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King's College London

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King’s College London
MottoSancte et sapienter "With holiness and with wisdom"
TypePublic
Established1829
Endowment£103 million [1]
PrincipalProfessor Richard Trainor
Academic staff
5,149
Students21,755 [1]
Undergraduates14,750 [1]
Postgraduates7,005 [1]
Location
London
,
United Kingdom
Campus5 throughout Central London
Colours
                     
AffiliationsUniversity of London
Russell Group
'Golden Triangle'
EUA
ACU
MascotReggie the lion
Websitehttp://www.kcl.ac.uk

King's College London is the largest constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV in 1829, its royal charter is predated only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. [2] The College has a strong academic reputation: in 2006, it was ranked 7th in the UK byThe Guardian newspaper, [3] and 12th in Europe and 46th globally by The Times Higher Education Supplement. [4] King's is a founding member of the Russell Group and the Golden Triangle, [5] constitutes the biggest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe, and houses five Medical Research Council Centres, more than anywhere else in the world.

Today, King's is arranged into nine Schools of Study, spread across four Thames-side campuses in Central London and one in Camberwell, South London.

History

The Maughan Library on Chancery Lane

King's College London, so named to indicate the patronage of George IV, was founded in 1829 in response to the founding of "London University", latterly known as University College, London (UCL), in 1826. UCL was founded, with the backing of Jews, Utilitarians and non-Anglican Christians, as a secular institution, intended to educate "the youth of our middling rich people between the ages of 15 or 16 and 20 or later"[6]. The need for such an institution was due to the religious nature of the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, which then educated solely the sons of wealthy Anglicans.[7]

The foundation of UCL met with the disapproval of the British establishment, indeed, "the storms of opposition which raged around it threatened to crush every spark of vital energy which remained"[8].

The Rev. Dr. George D'Oyly, rector of Lambeth and governor of Wilson's School in Camberwell, opposing the secular nature of the college, published an open letter proposing the formation of a competing institution. This would be of a religious, and more particularly Anglican, nature, one which would instil, "the services of religion ... performed as directed in our National Church"[9].

This prompted the Duke of Wellington, then Prime Minister to chair a public meeting which launched King's on 21 June 1828. His simultaneous support for the Anglican college and the Roman Catholic Relief Act, which was to lead to the granting of almost full civil rights to Catholics, was challenged by the Earl of Winchelsea in early 1829. The result was a duel in Battersea Fields on 21 March that year. Deliberately off-target shots were fired by both and neither was hurt.[10] This Duel Day is still celebrated on that day in March every year, marked by various events throughout the College.

King's opened in 1831. Despite the intentions of its founders and the chapel at its heart of the buildings, the initial prospectus permitted, "nonconformists of all sorts to enter the college freely"[11]. Chemistry, English literature and commerce were among the subjects offered.[12]

At this time, neither King's, nor "London University" had the ability to confer degrees, a particular problem for medical students who wished to practice. Amending this situation was aided by the appointment of Henry Brougham as Lord Chancellor, who was chairman of the governors of "London University". In this position he automatically became a governor of King's College. In the understanding that the government was unlikely to grant degree-awarding powers on two institutions in London, negotiations led to the colleges federating as the "University of London" in 1831, "London University" thus being demoted to the lower status of University College.[13]

South West Building, Strand Campus, overlooking the Thames

King's professors played a part in scientific and social advances of the nineteenth century, through extending higher education to women, the working class, and by offering evening classes. Perhaps the most famous scholarly research performed at King's was the work by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins that was essential to the discovery by James D. Watson and Francis Crick of the structure of DNA.

The first qualification issued by King's was the Associate of King's College, or AKC. The course, which concerns questions of ethics and theology, is still awarded today to students (and staff) who take an optional three year course alongside their standard degree. Successful completion entitles the graduate to bear the letters AKC after their name.

