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University of Plymouth

Coordinates: 50°22′27″N 4°08′19″W / 50.374121°N 4.138512°W / 50.374121; -4.138512
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University of Plymouth
File:University of Plymouth.png
TypePublic
Established1992, from Polytechnic South West
Vice-ChancellorProf. Wendy Purcell
Students30,540[1]
Undergraduates24,490[1]
Postgraduates6,050[1]
Address
UoP, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
,
Plymouth
,
Devon
,
United Kingdom

50°22′27″N 4°08′19″W / 50.374121°N 4.138512°W / 50.374121; -4.138512
CampusUrban
ColoursTerracotta  
Dark Blue  
Black   [2]
AffiliationsAlliance of Non-Aligned Universities
Association of Commonwealth Universities
Websitehttp://www.plymouth.ac.uk/

The University of Plymouth is the largest university in the southwest of England, with over 30,000 students and is the fifth largest UK university based on student population. (Larger universities are Open, London, Manchester, and Manchester Metropolitan respectively).[3] It has almost 3,000 staff (one of the largest employers in the southwest), and an annual income of around £160 million [citation needed].

The University

Plymouth is a modern university that has undergone a great deal of development, including several new buildings. On the basis of the results of the 2008 RAE Plymouth has leapt 15 places to join the top 50 universities, showing the greatest improvement in the UK in research performance since the last RAE, in 2001.[4] The university jumped 33 places in The Guardian's national university league tables published in May 2006, from 73rd place in 2005 to 40th place in 2006. It is settled at 35th place in the 2007 publication;[5] The Times table, which unlike The Guardian takes research performance into account, places it 55th[6] and bills it as one of the top two modern universities in the UK.[7] The Guardian describes the University as "forward thinking", as well as placing Plymouth in the "top 20" for ten subjects including social work (5th), architecture, fine art and drama. In conjunction with the current restructuring, the university's aim is to become the enterprise university[citation needed] Pivotal in a city acknowledged as the enterprise capital of the south west.[8]

Professor Roland Levinsky was the University's vice-chancellor (VC) up until his death on 1 January 2007, when he walked into live electrical cables brought down during a storm.[9] He was temporarily replaced by Professor Mark Cleary (now VC of the University of Bradford),[10] and then by Professor Steve Newstead. Professor Wendy Purcell became VC on 1 December 2007.

History

The university was originally a Polytechnic College, with its constituent bodies being Plymouth Polytechnic, Rolle College, and Seale-Hayne College. It was renamed (unpopularly [citation needed] ) Polytechnic South West in 1989 and remained as this until gaining university status in 1992 along with the other polytechnics. The new university absorbed the Plymouth School of Maritime Studies and Tavistock College.

Construction of the new Arts Complex on the Rowe Street building site at the Southern end of campus.
The Roland Levinsky Building.

Under then Vice-Chancellor Roland Levinsky, the university began a policy of centralising its campus activities in Plymouth. The Faculty of Arts based in Exeter moved to the new Roland Levinsky arts building in August 2007, bringing subjects including Fine Art, History of Art, Photography and 3-D Design to Plymouth. Theatre & Performance, based in Exmouth also moved at this time.

The Exmouth campus - Rolle College - housed the Faculty of Education and relocated to the new Rolle Building in August 2008. The decision was unpopular with students and the town of Exmouth itself, there were several protest marches and a campaign to keep the campus open.[11]

An exception to the trend of centralising activities are the University's extensive activities in education for the health professions. In addition many of its students are taught at Further Education Colleges throughout Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, such as Dartington College of Arts. A new building which opened in 2008 is shared between the Peninsula Medical School and the Faculty of Health and Social Work, highlighting some movement towards Plymouth [citation needed] .

Recently completed developments include Portland Square, a library extension, refurbished and new laboratory and teaching facilities in many of the campus buildings, halls of residence near the Business School and a new £16 million Peninsula Medical School headquarters at Derriford, in the north of the city.[12]

Jointly with the University of Exeter and the National Health Service in the region, the University runs the recently founded Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.[13] A new £13 million building on the University of Plymouth's main campus provides teaching rooms, office space, a clinical skills laboratory and research facilities for the Plymouth-based activities of the School, along with the Faculty of Health and Social work.

