Keele University

Not to be confused with University of Kiel.
Keele University

Keele University coat of arms
Motto Thanke God for All
Type Public
Established 1949 (as University College of North Staffordshire)
1962 Royal Charter granted for university status
Endowment £0.95 million (2015)[1]
Chancellor Jonathon Porritt CBE
Vice-Chancellor Trevor McMillan[2]
Visitor The Lord President of the Council ex officio
Academic staff
860[3]
Administrative staff
875[3]
Students 9,635 (2014/15)[4]
Undergraduates 7,325 (2014/15)[4]
Postgraduates 2,310 (2014/15)[4]
Location Keele, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
53°00′11″N 2°16′23″W / 53.003°N 2.273°W / 53.003; -2.273Coordinates: 53°00′11″N 2°16′23″W / 53.003°N 2.273°W / 53.003; -2.273
Campus Rural
Colours
                       
Mascot Herbert the Dragon[5]
Affiliations ACU
EUA
UUK
UWM
Website www.keele.ac.uk

Keele University, officially known as the University of Keele,[6] is a public research university located about 3 miles (5 km) from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Keele was granted university status by Royal Charter in 1962[7] and was originally founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire. It is the oldest and highest research ranked university in Staffordshire.[8] A science park and a conference centre complements the academic buildings, making it the largest main campus university in the UK.[6] The university's School of Medicine operates the clinical part of its courses from a separate campus at the Royal Stoke University Hospital with the School of Nursing and Midwifery is based at the nearby Clinical Education Centre.

The university occupies a 620-acre (250 ha) rural campus close to the village of Keele and consists of extensive woods, lakes and Keele Hall set in historic Staffordshire Potteries heartland. The estate was originally given by King Henry II of England to the Knights Templars, AD 1180. When the Templars were condemned and dissolved by the Council of Vienne in the time of Pope Clement V AD 1311, their possessions were annexed by the Knights Hospitallers until their dissolution by Henry VIII.[9] The estate was purchased from the Crown by the Sneyd family and remained in their property until acquisition by the Stoke-on-Trent Corporation in 1948.

History

Keele Hall

Origins

As far back as the early 19th Century, Charles Kelsall (1782-1857), Eton and Cambridge University educated architect imagined in 'Phantasm of an University' (1814), the foundation of a dream college layout in the County of Stafford where the 'Silver Trent' would 'meander at the end of the University grove'. Cambridge and Oxford Extension Lectures had been staged in the potteries since the 1890s but outside any organized educational framework or establishment. In 1904, funds were raised by local industrialists to support teaching via the creation of a North Staffordshire College but the project, without the backing of Staffordshire County Council was abandoned.[10]

By the early 1940s, Staffordshire towns of Longton, Fenton, Burslem, Hanley had become the largest conurbation without some form of university provision.[11] Stoke, in particular, demanded highly qualified graduates for the regional pottery and mining industries but also more social workers, teachers and administrators with an academically informed grasp of the community's economic and social needs. Neither the traditional ancient establishments based on the 'Oxbridge' model or civic 'Redbricks' responded to that particular criteria.[12]

Spearheading a new approach for interdisciplinary teaching that was to characterize the new generation of universities of the 1960s, Keele University was established in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, at the initiative of A D Lindsay, then Professor of Philosophy and Master of Balliol College, Oxford. Lindsay was a strong advocate of working-class adult education,[13] who had first suggested a 'people's university' in an address to the North Staffordshire Workers' Educational Association in 1925.[14]

Orthodox Challenge

Consistent with his democratic ideals of education, Lindsay, recently appointed to the House of Lords, participated in the influential Foreign Office report 'University Reform in Germany' which argued that no institution deserved the name of university unless teaching and research were amalgamated, the dangers of training the specialist intellect as opposed to the whole man and the need to integrate a faculty of humanistic and social sciences by broadening the academic agenda to counter state power and technological excesses which had been a major contribution to Germany's downfall. All were to heavily influence Keele's curriculum.[15]

On 13 March 1946, Lindsay wrote to Sir Walter Moberly, chair of the University Grants Committee (UGC), suggesting the establishment of a college 'on new lines'.[16] Established practice was for new colleges (such as Southampton, Exeter and Nottingham) to be launched without degree-awarding powers, instead students matriculating with and taking external degrees from the University of London. Crucially, Lindsay wanted to 'get rid of the London external degree', instead forming a college with the authority from the start to set its own syllabus, perhaps acting under the sponsorship of an established university. Lindsay wrote also to the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, tentatively requesting just such sponsorship.[16]

