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University College London

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"UCL" redirects here. For other uses, see UCL (disambiguation).
University College London
File:UCL-logo-new.png
MottoCuncti adsint meritaeque expectent praemia palmae
Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
TypePublic
Established1826
Endowment£97.1 million [1]
ProvostProf. Malcolm Grant
Academic staff
3,800
Students21,620 [1]
Undergraduates11,970 [1]
Postgraduates9,650 [1]
Location
London
CampusUrban
Colours
                     
AffiliationsUniversity of London
Russell Group
LERU
EUA
ACU
'Golden Triangle'
G5
Websitehttp://www.ucl.ac.uk

University College London, commonly known as UCL, is the oldest multi-faculty constituent college of the University of London, one of the two original founding colleges, and the first British University to be founded on a non-religious basis. With 21,800 staff and students, UCL is one of the largest colleges of the University and is larger than most other universities in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the Russell Group of Universities, a part of the 'G5' sub-group of elite universities, and a part of the Golden Triangle [2]

UCL consistently ranks among the top five university institutions in the UK league tables and in the top 25 universities across the world, with an annual turnover of over £550 million.[3] In 2005, UCL was granted the power to award its own degrees, and currently offers its students a choice of a UCL or a University of London degree.[4] The current provost of UCL is Professor Malcolm Grant.[5]

Geography and location

University College London (UCL) is located in Bloomsbury, central London. The main campus is located on Gower Street[6], although there are also other UCL buildings to be found throughout London. The Gower Street campus includes the UCL science and main libraries, the language departments, the history departments, the Bloomsbury theatre, the biology and physics departments, and the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. A further set of buildings based around neighbouring Gordon Street and Gordon Square includes the Institute of Archaeology, the chemistry department, the Bartlett School of The Built Environment and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies. Template:FixHTML

The UCL Main Building is the centre of the UCL campus

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The UCL Main Building at night

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File:UCL Portico Building3.jpg
The UCL Main Building in snow

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UCL Bedford Way - The building houses the psychology department and some of the geography department. It adjoins the Institute of Education

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An example of student accommodation - UCL's Newest Hall of Residence — Frances Gardner House in Clerkenwell

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The Flaxman Gallery, a collection of sculptures and paintings by artist John Flaxman is located inside the 'main library' in the Octagon building under UCL's central dome

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Jeremy Bentham overseeing the construction of UCL in the Flaxman gallery inside the 'main library'

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UCL Entrance on Gower Street and the Cruciform Building opposite

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UCL Institute of Archaeology, on Gordon Square

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UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, on Taviton street

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Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the 'Science Library', Malet Place

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The new building and tower of University College Hospital, seen from Euston Road

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Schafer House a hall of residence of University College London. It accommodates 369 students. It was opened in 1995

Template:FixHTML The area around UCL is occupied by a constellation of other renowned institutions, including the British Museum, the British Library, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the British Medical Association, and other University of London schools and institutes, including SOAS, Birkbeck College, the Institute of Education and the School of Advanced Study.

The nearest London Underground station to the main campus is Euston Square. Other nearby stations are Warren Street, Russell Square and Goodge Street, as well as Euston railway station.

History

Main article: History of University College London

UCL was founded in 1826 under the name "London University", as a secular alternative to the religious universities of Oxford and Cambridge. [7] The philosopher Jeremy Bentham is considered to be the spiritual father of UCL as he played a major role in the development of the College.[8]

It became University College London in 1836 and acquired degree-awarding powers, when it joined with King's College London to create the new University of London. In 1907 the University of London was reconstituted and many of the colleges, including UCL, lost their separate legal existence. This continued until 1977 when a new charter restored UCL's independence.[9]

Rankings

National

International

Alumni and academics

Main article: list of University College London people

UCL alumni include both 'the Great and the Good', ranging from Mahatma Gandhi and Alexander Graham Bell to all four members of the band Coldplay. Important authors include Robert Browning, Raymond Briggs, GK Chesterton and Trevor Lock. Scientists and engineers include Francis Crick, John Ambrose Fleming, Joseph Lister, Roger Penrose, Colin Chapman, and the aforementioned Bell. Politicians figure highly in the lists, notably the first and former prime minister of Japan; Hirobumi Ito and Junichiro Koizumi respectively. Moreover, the founding father of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta was a UCL graduate as well as the Greek Minister of Justice Hatzigakis Sotirios. Many leading journalists attended the College including three former editors of The Economist, most notably Walter Bagehot, and two editors of The Times Literary Supplement. A number of entertainers feature too, including Ricky Gervais and Jonathan Ross.[15]

