University of Glamorgan

University of Glamorgan
Prifysgol Morgannwg
Motto	Success Through Endeavour
Established	1992 - gained University status 1913 - South Wales and Monmouthshire school of mines
Type	Public
Chancellor	Lord Morris of Aberavon
Vice-Chancellor	Julie Lydon
Students	21,496
Undergraduates	18,240
Postgraduates	3,256
Location	Trefforest, Wales, UK
Website	http://www.glam.ac.uk

The University of Glamorgan (Welsh: Prifysgol Morgannwg) is a university based in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales with campuses in Trefforest, Glyntaff, Merthyr Tydfil, Tyn y Wern (The Glamorgan Sport Park) and Cardiff. The university has four faculties, and is the only university in Wales which has no current or former link with the University of Wales.

History

The University of Glamorgan was founded in 1913 as a School of Mines based in Trefforest, Pontypridd, serving the large coal mining industry in the South Wales Valleys. The school was owned and funded by the major Welsh coal owners, through a levy of one tenth of a penny on each ton of coal produced by the companies involved. At the outset, the school had 17 mining diploma students, including three from China. The school was taken over by Glamorgan County Council during the Depression, and became Glamorgan Technical College in 1949, reflecting its expanding portfolio, and the Glamorgan College of Technology in 1958. By this time, the institution had expanded to offer a range of full-time, sandwich and part-time courses in science, technology and commerce, to which it added the first ever "Welsh for Adults" course in 1967. In 1970, the college became a polytechnic. Glamorgan Polytechnic merged with the Glamorgan College of Education in Barry and was re-designated as the Polytechnic of Wales in 1975, before being awarded university status as the University of Glamorgan in 1992.

Since 2003, the University has been engaged in an active "growth strategy", merging with Merthyr Tydfil College in 2004/5 and forming a "strategic alliance" with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2006, so that the Royal College is now part of the 'Glamorgan Group' of institutions. In 2007, "ATRiuM", a new facility for teaching and research in media, design and the arts was opened in Cardiff city centre. A new Students' Union building at the Treforest Campus was opened in September 2010.

The University currently serves around 21,500 students, with 10,227 registered as full-time undergraduates. The university currently offers around 200 courses and in 2009 claimed to have one of the highest graduate employment rates in Wales, reporting that 94.3 per cent of 2007-08 graduates found employment within six months of graduation.

Academic rankings

UK

	2009	2010	2011	2012
Good University Guide - The Times	77th	94th of 113	94th	93th
Guardian University Guide	58th of 117	80th of 117	76th of 118	68th of 119
Sunday Times University Guide	97th	98th of 122	92nd of 121
Complete University Guide - The Independent	76th of 113	54th of 113	46th of 115	83rd of 116

Reputation

The bulk of full-time students enter through the UCAS system with A-levels or equivalent qualifications and many of the University's degree courses are selective in that they require specific A-levels or above average grades for entry.^{[citation needed]} According to the Times University rankings of 2011, Glamorgan is ranked 94th of the 114 British universities, maintaining its 2010 position.

• A Next Generation Networks, IMS Experience Lab
• One of only 20 UK business schools to get an 'excellent ratings' from the government.
• Centre of Excellence in Mobile Applications and Services (CEMAS).
• Research in biohydrogen production and wastewater treatment.
• The only university in Wales to be awarded the Environmental ISO 14001.
• The University of Glamorgan, with Cardiff University and South Wales Police, forms the Universities Police Science Institute (UPSI) - a unique organisation in the UK dedicated to research and training in police related matters. Specialists in police and forensic related matters are organised within the Glamorgan Centre for Police Sciences.^{[citation needed]}The University has its own Crime Scenes Investigation House.
• A £35 million (€46.7 million or $68.6 million) investment in the city of Cardiff, completed in 2007, houses the Atrium.
• The University, along with Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and Bangor Universities is part of the St David's Group, which is dedicated to acting together drive forward the knowledge economy in Wales.
• Glamorgan, in partnership with the University of Wales Newport, is leading the development of the University of the Heads of the Valleys Initiative (UHOVI)