Keele University Clock House
Keele University Clock House

An exploratory committee was established by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, chaired by Lindsay and supported by Alderman Thomas Horwood, Vicar of Etruria and leader of the Labour group on the City Council.[17] Having secured public funding from the UGC in January 1948,[18] the Committee acquired Keele Hall, a stately home on the outskirts of Newcastle-under-Lyme, from its owner, Ralph Sneyd.[19] The Hall, ancestral residence of the Sneyd family with its clock house, had previously been requisitioned by the War Office for military use during World War II, and was supplied with the bulk of the Sneyd estate and a number of prefabricated structures erected by the Army, for the sum of £31,000.[19]

In August 1949, the University College was granted the honour of awarding its own degrees, a privilege in England only shared with the ancient universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham (1832), London (1836), Manchester (1851), Birmingham (1900), Liverpool (1903), Leeds (1904), Sheffield (1905), Bristol (1909), Reading (1926) and Nottingham (1948). 3 universities, Oxford, Birmingham and Manchester initially acting as sponsors.[20] The first graduate by default was George Eason who had studied Mathematics at Birmingham University gaining a BSc in 1951. He received his MSc in 1952 from Keele.[21] In 1954, the first graduate studying fully at Keele was Margaret Boulds who received a dual honours degree in Philosophy and English.

Royal Charter

Growing steadily to 1,200 students,[22] the university college was promoted to university status in 1962, receiving a new Royal charter in January of that year,[23] and adopting the name the University of Keele. Alternatives were considered including The University of Stoke or Stoke-on-Trent but both were rejected, the estate situated in the borough of Newcastle under-lyme. Paradoxically, Staffordshire University was also discussed, now the name of the former North Staffordshire Polytechnic.[24]

Keele University Drive

However, because of its close proximity west to the civil parish of Keele, decision was made to name the university after the village which makes it unique as the only establishment of higher education in the UK to do so but which has long attracted questions as to its location. Today, the official name remains, although Keele University is now the everyday usage. Denoting its postwar architecture, Keele is identified as one of the Plate glass universities.

In 1968, the Royal Commission on Medical Education (1965–68) issued the 'Todd Report' , which examined the possibility of a medical school being established at Keele. It was thought that North Staffordshire would be a good site, having a large local population and several hospitals. However, a minimum intake of 150 students each year would be necessary to make a medical school economically and educationally viable and the university was at that time too small to support a medical school of this size.

Keele University Clock House Lane

Keele's International Relations Department was founded in 1974 by professor Alan James and one of the first institutions to offer a full degree in the subject.[25] The Keele World Affairs Group, closely associated, followed suit in 1980 and is Europe's leading lecture series on Politics, Economics and Global Issues.[26] Keele's first woman professor was appointed to the Chair of Social Work in 1976.[27] In 1978, Keele Department of Postgraduate Medicine was created, albeit not catering undergraduate medical students.

Government Funding Cuts

In late 1985, following consecutive cuts in university funding, Keele briefly considered merging with North Staffordshire Polytechnic but negotiations collapsed.[28] At the time, Keele counted 2,700 students in contrast to the less academically exclusive 6,000 at the Polytechnic. Keele University Science & Business Park Ltd (KUSP Ltd) opened in 1986, in part, to generate and diversify alternative sources of income.

In 1994, the Oswestry and North Staffordshire School of Physiotherapy (ONSSP), which had been a separate institution based at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire, merged with Keele University, becoming Keele's Department of Physiotherapy Studies (now School of Health & Rehabilitation), and relocating from Oswestry to the Keele University campus. In August 1995, Keele University merged with North Staffordshire College of Nursing and Midwifery, forming the new School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Keele University Western Entrance

In 1998 and 1999 there was some controversy over the decision by university authorities to sell the Turner Collection, a valuable collection of mathematical printed books including some which had belonged to and had been heavily annotated by Isaac Newton, in order to fund major improvements to the university library. Senior university officials authorised the sale of the collection to a private buyer, with no guarantee that it would remain intact or within the UK. Although legally permissible, the sale was unpopular among the academic community and the controversy was fuelled by prolonged negative press coverage suggesting that the £1m sale price was too low and that the collection was certain to be broken up.[29]

New Schools of Medicine & Pharmacy

The appointment of Sir David Weatherall as Chancellor paved the way for a rapid expansion in Health subjects. In 2001, Keele was awarded an undergraduate medical school in partnership with Manchester University. Initially, some students from Manchester Medical School began being taught at Keele. Finally Keele's own medical school opened in 2007 with the first of cohort of students having graduated in 2012. In 2009, the university was awarded a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, for "pioneering work with the NHS in early intervention and primary care in the treatment of chronic pain and arthritis, linking research to delivery to patients through GP networks and user groups".[30] In 2006 the School of Pharmacy was created with the launch of new MPharm degree programmes.[31]

Path from Lymes Road to Keele Campus

Due to declining popularity and funding, the German department closed in December 2004[32] with the university retaining its physics degree despite the subject facing similar pressures.[33] Although, degrees ceased to be offered in modern languages, a Language Learning Unit was created to provide Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish teaching for Keele students and staff alike. This can lead to an enhanced degree title given sufficient electives taken.[34]

The foundation year was officially axed in 1998 but re-introduced in 2012 with new programmes of study, the international foundation year and the accelerated international foundation year which add to the existing offer, as well as the humanities, science, social science, health, general foundation years and foundation year for people who are visually impaired.