UCL has the highest number of academics of any university in the UK. Currently among UCL academics there are 35 fellows of the Royal Society, 22 Fellows of the British Academy, and 77 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences. 20 Nobel prizes have been awarded to UCL academics and students (ten of which, in Physiology & medicine) as well as three Fields Medals.[16] Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

UCL buildings, departments and collections

UCL operates in many separate buildings. Whilst most of the buildings are concentrated in the Bloomsbury area of Central London (near Euston station), others can be found as far away as Old Street. Some of the buildings have been acquired through mergers with other colleges, and others have been newly built. The newest include the Engineering Wing on Malet Place and the Andrew Huxley Building within the Gower Street Site.[17]

UCL's newest buildings include the London Centre for Nanotechnology on Gordon Street and a new building for the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (formerly at Senate House) which was opened (by Princess Anne and the President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus) in October 2005 on Taviton Street.[18] The Institute of Ophthalmology opened a new wing in 2005 funded by the Wellcome Trust.[19]

UCL Library

The UCL library is divided across several sites within the UCL campus and across Bloomsbury.[20] Access to each library is gained by the user of an electronic swipe card through electronic security barriers. The libraries are linked together by a networking catalogue and request system called 'eUCLid'.[21] The largest collection of material is held in the 'Main Library' which is in the UCL Main Building. The 'Main library' contains UCL's collections relating to arts and humanities, history, economics, public policy and law.[22] The Flaxman Gallery, a collection of sculptures and paintings by artist John Flaxman is located inside the 'main library' in the Octagon building under UCL's central dome.

The second largest library - the 'UCL Science library' occupies a building known as the 'DMS Watson building' on Malet Place. It contains UCL's books and journals related to Engineering, Mathematics, anthropology, geography and Science. It is adjacent to the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, access of which is currently made through the library. Other libraries within UCL include the 'Cruciform library' (medical science), the 'Environmental Studies library' (architecture and planning) and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies library on Taviton Street.[23][24][25]

UCL's 'Special Collections' contain UCL's collection of historical or culturally significant works. It is one of the foremost university collections of manuscripts, archives and rare books in the UK.[26] It includes collections of medieval manuscripts and early printed books, as well as significant holdings of 18th century works, and highly important 19th and 20th century collections of personal papers, archival material, and literature, covering a vast range of subject areas. Archives include the Latin American archives, the Jewish collections and the George Orwell Archive.[27] Collections are often displayed in a series of glass cabinets in the Cloisters of the UCL Main Building.[28]

The most siginificant works are housed in the 'Strong Rooms'[citation needed]. The special collection includes first editions of Newton's Principia, Charles Darwin's Origin of Species and James Joyce's Ulysses . The earliest book in the collection is 'The crafte to lyve well and to dye well', printed in 1505.[29]

Notable buildings and departments

Museums and other collections

UCL is responsible for several museums[31] and collections in a wide range of fields across the arts and sciences:

  • Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology: one of the leading collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology in the world. Open to the public on a regular basis.[32]
  • Grant Museum of Zoology And Comparative Anatomy: a diverse Natural History collection covering the whole of the animal kingdom. Includes rare dodo and quagga skeletons. A teaching and research collection, it is named after Robert Edmund Grant, UCL's first professor of comparative anatomy and zoology from 1828, under whom Charles Robert Darwin studied. Open at limited fixed times and by appointment.[33]
  • Geology Collections: founded around 1855. Primarily a teaching resource and may be visited by appointment.[34]
  • Art Collections: these date from 1847 when a collection of sculpture models and drawings of the Neo-classical artist John Flaxman was presented to UCL. There are over 10,000 pieces dating from the 15th century onwards including drawings by Turner, etchings by Rembrandt, and works by many leading 20th century British artists. The works on paper are displayed in The Strang Print Room, which has limited regular opening times. The other works may be viewed by appointment.[35]
  • Institute of Archaeology Collections: Items include prehistoric ceramics and stone artefacts from many parts of the world, the Petrie collection of Palestinian artefacts, and Classical Greek and Roman ceramics. Visits by appointment only.[36]
  • Ethnography Collections: This collection exemplifying Material Culture, holds an enormous variety of objects, textiles and artefacts from all over the world. Visits by appointment only.[37]
  • Galton Collection: The scientific instruments, papers and personal memorabilia of Sir Francis Galton. Housed in the department of biology. Visits by appointment only.[38]
  • Science Collections: Diverse collections primarily accumulated in the course of UCL's own work, including the operating table on which the first anaesthetic was administered. Items may be a viewed by appointment.[39]
File:Jbentham.600px.jpg
Jeremy Bentham's Auto-Icon in UCL