The College today is the product of mergers with a number of other institutions over the years, including Queen Elizabeth College, Chelsea College, the Institute of Psychiatry, and the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals. Florence Nightingale's original training school for nurses is now incorporated as the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery. Today, there are nine schools of study (see below).

In 2003, the College was granted degree-awarding powers in its own right (rather than degrees awarded by the University of London) by the Privy Council. This power remained unexercised until 2007, when the College announced that all students starting courses from September 2007 onwards would be awarded degrees conferred by King's itself, rather than the University. All current students with at least one year of study remaining were in August 2007 offered the option of choosing to be awarded a London degree or a King's degree.

Academic Reputation

King’s has a strong academic reputation. According to The Guardian newspaper, King's, the London School of Economics, Imperial College London and University College London each 'have international reputations that in this country only Oxbridge can beat'. [14]

File:Coats-of-arms22.jpg
King's College London coat of arms

The Guardian ranked King’s 7th in the UK in 2006 and 12th in 2007; [15] The Times 2008 league table ranks King's as 10th in the UK, [16] improving on a 17th place finish in 2007[17], whilst the 2007 Sunday Times exercise listed King's in 12th place. [18]. The Telegraph similarly ranks King's as joint 17th in the UK in its 2007 standings [19]. In 2006, King's was ranked 46th in the world, 12th in Europe and 8th in the UK by The THES - QS World University Rankings [20] and is one of only 11 UK universities to be ranked within the top 100 of the world according to a table produced by Shanghai Jiao Tong University. [21]

University Metrics' Global University Rankings, based on a new ranking methodology called "G-Factor", [22] placed King's 4th in the UK and 32nd in the world [23] According to the 2006 Times Good University Guide, several subjects taught at King’s, including Music, Dentistry, History, American Studies, Philosophy and Classics, are among the top five in the country. [24] The College has had 24 of its subject-areas awarded the highest rating of 5 or 5* for research quality, [25] demonstrating excellence at an international level, and in 2007 it received a good result in its audit by the Quality Assurance Agency. [25] It is in the top tier for research earnings.

Campuses

Strand Campus

File:24092007954.jpg
King's Building, Strand Campus
James Clerk Maxwell Building, Waterloo Campus
File:KCLMaughanLibrary3.jpg
The Maughan Library on Chancery Lane

The Strand Campus is the founding campus of King's. Located next to Somerset House and sharing its frontage along the River Thames, most of the Schools of Humanities, Law, Social Science & Public Policy and Physical Sciences & Engineering are housed here. This Campus combines the Grade I listed King's Building of 1831 (designed by Robert Smirke), the Byzantine Gothic College Chapel of the 1860s (designed by George Gilbert Scott) with the stark Strand Building, completed in 1972 and believed to be designed by Troup & Steele. The Chesham Building in Surrey Street was purchased after the Second World War. The Macadam Building of 1975 houses KCLSU's activities and is named after Sir Ivison Macadam, first President of NUS. (Nearest tubes: Temple, Covent Garden)

Waterloo Campus

Across Waterloo Bridge from the Strand Campus, the Waterloo Campus near the South Bank Centre consists of the James Clerk Maxwell Building and the Franklin-Wilkins Building, which was originally constructed in 1912 and 1915 for His Majesty's Stationery Office. King's acquired the building in the 1980s. The James Clerk Maxwell Building houses the Principal's Office, most of the central administrative offices of the College and part of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery. The Franklin-Wilkins Building, the largest university building in London[citation needed], is home to the School of Health & Life Sciences, the Department of Education and to part of the School of Nursing & Midwifery. (Nearest tube: Waterloo)

Guy's Campus

Guy's Hospital, established in 1826, houses parts of the Dental Institute and School of Medicine. The founder and benefactor of the hospital, Thomas Guy, was a wealthy bookseller and a governor of St Thomas' Hospital. He lies buried in the vault beneath the 18th-century chapel at Guy's. Silk-merchant William Hunt was a later benefactor who gave money in the early nineteenth century to build Hunt's House. Today this is the site of New Hunt's House. The Henriette Raphael building, constructed in 1903, and the Gordon Museum are also located here. (Nearest tubes: London Bridge, Borough)