In 2006 part of the remains of the World War II Portland Square air-raid shelter were rediscovered on the Plymouth campus.[14] On the night of 22 April 1941, during the the Blitz, a bomb fell here killing over 70 civilians, including a mother and her six children.[14] The bomb blast was so violent that human remains were found in the tops of trees. In 2006, an appeal was made to raise money for a public sculpture to honour those who lost their lives.[2]

The University was selected by the Royal Statistical Society in October 2008 to home its Centre for Statistical Education.[15]

Faculties and Courses

The Portland Square Building

The University of Plymouth has a wide variety of Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes which are currently taught at its main city campus in Plymouth. The University scores well in law, psychology, geographical sciences, computing (including digital media) and computer science, fine art and art history.[16] The Planetary Collegium, the international centre for research in art, technology and consciousness is based at Plymouth, with nodes in Milan and Zurich.

Faculty of Arts

This faculty is host to the School of Architecture & Design, School of Art & Media and the School of Humanities. Arts subjects are usually held in the Roland Levinsky building. The school offers degrees in Architecture, English, 3D Design, Photography, Media Arts and Dance Theatre.

Faculty of Education

Home to the School of Early Years and Primary Education Studies, the School of Partnership, Enterprise and Professional Studies and the School of Secondary and Further Education Studies. As well as PGCE programmes, the school can offer degrees in Early Childhood Studies and Education Studies.

Faculty of Health and Social Work

This faculty is home to the School of Applied Psychosocial Studies, the School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing and Community Studies. The school offers courses in Adult Nursing, Child Health Nursing, Dietetics and Health and Social Care Studies.

Faculty of Science

Home to the School of Biological Sciences, the School of Geography, the School of Earth, Ocean & Environmental Sciences and the School of Psychology. The faculty offers courses in Animal Science, Applied Biosciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Biology, Human Biosciences, Human Biology with Psychology, Marine Biology and Wildlife Conservation.

The University of Plymouth is particularly renowned for its courses in maritime business, marine engineering, marine biology and Earth, ocean & environmental sciences. The University is also globally renowned for its courses in international shipping and logistics.[citation needed]

The University provides professional diving qualifications on a numbers of its courses, the only university in the country provide this. This is provided by the University's own diving centre based next to Queen Anne's Battery Marina, with its full time team of instructors and dedicated boats and equipment.

In October 2005, The Sun newspaper voted the University of Plymouth as having the most bizarre degree course in the country, the BSc (Hons) in Surf Science & Technology. Commonly known as "surfing", this course is actually centred on coastal/ocean sciences, surfing equipment/clothing design and surfing-related business, which has its popularity increased by the geographical location of the University.

Faculty of Social Science and Business

The faculty is home to the Plymouth Business School and the School of Law and Social Science. Courses on offer include in the areas of: Accounting Banking and Finance, Business, Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies, Economics, English as a Foreign Language, Hospitality, International Relations, Law, Management and Leadership, Marketing, Modern Languages, Politics, Public Services, Shipping and Logistics, Social Research, Sociology, Sports Management, Tourism.

Plymouth University also has strong links with the cruising industry; the Plymouth Business School, located within the grounds of the campus, offers courses in the Maritime and Cruising sector. The school offers BSc (Hons) in Cruise Management, where students can opt to take a year out to work with P&O or Princess Cruises for a period of two, four month periods.[17]

Faculty of Technology

Home to the School of Computing, Communications & Electronics, the School of Engineering and the School of Mathematics & Statistics. Courses include: Composite materials, Electronics, Robotics, Civil, Coastal & Structural Engineering, Building & Construction Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics.

The University offers a course in "Digital Art and Technology" - a new media and computer science hybrid course, as well as postgraduate music study in an interdisciplinary group of musicians, scientists and technologists (the ICCMR). Another possibly unique course is the BA in Business & Perfumery, and there is also an MSc in E-Commerce on offer.[18]

Peninsula Medical School

The Peninsula Medical School and Peninsula Dental School have come together in The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, a partnership with the University of Exeter, University of Plymouth and the NHS in Devon and Cornwall.

The Peninsula Medical School was established as a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and the NHS in Devon and Cornwall on 1 August 2000. Formed, following a successful bid to the Government, it is part of a national expansion of medical student numbers in the UK. Peninsula Medical School is one of five entirely new medical schools and was one of the first to be developed in the UK for more than 30 years.

The requirement to increase training capacity for dentists led to a successful bid to the Government that on 26 January 2006 established Peninsula Dental School as a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and the NHS in Devon and Cornwall. The first cohort of 64 students joined the Dental School in September 2007.

Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) in partnership with the University of Plymouth, the University of Exeter and the NHS in the South West, is reorganising and restructuring its postgraduate provision in line with changes in the NHS and Higher Education sector. PCMD are developing a graduate school structure which will provide high quality certificate, diploma and masters level study for doctors, dentists and health care professionals from Autumn 2008."[19]

UoP Colleges

The University of Plymouth Colleges (UPC) network is a partnership between the University of Plymouth and local colleges that brings degrees to local doorsteps. There are hundreds of higher education courses available. UPC also provides many opportunities for progression on to other qualifications. For example, someone who has spent two years studying for a foundation degree at their local college – and who has successfully passed their exams – can, if they wish, move on to the final year of a full honours degree at the University of Plymouth.

UPC Associates:

  • Estover Community College
  • Highlands College Jersey
  • John Kitto Community College
  • Strode College
  • Weymouth College
  • Moustraining Ltd

Accommodation

The University of Plymouth offers a range of accommodation at the university from halls of residence to student cluster flats.

Halls of Residence/The University Partnership Programme (UPP)

The University Partnership Programme (UPP) supplies and manages the student halls of residence at the university. The halls are split up and placed together in a 'student village'. All halls of residence come complete connected to the University of Plymouth's computer network free of charge, students can access internet and email facilities both internal and external. Different halls of residence offer different facilities:

Hall Name Location Facilities
Francis Drake Hall of Residence Centre of campus En suite rooms and some studio flats
Gilwell Hall of Residence Opposite the main campus Cluster flats with six students sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities
Mary Newman Hall of Residence Centre of campus En suite rooms (Refurbished in 2007)
Pilgrim Hall of Residence Near to the Business School En suite rooms
Radnor Hall of Residence Behind Pilgrim Hall of Residence En suite rooms
Robbins Hall of Residence Opposite Pilgrim Hall of Residence En suite rooms, standard rooms and interior rooms (which are located at the top of two blocks with windows in the sloping roof)

Notable academics

See also: Category:Academics of the University of Plymouth

Staff include Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, who have written extensively on electoral systems, voting behaviour, polling results and British politics and have regularly appeared on national television election programmes for both the BBC and ITV. Other notable academics include Dr Roy Lowry who, in August 2006, broke the world record for launching the most rockets at once[20] and Dr Iain Stewart who has hosted BBC documentaries like Journeys into the Ring of Fire and Journeys from the Centre of the Earth .

Notable Alumni

See also: Category:Alumni of the University of Plymouth

English rock band Muse graduated from the university in 2008 with honorary Doctorates of Arts. [21]

Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

In 2005 the University of Plymouth was successful in being awarded four HEFCE funded Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs). In addition, Plymouth is a partner in a fifth successful bid, led by Liverpool Hope University College. The University’s CETLs are:

  • Centre for Excellence in Professional Placement Learning (CEPPL)
  • Experiential Learning in the Environmental and Natural Sciences
  • Higher Education Learning Partnerships CETL
  • Education for Sustainable Development
  • Learn Higher

Recent Studies and Developments

Exeter University has the highest cost of living for students in the UK, according to research. However, just 45 miles (73 km) away, the University of Plymouth is the most cost-effective place to study. The cost of living index, published by NatWest Bank, found that in Plymouth students were, on average, £3,510 better off that those in Exeter. Researchers said rental costs were cheaper in Plymouth and there was more part-time work available. The average Plymouth student will spend £217 a week on housing and other living costs such as food. [22]

The University of Plymouth has been awarded a contract by Business Link for Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Devon and Somerset to help businesses in Cornwall access innovative and effective business support. Fifty firms in the Duchy have benefited from the contract, which saw business experts from the university carrying out a knowledge needs analysis to ascertain which business issues in each company needed to be addressed. The idea was that this analysis came up with ideas for tackling specific problems in the companies. This could be anything from establishing global technology standards in a particular sector through to providing leadership and development sessions at chief executive level. The University of Plymouth then highlighted a range of options to transfer expertise from the university’s own in-house resources or other education and training providers across the region. The contract is part of the university’s growing links with business as it positions itself as a catalyst for economic growth and development in the region. [23]