Embracing the Market and Finding a Role

In 2013, as part of a new marketing campaign, Keele decided to implement a new visual identity via a re-branding exercise across campus. Keele also began to offer selected postgraduate education programmes offshore via exclusive partnerships to reap further income.[35] Similarly, with the organisation of summer schools and short executive courses.[36] In 2016, true to the original mission set by Lindsay to broaden the academic agenda, Keele introduced an Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences[37] with the aim to transform the University into a British Ivy League liberal Arts College in coming years.[38] This will allow Keele to find a niche market in the provision of undergraduate teaching across disciplines where the university has a comparative advantage as opposed to competing with the more intensive, less student focused research-oriented establishments. It will also enable the institution to focus on targeted research areas e.g. medical and find a clear identity where size is not necessarily an impediment in an increasingly changing higher education landscape.

Green Agenda

With Jonathan Porritts's nomination as Chancellor in February 2012, Keele has placed environmental sustainability at the heart of its university strategy.[39] This is encouraged at every level from senior lecturers to students and aims to instil responsibility as a citizen of the 'global commons'. In 2016, Keele was finalist in the Green Gowns Awards thanks to its "significant reduction in carbon emissions and to a dedicated programme of carbon reduction projects supported by an excellent energy management system".[40] The Green Gown Awards, now in its 12th year, recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges across the UK. Moreover, in the People & Planet Green League 2015 assessments for environmental and ethical performance, Keele ranked 48 of 151 educational establishments.[41] The creation of a SMART energy centre due for completion in 2021 aims to further improve this by allowing the campus to become energy self-sufficient via waste recycling and alternative energy sources.[42]

Campus

University Chapel

Set in the North Staffordshire countryside, Keele's campus is largely rural with many 19th-century architectural features that predate the building of the modern university.[43] It is close to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Hanley (which is the main centre of the City of Stoke-on-Trent). By rail, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool are about an hour,[43]London 90 minutes by rail and three to four hours by road. Hitchikers and lift-sharers can walk to the college from Keele services on the M6.[43] Apart from increasing numbers of academic and residential buildings, other facilities include an astronomical observatory, art gallery, arboretum, Islamic centre, shops, cafés and places to eat and drink. Keele Golf Course and practice range are close by. The campus also has science, business enterprise parks and conference centres. It is also home to the Earth Science Education Unit (ESEU).[44]

From the onset, Christian worship was central to University life. Lindsay, first principal of the University College, was an ardent Christian preaching every Sunday in the Library Reading room of Keele Hall.[45] A permanent structure was required. The chapel came to fruition in 1965. Built from staffordshire blue brick, the chapel accommodates different Christian traditions. John Francis Reuel Tolkien (1917-2003) eldest son of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, was briefly Catholic university chaplain.[46]

Keele Bubble

Many students and staff alike have described Keele as a 'Bubble'. Due to its location in rural settings, initial small student intake and accommodation principally on-campus, all have come to re-inforce a sense of community. In a 2009 final year Psychology student project investigating the phenomenon, the conclusion was that "The Bubble was seen as Keele having its own little environment, like a mini-society, with everyone knowing each other. Keele felt sometimes to be in the middle of nowhere with little sense of the “outside world”. The rural setting helped to produce this, with Keele surrounded by fields. The Bubble feeling meant it was easy to socialise within Keele, and feelings of friendliness, safety closeness to others. Yet it wasn’t all positive. The Bubble sometimes implied feelings that were claustrophobic, isolated and with everyone being on top of each other."[47]

Halls of Residence

There are five halls of residence on the main campus: Horwood, Lindsay, Barnes, Holly Cross and The Oaks. Hawthorns Hall is located off site in Keele village just outside the main entrance. These halls provide accommodation for approximately 70% of all full-time students.[48]

Keele University Observatory

3 of the oldest halls, Horwood (1957), Lindsay (1964) and Barnes (1970) are named after the founding fathers of the university,[49] the Oaks (1992), west of Lindsay Hall is named after 4 oak trees that were felled to pave the way for the university residence and Holly Cross (1993) after the Knights Templars which the ground once belonged to and clearly shaped in a cross.[50] The Hawthorns (1957), remnants of the Sneyd property, in Keele Village, was originally a large house, 2 paddocks and gardens totalling 13 acres of land.[51]

Barnes Hall has no M block (it has A to L and N to X) because the building became unsafe due to subsidence and was demolished. The large open area adjacent to L block helped an urban legend develop that M block sank into the ground due to an abandoned mine tunnel.[52] Another building anomaly is the seventh floor of O Block in Horwood. Although the top storey has windows and walls, the roof was never added.[53]

New Developments

Following student demand for accommodation on-campus, by Christmas 2017, Barnes hall of residence will be re-developed with new residential units added and cater for an additional 453 bedrooms whilst the Hawthorns site will be released for house construction and sale on the open market.[54] A new phase of expansion of student accommodation, moreover, is expected by 2020 with refurbishment of existing stock across halls and increase of total number of study bedrooms from 1,300 to 4,300 with planning application to be submitted in autumn 2016.[55] At present, most students in their first year occupy on-campus accommodation as do some final year students.