St Thomas' Campus

The St Thomas' Campus, facing the Houses of Parliament across the Thames, houses parts of the School of Medicine and the Dental Institute. The Florence Nightingale Museum is also located here. [2] (Nearest tube: Westminster)

Denmark Hill Campus

Further south, King's College Hospital, the Maudsley Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry form the Denmark Hill Campus in Camberwell, the only one not situated on the River Thames. As well as the IoP, parts of the Dental Institute and School of Medicine, and a large hall of residence, King's College Hall, are housed here. (Nearest station: Denmark Hill)

Refurbishment

King's is coming to the end of a decade of restorative and refurbishment projects, with investment of over £500 million. [25] These include the Franklin-Wilkins Building in the Waterloo campus, the largest university building in the UK[citation needed]; the Maughan library in Chancery Lane, the most elaborate university library project ever undertaken in the UK[citation needed]; and the renovation of the chapel in the Strand campus at a cost of £750,000. The Strand Campus redevelopment won the prestigious Green Gown Award in 2007 for sustainable construction. The award recognised the ‘reduced energy and carbon emissions from a sustainable refurbishment of the historic South Range of the King's Building'. [26] King's was also the recipient of the 2003 City Heritage Award for the conversion of the Grade II* listed Maughan Library. [27]Further renovation of the Strand Building is awaiting a decision on the acquisition of buildings in the adjacent Somerset House from H.M. Treasury. King's has been attempting to purchase Somerset House since the 1970s.

Libraries

King's library facilities are spread across its five campuse; the College's estate also includes a library at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. [28] The collections encompass over one million printed books, as well as thousands of journals and electronic resources.

Maughan Library

Main article: The Maughan Library
The Maughan Library, near the Strand Campus

The Maughan Library in the 19th century Gothic former Public Record Office building, which is Grade II* listed, is situated on Chancery Lane, near the Strand Campus. This building was designed by Sir James Pennethorne and is home to the books and journals of four of King's Schools of Study (see below): Humanities, Law, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Social Science & Public Policy. It also houses the Special Collections and rare books. Inside the Library is the octagonal Round Reading Room, inspired by the reading room of the British Museum, and the former Rolls Chapel (renamed the Weston Room following a donation from the Garfield Weston Foundation) with its stained glass windows, huge mosaic floor and three monuments, including an important Renaissance terracotta figure by Pietro Torrigiano of Dr Yonge, Master of the Rolls, who died in 1516. [12]

Other Libraries

  • The Foyle Special Collections Library at Chancery Lane houses a collection of over 110,000 printed works as well as thousands of maps, slides, sound recordings and some manuscript material.
  • The Franklin-Wilkins Information Services Centre at the Waterloo Campus is home to extensive management and education holdings, as well as wide-ranging biomedical, health and life sciences coverage includes nursing, midwifery, public health, pharmacy, biological and environmental sciences, biochemistry and forensic science.
  • The New Hunt's House Information Services Centre at Guy's Campus covers all aspects of biomedical science. There are also extensive resources for medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy and health services.
  • The Weston Education Centre at the Denmark Hill Campus has particular strengths in the areas of gastroenterology, liver disease, diabetes, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and the history of medicine.
  • The St Thomas' Medical Library holdings cover all aspects of basic medical sciences, clinical medicine and health services research.
  • The Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) Library is the largest psychiatric library in Western Europe, holding 3,000 print journal titles, 550 of which are current subscriptions, as well as access to over 3,500 electronic journals, 38,000 books, and training materials.
  • The Bethlem Royal Hospital Library contains a smaller collection to support students and staff working at Bethlem.

Schools of Study

The nine Schools of study at King's are as follows:

File:N60501586 30036506 5020.jpg
South West Building, Strand Campus

Undergraduate Courses

King’s has over 13,700 undergraduates across around 180 academic degree programmes. At present, most use a 'course-unit' system, granting students the option of undertaking studies in more than one Department (within a School), more than one School (within the College), or even at more than one College or Institute (within the University of London).