UCL is developing a new facility called The Panopticon, which will allow public access to its collections to be greatly improved. UCL Library's Special Collections, will also move into the new building. The Panopticon will feature permanent galleries for the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, galleries devoted to the Art and Library Special Collections, a gallery for temporary exhibitions from the other collections, lecture theatres and study rooms. Planning permission was granted in 2004, building work began in 2007 and it is scheduled to open in 2009.[40]

Medicine and UCL Hospital

Main article: Royal Free and University College Medical School

The Royal Free and University College Medical School offers degrees in medicine which take six years to complete.[41] UCL has offered courses in medicine since 1825 but the current medical school is a merger of two other schools, that took place in 1998 .[42]

Main article: University College Hospital

Clinical medicine is taught at University College Hospital, which is one of central London's largest NHS hospitals and is part financed by the university.[43] UCL's hospital facilities are located around Bloomsbury but the main hospital facility, including accident and emergency, is located on Euston Road. In 2004 work began to rebuild the main hospital, most of the work is now finished with the final extension due for completion by 2008.[44] UCL also operates its own medical research company called UCL Biomedica.[45]

Students' accommodation

Many UCL students are accommodated in the college's own halls of residence or other accommodation, such as those below:

  • Arthur Tattersall House (115-131 Gower Street)
  • Astor College (99 Charlotte St)
  • Campbell House East and West (Taviton Street)
  • Ifor Evans & Max Rayne Student Residences (Camden Road)
  • Frances Gardner House and Langton Close (Gray's Inn Road)
  • John Tovell House (89 & 93-7 Gower Street)
  • John Dodgson House (Bidborough Street)
  • Ramsay Hall Student Residence (Maple Street)
  • Schafer House Student Residence (Drummond Street)
  • James Lighthill (Pentonville Road)
  • Goldsmid House* (North Row)
  • Goldsmid House will close in 2008, as the land is to be developed into offices, shops and apartments due to its prime location on Oxford Street. The building is named after Sir F.H. Goldsmid, a treasurer of the University in the 19th century.[46]

Most students in college or university accommodation are first-year undergraduates. The majority of second and third-year students and postgraduates find their own accommodation in the private sector. UCL students are also eligible to apply for places in the University of London intercollegiate halls of residence, such as Connaught Hall. There is also limited UCL accommodation available for married students and those with children at Bernard Johnson House, Hawkridge, Neil Sharp House and the University of London's Lilian Penson Hall.[47]

Campus networking

UCL provides students and staff with wired and wireless internet access at a number of locations on campus, through a service called 'RoamNet'.[48] UCL provides computer "cluster rooms" to provide free internet and computer access for its students, using a managed Windows environment referred to as "WTS" (Windows Terminal Service). These student computers are also part of a large Condor cluster, and when not in use, they may be used to run algorithms for researchers at UCL and elsewhere. UCL user names are seemingly random 7-character codes (e.g. "ucxxxxx") although they follow a pattern based on the user's department, staff/student status, and personal name.[49]

From early 2006, UCL has also started to operate a remote login system for students to access WTS from home, called Remote WTS. Similar services had previously been available for some departments (such as Computer Science), but unlike previous systems, Remote WTS allows students to access exactly the same desktop and software from home (or elsewhere) as they can access on campus.[50]

University College London Union

The University College London Union main building on Gordon Street, Bloomsbury
Main article: University College London Union

The union, founded in 1893, has a credible claim to be England's oldest students' union.[51] Today the union exists to provide a wide range of services to UCL students. It is run by elected student officers, and supports a range of services, including numerous clubs and societies, sports facilities, and an advice service, as well as a number of bars, cafes and shops.[52]