Academic Structure

Keele University Chancellor's Building

Keele's academic activities are organised into the following faculties:

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Keele University Colin Reeves Building

Faculty of Natural Sciences

Keele University William Smith Building

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Associated with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences:

Research Institutes

All Keele’s courses, with the exception of Medicine and Pharmacy, are modular, with the academic year divided into two semesters, with breaks at Christmas and Easter.[6] There are approximately 14 students to every member of staff.[56]

Governance

University Chancellor Jonathon Porritt CBE

Principals and Vice-Chancellors

Presidents and Chancellors

Academic profile and reputation

Keele University Forest of Light

The university's distinctive profile reflects the aims of its founders: breadth of study, community atmosphere and authenticity of experience.[58] "The Forest of Light", a modern sculpture installation which carries the motto "Search for truth in the company of friends", was unveiled on 28 November 2012 in Union Square to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the university.

Breadth of study was guaranteed by the "pioneering"[59] four-year dual-honours degree programmes initially offered by Keele.[6] The university's curriculum required every student to study two "principal" subjects to honours level, as well as further "subsidiary" subjects, with an additional requirement that students should study at least one subject from each of the subject groupings of Arts, Sciences and Social Sciences.[60]

In 1961, external examiner, Professor H. H. Price (1899-1984) , Emeritus Professor of Logic at Oxford remarked the standard reached at Keele was comparable with any of the Arts Joint Honours Schools at Oxford and expressed regrets that it was not possible at Oxford to combine Philosophy with Mathematics or Physics or English (Keele had, in effect created what would have been a 'Science Greats' course at Oxford).[61]

The cross-disciplinary requirement was reinforced by the Foundation Year, an innovation which meant that for the first year of the four-year programmes, all students would study a common course of interdisciplinary "foundation studies". In the words of the first UCNS Prospectus, the programme offered:

"...a broad education based upon an understanding of the heritage of civilisation, movements and conditions, and of the nature, methods and influence of the experimental sciences"[62]

Standard three-year degrees were introduced in 1973[63] and the numbers of students following the Foundation Year course have steadily dwindled since. The Foundation Year has never quite been formally discontinued, however, and remains an option for prospective students who qualify for entry into Higher Education, but lack subject-specific qualifications for specific degree programmes.[64] By contrast, the dual honours system at Keele remains distinctive and popular, with almost 90 per cent of current undergraduates reading dual honours.[43] Able to combine any two available subjects, students have a choice of over 500 degree courses in all.[6] The university also offers a study abroad semester to most of its students.[6]

As an experimental community, Keele was initially founded as a "wholly residential"[58] institution. Of the initial intake of 159 students in October 1950, 149 were resident on campus,[65] and it was required of the first professors appointed that they should also be in residence.[66] With the expansion of the university, total residency has long since been abandoned, but the proportion of full-time students resident on campus remains above average at 62% in 2011[67] having fallen from 70% in 2006.[48] A significant proportion of staff also currently live on campus.[67]

With the likes of other new educational establishments, the university did not escape political activism during the 1960s, especially left-wing radicalism,[68] having been dubbed, in its early years, a "School for Socialists"[69] and "The Kremlin on the Hill".[70] This left-wing radicalism, closely associated with its new curriculum, welfare state creation and working-class industrial setting, largely faded over time, and symbolically appeared to end in January 2008, when Keele became the last university in Britain to close its "industrial relations" department, though the courses in industrial relations continue to run and recruit well.[71]

Keele has a graduation rate of over 90%,[6] with 68.4% achieving 1sts or 2:1s.[56] 90% of undergraduates are state-educated (a figure exceeded by only two traditional universities in England), and over 25% of students are from working-class backgrounds.[6] In recent years Keele has attempted to boost this number by reaching out to local schools and hosting a summer school.[6] In February 2011, a Sutton Trust report revealed that 3·4% of students had received free school meals, whilst 7·9% had attended independent schools.[72] This compares the national figures for England of 14% eligible for free school meals,[73] and 7% independently educated.[74]

