology, Music Technology, Theatre Studies, Tourism Management, and a number of Computer Science, Business and English courses.

Scarborough runs somewhat independently to the main campus in Hull, governed by its own branch of the Hull University Union. Being much smaller than the main campus, there are approximately 1,800 students attending courses at Scarborough per academic year, with graduation ceremonies taking place within Scarborough's historic Spa Complex. It is home to the newly-refurbished "Keith Donaldson Library", and "Calvino's" cafe and bar, which was refurbished in 2007, and reopened by The Bar Wizards of Britain's Got Talent fame. The campus also contains basic amenities for study, such as computer labs and performance studios for students of Music and Theatre.

In recent years, efforts have been made to improve Scarborough students' accessibility to Hull's resources, such as the ability to request library books from Hull's much-larger Brynmor Jones Library, and a developing coach service between the two campuses.

History[link]

The university building started out as Orleton Boys' School and included facilities such as a swimming pool and a gym. The main building also contained dormitories for the boys. "Cayley Halls", named after the aeronautical engineer Sir George Cayley, was built when demand for office space meant that students could no longer reside within the main building, and continues its use at present for the students of the university.

In 1947, the building became the North Riding College, used for teacher training. However, a downturn in numbers of trainee teachers in the early 1990s led to an expansion into undergraduate degrees, and the college became known as University College Scarborough, offering BSc and BA degree-level courses in an effort to avert closure. The building was obtained by the University of Hull in 2000, giving it its current name.

Notable academics[link]

• Richard Beeman - American history (1976–77)
• Jacob Bronowski - mathematics (1934–42).
• George William Gray, instrumental in developing the materials which made liquid crystal displays possible (1946–1990), awarded Kyoto Prize and Leverhulme Medal of the Royal Society
• Clive Head, artist (1990-2000)
• Chris Langton, developed an early detection system for osteoporosis utilising ultrasonic waves^[19]
• Philip Larkin (University Librarian 1955-1985), poet, jazz critic and natural historian
• Rob S. Miles, computer scientist, Microsoft MVP
• Sir Andrew Motion, Lecturer in English (1976–1980), Poet Laureate (1999–2009)
• Philip Norton, Professor the Lord Norton of Louth, professor of politics
• Stuart Palmer, responsible for major breakthroughs in the field of ultrasound bone densitometry
• Michael Paraskos, writer and art historian (1994–2001)
• Bhikhu Parekh, Baron Parekh, professor of politics, specialist on the theory of multiculturalism (1964–2000)
• John Saville, professor of history, major marxist historian.
• Richard Swinburne, renowned Christian philosopher of religion, later professor of philosophy at University of Oxford.

Notable alumni[link]

• Daniel Francis Annan - Former appeal court judge and speaker of the Parliament of Ghana
• Fred Kwasi Apaloo - Former Chief Justice of Ghana and Kenya
• Mark Charnock - actor and star of ITV soap Emmerdale
• Jeremy Williams (actor) - Actor/Writer/Photographer
• Richard Douglas (civil servant) - Acting Permanent Secretary for the Department of Health
• Robert Elstone - CEO of Everton F.C.
• Anthony Giddens - a British sociologist credited with the Third Way (centrism) and policy adviser to both Tony Blair and Bill Clinton
• Lord Hattersley - Former Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
• John McCarthy (journalist) - Writer and former hostage
• Roger McGough - Poet and presenter
• Anthony Minghella - Dramatist
• Jenni Murray - Writer and Woman's Hour presenter
• Lord Prescott - former MP and ex-Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• Sian Reese-Williams Actor and star of ITV soap Emmerdale
• Sam Troughton - Actor
• Muhtar Kent - CEO of The Coca-Cola Company
• Tracey Thorn - Singer, songwriter and one half of Everything but the girl
• Nicholas Liverpool - High court judge in Antigua and Montserrat and President of Dominica
• Sally Lindsay - Former Coronation Street actress and a member of Loose Women
• Helen Grant Member of Parliament for Maidstone and The Weald
• Tracey Crouch MP - Member of Parliament for Chatham and Aylesford

Selected honorary degrees[link]

• Bill Bryson - Travel writer
• Pierluigi Collina - Football referee
• Sir Liam Donaldson - Government medical advisor
• Kelly Holmes - athlete
• David Hope - Archbishop of York 1995 - 2005
• Basil Hume - Cardinal and Archbishop of Westminster
• John Hurt - Actor
• Digby Jones, Lord Jones of Birmingham - ex-CBI boss
• Muhtar Kent, the CEO of The Coca-Cola Company
• Sir Ben Kingsley - Actor
• Tom Kirkwood - Biologist/Gerontologist
• Anthony Minghella - Director, actor, playwright
• Bill Morris, Lord Morris of Handsworth - Union Leader
• Trevor Phillips OBE - labour politician^[20]
• Alan Plater - Playwright
• Ian Rankin - Author
• Lord Rees of Ludlow - Astronomer Royal
• John Sentamu - Archbishop of York 2005 -
• Geoffrey Shovelton - former principal tenor with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
• Dame Tanni Grey Thompson - Paralympic athlete
• Jane Tomlinson - Charity fundraiser
• Desmond Tutu - Archbishop of Cape Town
• Nicholas Liverpool - High court judge in Antigua and Montserrat and President of Dominica

Academic reputation[link]

Rankings[link]

Student Experience[link]

Students' Union[link]

Hull University Union is the main provider of student catering, services and entertainment on the university campus. It has over 100 student societies affiliated to it, and also runs a volunteering and charity hub. Approximately 50 sports clubs are affiliated to the Students Union's Athletic Union, many of which compete in BUCS national university leagues.

The student union building comprises an on-site nightclub as well as a number of bars and catering outlets. The building also houses a shop, a Waterstones book shop, advice centre, and the university-run careers service.

There is a monthly student magazine called Hullfire and a student radio station which broadcasts from the union building called JamRadio.

Student accommodation[link]

The University of Hull's main student accommodation complex is The Lawns in the nearby village of Cottingham. It accommodates nearly 1,000 students across seven halls of residence: Ferens, Lambert, Nicholson, Morgan, Downs, Reckitt and Grant.^[35] Students from six of the halls rely on the communal Lawns Centre as a catering and social hub. Ferens Hall was built during World War II as a barracks for the US Air Force whilst the other six halls were purpose-built between 1963 and 1967.

Thwaite Hall is a traditional hall of residence also in Cottingham set in an 18th Century country house surrounded by its own parkland and lake. It has 187 rooms.^[36] The university's other accommodation in Cottingham is Needler Hall, also an 18th Century country house. It has 167 rooms.^[37]

There is on-campus accommodation at the Taylor Court flats, which comprise 288 self-contained, single study-bedrooms. Student housing is based primarily in the terraced streets around the university campus itself, as well as around the Newland Avenue and Beverley Road areas of the city.

References[link]

External links[link]

• University of Hull
• The Lawns site seen from above
• The Lawns on the main University website
• Hull University Union

Video clips[link]

• HullUniLecturer YouTube channel
• Hull University Business School (HUBS) YouTube channel
• Student Advice Service at YouTube

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