A complete list of undergraduate bachelor's degree courses taught at King's can be found here. The Associate of King's College degree can be studied for alongside most of King's other courses.

Postgraduate Courses

The various postgraduate courses offered at King's can be divided into taught programmes and research programmes.

Over 6,200 of King’s 19,300 students are postgraduates. The Graduate School provides over 240 taught programmes across nine academic schools and offers research degrees at MPhil and PhD level. A strong sense of camaraderie exists within the Graduate School, encouraged by an emphasis on academic collaboration with fellow students and researchers across disciplines. An initiative of the Graduate School is the Graduate Skills Development Programme, which offers students the opportunity to supplement their studies with additional skills in a variety of areas.

Students' Union

Main article: King's College London Students' Union
Reggie the Lion
File:Kclsu2.jpg
KCLSU logo

King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU) is the oldest in London, founded just before University College London Union, and provides a good range of activities and services: over 50 sports clubs (including the Boat Club which rows on the River Thames and the Rifle Club which uses the College's shooting range at the Strand Campus), 60 societies, a wide range of volunteering opportunities, 2 bars, 2 nightclubs, shops, eating places and a gym.

A former President of KCLSU, Sir Ivison Macadam (after whom the Students' Union building on the Strand Campus has since been named) went on to be elected as the first President of the NUS and the Union has played an active role there and in the University of London Union ever since.

Student Media

Roar is KCLSU's quarterly magazine. It carries stories, reviews and features on a range of topics, reporting on Students' Union events, campaigns, clubs and societies, as well as coverage of the arts, books and fashion. King's Bench, edited by students from the Law School tri-annually, welcomes contributions from all King's students. The College itself also publishes a range of periodicals reporting on various aspects of King's [3].

Mascots

In the 1970s, the King's mascot, "Reggie", was buried upside-down in a pit near Waterloo Station, which was filled with concrete; the tip of his tail remained visible. Later, he was lost for many years in the 1990s, and not recovered until he was found in a field. Having been restored at the cost of around £15,000, Reggie has been placed on display in the KCLSU Student Centre at the Strand Campus. Protected in a glass case, he is filled with concrete to prevent theft, particularly by UCL students who, prior to his burial and dumping, had also castrated him. (King's students had also stolen one UCL mascot, Phineas and, in an apocryphal legend, allegedly played football with the head of another, Jeremy Bentham).

There are three "Reggies" in existence: the original, on display in KCLSU's Student Centre at the Strand Campus, a papier-mâché Reggie outside the Great Hall at the Strand Campus (pictured above), and a small sterling silver incarnation displayed during Graduation ceremonies.

Competition with UCL

Competition within the University of London is most intense between King's and University College London, the two oldest institutions. Although riots between respective College students occurred in Central London well into the 1950s, rivalry is now limited to the rugby pitch and skulduggery over mascot, with an annual Varsity match taking place between King's College London RFC and UCL RFC.

Competition with LSE

Tensions between King's and the London School of Economics were ignited on 2 December 2005 when at least 203 students from LSE (across the road from the Strand campus) diverted off from the annual "barrel run" and caused an estimated £32,000 (Beaver, LSE, 26 September 2006) of damage to the English department. [29] Principal Rick Trainor called for no retaliation and LSE Students' Union were forced to issue an apology as well as foot the bill for the damage repair. While LSE officially condemned the action, a photograph was published in The Beaver (the LSE SU Student Newspaper) which was later picked up by The Times that showed LSE Director Sir Howard Davies drinking with members of the LSE Students' Union shortly before the barrel run - and the "rampage" - began. King's appears to have been targeted, however, principally owing to its close proximity to LSE rather than any ill-feeling.