Rankings

Rankings
QS[75]
(2016/17, national)
53
QS[76]
(2016/17, world)
551–600
THE[77]
(2016/17, national)
53
THE[78]
(2016/17, world)
401–500
Complete[79]
(2017, national)
46
The Guardian[80]
(2017, national)
34
Times/Sunday Times[81]
(2017, national)
42

Keele has an average UCAS points on entry of 352 (2014/2015).[82] Typically three year degree courses ask for A'Level grades (or equivalent) of between AAB and BBC with the exception of Medicine.[83] Keele has made it a priority to attract applicants with ABB grades and above at A'Level. The university also aspires to enter the top 30 across league tables by 2020.[38]

In May 2012 Keele was listed by the Times Higher Education (THE) magazine as among the world's top 100 new (50 years old or less) universities.[84] The periodical stated that: "The 100 Under 50 aims to show which nations are challenging the US and the UK as higher education powerhouses – and offers insights into which institutions may be future world leaders". In September 2016, Keele was awarded 'University of the Year for Student Experience' (The Times and The Sunday Times annual University of the Year awards, 2017).[85]

UCAS Clearing

As with many institutions, during the UCAS Clearing process, pressured to fill places, it has become customary for the university to lower its requirements. For example, in September 2016, the university demanded 200 UCAS points or higher (equivalent to 2 A'Levels at grade B) in 60 of 69 dual and single honours degree subjects with vacancies remaining.[86] This is a drop of a third A'Level grade against initial prospectus demand published in the year of entry. According to the university "Here at Keele we are interested in a broad range of qualities, not just points on entry. We would very much like to learn more about you, your interests, your experience outside of school or college and your motivation."[86] Remaining disciplines in Clearing demanding higher than 200 UCAS points were Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, Chemistry (MChem), Computer Science (MComp), Natural Sciences, Pharmaceutical Science, Technology and Business, Rehabilitation Science, Social Work and Pharmacy.

Teaching

According to the National Student Survey (NSS) and excluding private or specialist institutions, the University ranked 1st for Student Satisfaction in 2014, 2015 and 2016 (jointly with St Andrews University) amongst broad-based educational establishments.[87] The NSS is aimed at final year undergraduates, gathering opinions about their experience of their courses and the institution. It is conducted independently and a key quality indicator of higher education in the UK.[88] In 2015, disciplines that scored highest included Education, Geology, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Biochemistry, English and Mathematics.[38]

Research

Keele submitted 60%[38] of staff in the 2014 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and ranked 57 of 128 institutions by Grade Point Average (GPA)[8] The University scored particularly well in Public health, Health services and Primary care.[89] Medical research includes detecting Parkinson's disease early,[90] and using Stem cell research to aid the healing process.[91] The cochlear implant was developed in the Department of Communication and Neuroscience at Keele. Other notable medical research includes attempts to explain the evolution of the human brain,[92] looking into links between cannabis and mental illness (cited in the debate on 2009 reclassification debate),[93][94] as well as tumour and cancer research.[95][96]

Sociological research includes middle class behaviour[97] especially findings that suggested that the 'law-abiding majority' theory was a myth,[98] and that middle class persons were more likely to commit crimes than commonly believed.[99][100][101] Other research has been undertaken into the effectiveness of social work,[102] including care for the elderly.[103] Educational research has shown how music can help a child develop in school,[104] and how health and safety had affected British children.[105] Other research has shown how e-mails have made communication more complex.[106] The university has also undertaken sports-related research projects,[107] and has worked with the Premier League to develop technology for detecting offside players.[108] Keele academics have also conducted research into how women perceived sport.[109]

In August 2009, university astronomers, led by David Anderson, discovered the first planet that orbits in the opposite direction to the spin of its star.[110] The planet was named WASP-17b.[111] In 2010 Richard Stephens, John Atkins, and Andrew Kingston won the Ig Nobel prize for confirming the widely held belief that swearing relieves pain.[112] In 2010 a medical centre in Newport, Shropshire was completed, for students to learn in real medical situations and research medical sciences.

Keele University Concourse on a Winter Morning

Benchmarking Group

As part if its 2015-20 strategic planning and in order to determine its relative performance, Keele has decided to use a benchmark of 15 key establishments. These include Birmingham, Essex, East Anglia, Exeter, Hull, Kent, Lancaster, Leicester, Liverpool, Loughborough, Manchester, Nottingham, Sussex, Warwick and York.[113]

Mission Groups

Despite previous solicitation, Keele decided to remain outside any lobbying groups allowing the university to develop its own identity and retain its academic independence and impartiality. According to ex-Vice-Chancellor Nick Foskett, commenting on the Russel Group (RG), belonging to such body is contrary to innovation by creating a hierarchy where research funding is more likely to be allocated to universities associated with that group whilst excluding smaller institutions which may have, albeit, an outstanding track record in a particular field. Remaining non-aligned, instead, enables a university to avoid conforming to an overarching body.[114] However, with the need to attract a greater number of home (and particularly lucrative overseas) students, this decision may be revisited as association with the RG can be seen as a label of quality.