The University of Plymouth on 4th March signed an agreement with Navitas Limited, a global education services provider with colleges in eight countries, to launch a new international college on its Plymouth campus this autumn. Plymouth Devon International College will complement the university’s existing course portfolio by offering overseas students a range of specially-tailored pre-university courses. These courses, lasting one or two years, prepare students specifically for direct entry to a wide choice of University of Plymouth courses – at both undergraduate and masters level. [24]

University of Plymouth researchers carried out memory tests on 40 volunteers, asking them to listen to a phone call and recall names and places. Doodlers performed 29% better than non-doodlers, the team found. Experts said doodling stopped people from daydreaming, which was a more taxing diversion, and so was good at helping people focus on mundane tasks. During the study, half of the volunteers were asked to colour in shapes on a piece of paper while they listened to a 2.5 minute telephone message. The other half were left to their own devices while they listened. Both groups were told the message would be dull, the Applied Cognitive Psychology journal reported. Afterwards, both groups were asked to write down eight specific names and eight places mentioned. The doodlers on average recalled 7.5, while the non-doodlers only managed 5.8. [25]

Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research

The Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research team (ICCMR) at the University of Plymouth is formed of scholars from different backgrounds and from different departments across the University: School of Computing, Communications and Electronics, Faculty of Education, Music, and the School of Art and Media. The team is lead by Professor Eduardo Reck Miranda.

ICCMR is a member of the Arts, Science, Technology Research Consortium (AZTEC) at the University of Plymouth.

The ICCMR comprises 4 interconnected research teams. The Evolutionary Music Team is concerned with the problem of musical evolution. Research themes include origins of emotions, ontogenesis, evolution of grammars and generative performance. The Music and the Brain Team is mostly concerned with the problem of representation of musical experience. Research is focusing on active perception, role of timbre in musical expectancies, development of experience-dependent abstractions and brain-computer interfaces. This team overlaps with the Auditory Group at the Centre for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience led by Dr Sue Denham.

The Music Technology Team is concerned with the conversion of basic scientific research into practical music technology. Projects include tools for composition and sound design, music controllers,sound synthesis algorithms and musical robotics. The Musical Practice Team is concerned with musical practices using new technology and contemporary music. Projects include music in the community, music facilitation for disability and sonic arts. The team works in close collaboration with Peninsula Arts.

Students' Union (UPSU)

Main article: University of Plymouth Student Union

The University of Plymouth's Students' Union, usually abbreviated to UPSU, is the third largest union in the UK. The Union is a non-profit making organisation 'run by the students, for the students'. Each year, students have the opportunity to have their say and elect the officers who will represent them for the following year or even stand for a position themselves.

The Union offers a range of services and stages a number of events throughout the year. As well as events, the Union is the base for most of the huge amount of sports teams and societies at the university.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07" (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  2. ^ a b "For those who died in Portland Square". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 2008-10-21. Cite error: The named reference "UniHerald" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ http://www.push.co.uk/document.aspx?id=67a1251f-ae31-45f0-bdb4-e61d13a397f6
  4. ^ Research Fortnight website
  5. ^ "Plymouth jumps 30 places in Guardian league tables". University of Plymouth. May 2, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Top Universities 2007 League Table". The Times. June 5, 2006.
  7. ^ "Top two position for Plymouth". University of Plymouth. June 5, 2006.
  8. ^ "University of Plymouth". The Guardian. May 2, 2006. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Power cable kills university boss". BBC. January 2, 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "University boss successor named". BBC. January 4, 2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Teaching college closure agreed". BBC News. 11 November 2005.
  12. ^ "Medical school plans new headquarters". BBC Devon. 6 January 2002.
  13. ^ "Student dental school is approved". BBC. January 26, 2006.
  14. ^ a b Tony Rees, Gerry Cullum and Steve & Karen Johnson (2007-07-08). "Portland Square Air Raid Shelter at Plymouth". CyberHeritage.com. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  15. ^ "Plymouth chosen for Prestigious Centre". University of Plymouth. 2008-10-17. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  16. ^ "University of Plymouth - an introduction". University of Plymouth. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  17. ^ http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/course.asp?id=3697
  18. ^ "MSc E-Commerce". University of Plymouth.
  19. ^ http://www.pms.ac.uk/pms/
  20. ^ "Firework Record goes with a Bang". BBC. August 16, 2006.
  21. ^ Blogspot Muse Muse are now doctors. (Retrieved 2nd October 2008)
  22. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7540310.stm
  23. ^ http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=25055
  24. ^ http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=25929
  25. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7912671.stm
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