Students' Accommodation

King’s halls of residence offer a range of accommodation to suit the varied needs of students. These include:

File:DSCF0158.JPG
Sappho: Classical sculpture in the King's Building, Strand Campus
Sophocles: Classical sculpture in the King's Building, Strand Campus

Four of these halls let their rooms to visitors during the summer months when the students leave. [30]

Intercollegiate Halls of Residence

King's also has the largest number of bedspaces in the University of London Intercollegiate Halls, which provide accommodation for those studying at the University. These are also open to the public over the summer:

Graduates

King's graduates have some of the highest average starting salaries among all UK universities - The Sunday Times estimates the average starting salary is £20,672. [31]

People

Main Article Category:People associated with King's College London

Notable Alumni

For a more comprehensive list see Category:Alumni of King's College London

King's has educated many significant figures since its foundation, including pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale; the poet John Keats,the writers Thomas Hardy, John Ruskin,Virginia Woolf and W. Somerset Maugham , the historical novelist C.S. Forester (author of the best- selling Hornblower saga); William Gilbert (one half of Gilbert and Sullivan); satirist Rory Bremner;British conductor and composer John Eliot Gardiner;botanist David Bellamy; Pakistani diplomat, Pakistan’s first foreign minister, renowned international jurist and a scholar of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan ; banker Alfred de Rothschild;petroleum businessman and art collectionist Calouste Gulbekian;former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Reginald McKenna; Sarojini Naidu first female governor of India; journalist Martin Bashir; writer and philosopher Alain de Botton; science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke; novelist Charles Kingsley; pathologist Thomas Hodgkin (after whom Hodgkin's disease is named); former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu.

Notable Academics

See also Category:Academics of King's College London
King's has benefited from the services of academics at the top of their fields when they were at the peak of their careers, including (but not limited to):

Physical Science

Medical and Medicine

  • Florence Nightingale, nurse – founded school of nursing at St Thomas' Hospital
  • Maurice Wilkins, co-discoverer of DNA structure Nobel laureate – Researcher at King's and later Professor of Biophysics
  • Rosalind Franklin, co-discoverer of DNA structure – Researcher at King's
  • Lord Lister, inventor of an antiseptic system - Professor of Clinical Surgery (1877-1893)
  • Sir James Black, inventor of beta-blocker, Nobel laureate - Professor of Analytical Pharmacology (1984-)
  • Thomas Hodgkin, discoverer of Hodgkin's disease - Demonstrator of Morbid Anatomy at Guy's Hospital

Other

  • Charles Lyell, geologist and writer of popular book Principles of Geology (1830-33) - Professor of Geology (1831-1833)
  • Frederick Maurice, theologians and controversialists - Professor of English Literature (1836-1853)

Nobel Laureates

There are eight Nobel laureates at King's who were either alumni or academics of the College.[32]

Physics

  • 1917 - Charles Barkla (Professor of Physics), for researches into X-rays and other emissions
  • 1928 - Sir Owen Richardson (Professor of Physics), for pioneering the study of 'thermionics'.his researches into X-rays and other emissions
  • 1947 - Sir Edward Appleton (Professor of Physics), for exploration of the ionosophere

Physiology or Medicine

  • 1929 - Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins (Taught Physiology and Toxicology at Guy's Hospital), for research on vitamins and beriberi
  • 1932 - Sir Charles Scott Sherrington (Taught Systematic Physiology at St Thomas' Hospital), for researches on the nervous system
  • 1962 - Maurice Wilkins (Researcher and Professor of Biophysics), for the discovery of the structure of DNA
  • 1988 - Sir James Black (Professor of Analytical Pharmacology), for the development of beta-blocker and anti-ulcer drugs

Peace

  • 1984 - Desmond Tutu (Alumnus and Visiting Professor in Post-conflict Societies), for Peace in 1984 in recognition of his work as Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches

Statistics

King's

The Maughan Library, Chancery Lane
Franklin-Wilkins Building, Waterloo Campus
  • According to a Sunday Times survey, King's is 3rd in the UK both for graduate starting salary and graduate employability.
  • Entry to King's is competitive: the Sunday Times rates it as the 6th most difficult UK university to get into. [33]
  • According to the 2005 Times Higher Education Supplement league table, King's is positioned fourth in terms of staff-student ratio.
  • In February 2006, UCAS revealed that, offset by a fall in applications for the vast majority of UK universities, King's received 4.0% more than the previous year. [34]
  • It has the fifth largest endowment of UK universities at £100m (2002), the fourth largest endowment per student, and has credit ratings of AA-/Stable/A-1 (Standard & Poor's). King's has an annual turnover of nearly £375 million.
  • King's is a member of the Russell Group of research universities and the Golden Triangle.
  • King's is at the top group of universities for research earnings with an income of £101 million (2004-05) from grants and contracts.

Departmental

The College has had 24 of its subject-areas awarded the highest rating of 5 for research quality, demonstrating excellence at an international level, and it has recently received a good result in its audit by the Quality Assurance Agency. It is in the top tier for research earnings.

Commercialisation

King's has a wholly owned and dedicated technology transfer, enterprise, and innovation company known as King's Business: one of the most successful in the UK. King's Business is responsible for business development and commercialisation and for student admission and management of the university’s research grants and contracts. In collaboration with King's Business, King's actively encourages its staff to commercialise its research and teaching and as a result has given rise to a large number of spin-out companies based on academic research. These include Proximagen Neuroscience Plc, and Cerogenix Ltd.

Trivia

Architect's design for Guy's Hospital (17th century)
  • Aldwych tube station, a well-preserved but disused London Underground station, is integrated as part of the King's Strand campus. Its constant use as a filming location makes it supposedly the most profitable station on the tube network. The Rifle Range is reportedly on the site of a platform taken out of public service in 1917.
  • King's graduation ceremonies are usually held in Southwark Cathedral and the Royal Festival Hall. Between 2005 and 2007, the Barbican Arts Centre was used during the renovation of the latter. From 2008, King's graduands will wear gowns designed by Vivienne Westwood and receive certificates by David Hockney.
  • A National Trust-protected Roman Bath was situated on the site of the Strand Campus and can be accessed via the Surrey Street entrance. Hidden by surrounding College buildings, the Baths were mentioned by Charles Dickens in chapter thirty-five of David Copperfield.
  • The Greenwood Theatre at Guy's Campus (today used for both lectures and student productions) was formerly run by the BBC and has been home to Question Time, Jackanory, and Countdown.
  • The School of Medicine, which admits 450 (as of 2006, with plans to admit 550 from September 2007) undergraduates every year, is the largest in the UK; the School of Dentistry (160 undergraduates per year) is the largest in Europe.
  • King's College School was created as King's Junior Department at the time of the College's founding. Originally situated in the basement of the Strand campus, the School relocated to Wimbledon in 1897. King's College School is no longer associated with King's College London.
  • RADA is administered through King's, and its students graduate alongside members of the Departments which form part of the School of Humanities.
  • Since 1953 King's stages an annual production of a Greek play. It is the only production in the United Kingdom to be performed every year in the original Greek.[38] In 2007 Sophocles's Trachiniae was performed at the College's Greenwood Theatre.
  • Monash University, the largest university in Australia, has a centre at King's. The Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, the UK's foremost centre for research in the field, is part of the School of Humanities at King's.
  • King's Drug Control Centre currently holds the official UK contract for running doping tests on UK athletes, and will likely continue to do so until the 2012 Olympics, to be held in London.
  • King's runs the London Air Quality Network. [39]
  • The right to use the Royal Crown in the King's armorial bearings was granted by Her Majesty the Queen. [40]

Bibliography

  • F.J.C. Hearnshaw (1929). The Centenary History of King's College London. George G. Harrap & Co.
  • Gordon Huelin (1978), King's College London, 1828-1978.
  • Christine Kenyon Jones (2004), King's College London: In the service of society.

See also

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