International Partnerships

International partnerships include but are not limited to University of Copenhagen; University of Bergen; University of Jyväskylä; University of Iceland; Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (BRSU); Uppsala University; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; University of Limerick; University of Goteborg; Masaryk University; Universidad de Alcala; Concordia University, Montreal; University of Alberta; University of Ottawa; York University; Macquarie University; Western Sydney University; Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia; SUNY Plattsburgh; University of Texas at San Antonio ; University of Utah; Loyola University New Orleans; University of Tennessee at Knoxville; Tokyo Metropolitan University; Nagasaki University.[115]

Finance

As stated in the Statement of Accounts for 2014/15 released by the University, Total income for the year ending 31 July 2015 was just over £134M with a total expenditure of £127.2M. This amounted to a consolidated surplus of £7.4M and a slight increase of £1.2M on a yearly basis.[116] For 2014/15, income was primarily derived from academic fees raking £66.7M (49.6% of total income) with home and EU students accounting for £49.6M followed by international students with £15.5M, short course fees £1.3M and research and training support grants approximately £0.3M.[117] The University has continued to invest in capital projects with the refurbishments of the Walter Moberley and Huxley buildings, an upgrade to the Sports Centre facilities and a new HR/Payroll system.[118]

Library

Keele University Library
Country United Kingdom
Type Academic library
Established 1962 (1962)
Location Keele University, Newcastle Under Lyme
Collection
Items collected books, journals, newspapers, magazines, maps, prints, drawings and manuscripts
Size 590,000 volumes[119]
300,000 ebooks
Legal deposit Included in the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003
Access and use
Access requirements Union Square
Members Students and staff of Keele University
Other information
Director Paul Reynolds
Website https://www.keele.ac.uk/library/about/contact/

Keele University Library celebrated its first 50 years in 2012.

Origins

The university library had humble beginnings not on-campus. When the university was founded in 1948, the librarian's office was located above a public house in Stoke, near the Town Hall.[120] In 1952, the old Sneyd Library was used with 20,000 items which increased to 70,000 by 1954.[121] By 1955, 155,000 volumes were accounted for, necessitating 12 full-time staff. Later, the Senate Room in Keele Hall was used to house the material. However, it was clear that a new building was required and extending Keele Hall. The University Grants Committee provided necessary funding, £290,000 towards the building, £48,000 towards official furniture and equipment. Work officially started in 1961 with opening by Sir Sydney Roberts, then vice-chancellor of Cambridge University and president of the Library Association. Additional expansion of the library was completed in 1966. By the early 1970s, the library was able to accommodate 750 readers and 600,000 books.

Finding the material

Without benefactors, a major problem was finding the source material. Ebooks did not exist and physical copies were required. Stanley Stewart, a Glasgow University graduate, appointed University Librarian, roamed the UK, from one second-hand bookshop to another, reviewing a number of volumes as well as public libraries soliciting unwanted duplicate copies. In 1954, Stewart received a call from a colleague at the Edinburgh University, declaring the library of Professor Charles Sarolea, recently deceased was for sale. It consisted of between 150,000 and 300,000 items.[122] A viewing was organized and agreement reached with the trustees to the purchase of 120,000 books at a cost of £1348. However, the books were in Edinburgh and removing the items without delay was one of the conditions of the agreement. A price per ton was fixed with British Road Services and the books arrived, first in a Methodist Church school where each was sorted and catalogued. When the school lease expired in 1957, a disused brickworks in Madeley was briefly used to house the books before movement to the new building on-campus in 1961. Today, a third of total volumes are available in electronic format.

Modernization

The library catalogue and circulation system was automated in 1990.[121] In 1993, the Computer Centre merged with the Library, renamed Keele Information Services (KIS). The library allowed for new PC labs and an IT Helpdesk to assist students. In 2005, following students' requests, a group study area was incorporated in the short-loan library. With further upgrade in 2006, a self-service digitized counter was opened and refurbishment of different library wings. The library is now opened 24/7 during each semester.

Health resources

With the founding of the Keele University School of Medicine, a health library is available to both Keele students and National Health Service (NHS) staff at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. An IT suite complements the material with 60 workstations.[123]

Library collections

Student life

Keele University Student Union

Student Union

Keele University Students' Union organises social activities throughout the year. There are student socials most nights, with Rewind and a fortnightly "Flirt!" night. The union has several bars: The Scruffy Squirrel, Blueprint and K2, and restaurants: Blend and Munch, along with stalls outside, including a Farmer's Market every Tuesday. The Students' Union building underwent a major refurbishment that was completed in September 2012. In 2013 it ranked fifth in a national student satisfaction survey. There is a long tradition of professional advice and support, offered through "ASK" – Advice and Support at Keele, complementing the University's own student support services. The Keele Postgraduate Association, founded in 1963 as the Keele Research Association, has its own clubhouse and offers similar support to postgraduate and doctoral students.