Campuses

The University has several campuses:

• Trefforest - the main campus plays host to the bulk of academic departments and facilities, including the indoor sports centre and students union. It is accessed via Treforest railway station from either Cardiff, Merthyr or the Rhondda; regular bus services or the A470.
• Glyntaff - originally established purely for law, it now hosts the Faculty of Health, Sport and Science. All Science and Sport subjects are based here, including Police Sciences and Nursing.
• Partner colleges - The University has specialised "partner colleges" throughout South Wales; for example, Barry College for aeronautical engineering.
• Merthyr Tydfil - Merthyr Tydfil College has become part of the University of Glamorgan Group (but not part of the University), although its focus remains on delivering Further Education rather than Higher Education.
• Tyn y Wern - Is home to the new Glamorgan Sport Park.
• Atrium - The Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries is based at a Cardiff campus located close to Cardiff Queen Street railway station.

List of Faculties and Departments

• Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, the Atrium
  • Animation
  • Communication Design
  • Drama
  • Fashion and Retail Design
  • Film, Photography and New Media
  • Media, Culture and Journalism
  • Music and Sound
• Faculty of Health, Sport & Science
  • Health Sciences including Nursing and Chiropractic
  • Police Sciences
  • Social Work
  • Life Sciences
  • Physical Sciences (including Chemistry, Geology and Forensic Science)
  • Sport
  • Geography and the Environment
  • Astronomy and Science Education
• Faculty of Business and Society
  • History
  • English and Creative Writing
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Law and Criminology
  • Psychology
  • Art Practice
  • Business Management
  • Event Management
  • Accounting
• Faculty of Advanced Technology
  • Built Environment
  • Computing and Mathematics
  • Engineering
• Faculty of Further Education and Collaborative Activities
  • Combined Studies Unit
  • Glamorgan GATES
  • Centre for Intergenerational Practice
  • Llynfi Valley Project
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • First Campus

Facilities

The halls of residence are based at the Treforest campus:

• Glamorgan Court - Built in 1996, with all the rooms in the hall buildings arranged into clusters of six en-suite bedrooms with a shared kitchen.

New accommodation blocks opened in September 2011.

The Students Union is also on the Treforest campus. The Student Union is the home to a number of sports teams, sports clubs and societies as well as TAG, the student newspaper. The building opened in September 2010.

The Students’ Union is one of only 7 buildings in Wales to be awarded with an internationally recognized RIBA award in 2011.

The Union has also welfare, education and equality support and there is also a new democratic structure change to Student Council.

Additional educational facilities include a 24-hour PC lab, wireless internet access in specified areas, world class equipment for nursing courses (including life sized dummies that simulate human beings, from breathing to giving birth), a TV studio, an Aerospace Centre (with its own plane), an on-campus radio studio, and two theatres.

• Oriel Y Bont galleries, an art gallery that hosts a collection of Ernest Zobole paintings. In 2002 the gallery achieved Museum Status.

• Learning Resource Centre: The library of the University has books and all other media facilities as well as daily newspapers from around the country and journal articles. Online research journals such as Mintel and Keynotes are available for students to use for free.

Awards

• Glamorgan is the first university in Wales, and only the 8th in the whole of the UK, to have been awarded the nationally recognised Investor in People status, for staff training and development.

• The Business School received Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Centre of Excellence accreditation, being one of only 13 accredited centres in the UK.

• Glamorgan has received the first prize in the national competition for best course designs and teaching ability three times.^{[citation needed]}

• Electronic Product Engineering within the School of Electronics, and Environmental Technology and Management, have been designated "Centres of Expertise" for Wales.^{[citation needed]}

Notable Alumni

• Sue Bale
• Kevin Brennan (politician)
• Carole Bromley
• Lorna Dunkley
• Gareth Evans (director)
• Ben Green (comedian)
• Dr E. Neil Lewis
• Darren Morris
• Dan Rhodes
• Catherine Thomas
• Rachel Trezise
• Camilla Way
• Tine Wittler

External links

• University of Glamorgan – official website
• University of Glamorgan Student Union – official website