King's College rivalry

UCL has a long-running, mostly friendly rivalry with King's College London. UCL is often referred to by students from the latter using nicknames such as the "Godless Scum of Gower Street", in reference to a comment made at the founding of KCL, which was based on Christian principles. UCL students and staff also refer to King's as "Strand Polytechnic" in a similar attitude. Historically the university rivalry was known as 'Rags'.[53]

KCL's mascot, "Reggie", was lost for many years in the 1990s. It was recovered after being found dumped in a field, restored at the cost of around £15,000 and placed on display in the students' union.[54] It is in a glass case and filled with concrete to prevent theft, particularly by UCL students who once castrated it. (KCL, to be fair, had also stolen one UCL mascot, Phineas).[55] It is often claimed that KCL students played football with the embalmed head of Jeremy Bentham. Although the head was indeed stolen, the football story is a myth which is denied by official UCL documentation about Bentham found next to his display case (his Auto Icon) in the college cloisters. The head is now kept in the college vaults.[56]

Ethical investment policy

UCL's ethical investment policies exclude direct investment in tobacco companies. The policies do not exclude investment in arms companies. In 2006 Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) revealed that UCL was the largest known university investor in arms companies in the UK. UCL currently invests £1,591,627 in the companies Cobham plc and the Smiths Group (both of which manufacture components for military aircraft and other weapons systems). This sum amounts to 1.7% of UCL's total investment assets.[57]

In December 2006 the campaign “Disarm UCL” was launched by students and staff opposed to this controversial investment. [58]

Filming at UCL

Main article: Filming at UCL

Due to its position within London and the historical nature of the UCL Main Building and quad, UCL has been used as a location for film and television recording.

References

  1. ^ 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 2007-03-31.
  2. ^ Template:PDFlink
  3. ^ Template:PDFlink
  4. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/examinations/degree-awarding/faq/
  5. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/provost/
  6. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/location/maps
  7. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/history
  8. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/info/jb.htm
  9. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/history/landmarks
  10. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/displayPopup/0,,102571,00.html
  11. ^ Template:PDFlink
  12. ^ http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/universityguide/profile/story/0,9988,496122,00.html
  13. ^ Template:PDFlink
  14. ^ http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2006/ARWU2006_Top100.htm
  15. ^ http://education.independent.co.uk/higher/az_uni_colleges/article1208712.ece
  16. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/facts
  17. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/right-column/ucl-views/engineering
  18. ^ Template:PDFlink
  19. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioo/research/cordeira.htm
  20. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/sites.shtml
  21. ^ http://library.ucl.ac.uk/F?RN=632723792
  22. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/main.shtml
  23. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/crucilib.shtml
  24. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/eslib.shtml
  25. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/ssees.shtml
  26. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/special-coll/index.shtml
  27. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/special-coll/azdirect.shtml
  28. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/special-coll/index.shtml#news
  29. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/special-coll/srbooks.shtml
  30. ^ http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/pages/
  31. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/
  32. ^ http://www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/
  33. ^ http://www.grant.museum.ucl.ac.uk/
  34. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/geology
  35. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/uclart
  36. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/archaeology
  37. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/ethno
  38. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/galton
  39. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/sciences
  40. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ifch/building/index.htm
  41. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medicalschool/index.shtml
  42. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medicalschool/about-medicalschool/
  43. ^ http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/
  44. ^ http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/New+developments/New+University+College+Hospital/
  45. ^ http://www.uclbiomedica.com/
  46. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/financial-support/scholarships/faculty-medals/
  47. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/accommodation/
  48. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/network/wireless/index.htm
  49. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/students/
  50. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/is/wts/
  51. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/about-ucl/history/landmarks
  52. ^ http://www.uclunion.org/index.php
  53. ^ http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/archives/rag/
  54. ^ http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/archives/rag/rag05.htm
  55. ^ http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/archives/rag/rag04.htm
  56. ^ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/right-column/ucl-views/bentham
  57. ^ http://disarmucl.blogspot.com/2006/12/caat-freedom-of-information-request-to.html
  58. ^ See http://www.disarmucl.blogspot.com/

^ "The Sunday Times University Guide". The Times. 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-09.

51°31′29.24″N 00°08′00.88″W / 51.5247889°N 0.1335778°W / 51.5247889; -0.1335778

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