Keele University Union Square

The students' union magazine Concourse was founded in 1964 and is issued about once a month.[124] It is editorially independent of both the university and the students' union.

Student Activity

The Keele team won the 1968 series of University Challenge.[125] The same team also made runner up to Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (1979) in the 2002 special University Challenge: Reunited. In the early 1980s Keele attracted the attention of the national press and television news when some students founded a 'cuddling society' and a 'mass cuddle' was filmed in the car park outside the students' union.The post-modern sculpture situated outside Keele's library was stolen by a visiting sports team, only to be later retrieved and securely fitted. In 2005 the same statue was damaged in protest against the university's policy of fining its undergraduate students.

Bus Serving Keele Campus

In 2007, Keele students were responsible for getting Keele featured as a location on the UK "Here and Now" version of the traditional board game Monopoly. People in the UK had an opportunity to vote for which places should make the board, and Keele was the highest "wild-card" location which made it on. It even finished higher on the board than London, and takes the place of "Fleet Street" in the game.[126] Later that year, Keele students won a competition hosted by O2 via Facebook called "The battle for the UK's favourite university", scoring over 172,000 points by uploading photos, videos and making wall posts on the group. The prize for winning the competition was a party at their students' union, hosted by O2.

Student Radio

There is also a student radio station called KUBE Radio (Keele University Broadcasting Enterprises), broadcast over the Internet. In 2008 it was recognized as the most internationally acclaimed student radio station, with awards for Best Online Only Radio Station in both the New York Festivals and the European Radio Awards.

Keele University Playing Field

Student Sports

Keele has a tradition of participation in many different sports, ranging from rugby to lacrosse and dodgeball. Sports teams and issues raised are managed by the Athletic Union. The leisure centre is one of the largest dry leisure complexes in Staffordshire.[127] The centre has two national standard sports halls, a single court gymnasium, a fitness centre, dance studio and climbing wall. Outside there is an all weather floodlit AstroTurf pitch, tennis courts and extensive playing fields. It is also the first university centre in the UK to offer a full "Kinesis" gym facility.[128]

Keele University Sports Centre hosts the matches of Newcastle (Staffs) Volleyball Club, providing around 110 tiered seats with the perfect view of some of the best matches in English Volleyball. The university also hosts the "Keele International Cup", formerly the "Umbro International Cup", an international youth football tournament which attracts several football teams from around the world. A notable former competitor in the tournament is former Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham, who played for the Manchester United Academy back when the tournament was still being held in Manchester.[129] Keele University Men's Football Club took home the men's title in 2014.

Keele University All-Weather Football Pitch

In 2012, Keele University also took part in the first official inter-university Muggle Quidditch match, winning and thus becoming the top ranked team in the country. The sport has since expanded and Keele have remained one of the forerunners, finishing in second place at the British Quidditch Cup in November 2013. The university also hosted 8 teams for the Northern Cup in March 2014.

Varsity

Since 2007, Keele University's Athletic Union has played an annual multi-sports varsity series against local rivals Staffordshire University. The varsity match occurs at both universities sports facilities, alternating between the venues each year. Sports included in the contest include football, cricket, rugby, badminton, lacrosse, swimming, volleyball, netball, hockey, fencing, tennis, basketball and frisbee. Keele has won the varsity trophy for the past six years consecutively, winning in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Staffordshire University won in 2007 and 2009.

Symbols

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was adapted from that belonging to the Sneyd family[130] but the motto has not changed. However. additions have been made to the shield including the colours red and yellow to represent those of the County of Staffordshire as well as the chevron. The Stafford knot for Stafford, the Fleur-de-Lys for Burton upon Trent and the Fret which depicts the historical association with the textile industry of Stoke-on-Trent. Rodin's Le Penseur is also represented amidst a wreath of laurel vert.

Academic dress

The academic gowns reflects the colours of the County of Staffordshire and are either yellow or red and yellow. Higher Doctorates utilize purple and red whilst the college of fellows use red and gold.[131]

Logo

In 2011, the university unveiled a new logo with the shield and motifs of the coat of arms returning but green now added to associate the university's North Staffordshire rural campus setting and overall commitment to the environment.[132]

Notable people

Academics

Alumni

Law
Politics
TV and journalism
Literature and the arts

Popular culture

Keele University was featured in Marvellous, the biographical film about honorary graduate Neil Baldwin broadcast on BBC Two in September 2014. Many scenes in the film revisited his time at the university and the start of his friendship with Keele graduate Malcolm Clarke. In 2015, the film was nominated for three BAFTA Awards, winning best single drama, with actress Gemma Jones also winning best supporting actress. Toby Jones who played Neil Baldwin in the film was nominated for best leading actor.

References

  1. https://www.keele.ac.uk/finance/accounts/Year-end%20Accounts%20July%202015.pdf
  2. "Professor Trevor McMillan". Keele University.
  3. 1 2 https://www.keele.ac.uk/finance/accounts/Year-end%20Accounts%20July%202015.pdf; p25
  4. 1 2 3 "2014/15 Students by HE provider, level, mode and domicile" (XLSX). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  5. University, Keele. "Keele's Dragon mascot, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "History of the University of Keele". Keele University. Keele University. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  7. "Keele's Colours and Badges". Keele Heraldry, Colours and Scarves. Keele University. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  8. 1 2 https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/Attachments/2014/12/17/k/a/s/over-14-01.pdf
  9. Ward, John 'The Borough of Stoke-upon-Trent, in the Commencement of the Reign of the Reign of her Most Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria', 1843, W Lewis & Son, London
  10. University, Staffordshire. "Early Beginnings". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  11. Whyte, William, 'Redbrick: A Social and Architectural History of Britain's Civic Universities', Oxford University Press, 2015, p222.
  12. Taylor, Richard & Steele, Tom, 'British Labour and Higher Education, 1945 to 2000: Ideologies, Policies and Practice', Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011, p50.
  13. "Balliol College History". Archived from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
  14. Kolbert (2000), p.8
  15. Kolbert, JM 'Keele: The First 50 years', Melandrium Books; 2000. p13
  16. 1 2 Kolbert (2000), p.19
  17. Kolbert (2000), p.22
  18. Kolbert (2000), p.30
  19. 1 2 Kolbert (2000), p.37
  20. Kolbert, JM 'Keele: The First 50 years', Melandrium Books; 2000. p39
  21. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; obituaries 1999
  22. Kolbert, JM 'Keele: The First 50 years', Melandrium Books; 2000. p119
  23. Kolbert (2000), p.108
  24. name="ReferenceA">https://www.keele.ac.uk/thekeeleoralhistoryproject/historyinkeelebuildings/
  25. University, Keele. "International Relations, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  26. University, Keele. "Keele World Affairs, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  27. Kolbert, JM 'Keele: The First 50 years', Melandrium Books; 2000. p177
  28. Walker, David 'Proposals Would Merge Britain's University of Keele with nearby Polytechnic of North Staffordshire'; Chronicle of Higher Education, 31, 10 (6 November 1985),39, 42
  29. Gentleman, Amelia (23 December 1998). "Fears grow that books from Newton's library may go abroad". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  30. Paton, Graeme (19 November 2009). "University and college awards: the winners". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  31. University, Keele. "Undergraduate, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  32. MacLeod, Donald (29 December 2004). "Keele closes German department". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  33. Taylor, Matthew; Macleod, Donald (9 December 2004). "Keele plans to drop physics". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  34. University, Keele. "Modern Languages, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  35. http://www.sliit.lk/admissions/msc-project-management/
  36. https://www.keele.ac.uk/studyabroad/keelestudentsstudyingabroad/shortprogrammessummerschools/
  37. University, Keele. "Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  38. 1 2 3 4 https://www.keele.ac.uk/vco/vice-chancellorsaddress/VC%20Address%208th%20October%202015%20.pdf
  39. University, Keele. "Energy & Environment, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  40. "Green Gown Awards 2016 – Carbon Reduction – Keele University – Finalist - Sustainability Exchange". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  41. Planet, People &. "People & Planet University League 2015 - The Tables - People & Planet". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  42. "Staffordshire £32m energy scheme 'to create 20,000 jobs'". BBC News. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  43. 1 2 3 4 Wignall, Alice (20 January 2004). "What's it like to work at... ... the University of Keele". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  44. "ESEU". earthscienceeducation.com/. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  45. Kolbert, JM 'Keele The First 50 Years : A Portrait of the University'; Melandrium Books, 2000
  46. "Fr John Tolkien Biography". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  47. https://www.keele.ac.uk/media/keeleuniversity/facnatsci/schpsych/newsletters/psyktalk/newsletter%204a4v2.pdf
  48. 1 2 "About Keele University". 9 August 2006. Archived from the original on 9 September 2006. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
  49. Pevsner, Nikolaus, 'Staffordshire: The Buildings of England'; Penguin UK, 1999, p161 & 162
  50. Tringham J Nigel; A History of the Country Of Stafford: Audley, Keele and Trentham';Boydell & Brewer, 2013, p140
  51. North Staffordshire Journal of Field Studies, Volume 22, University of Keele, 1982, p160
  52. "keele university 1993 near Keele University, Science Park, Keele, Newcastle-under-Lyme, UK". Google Maps. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  53. "Keele University Leisure Centre". Google Maps. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  54. University, Keele. "About the new Barnes development , Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  55. University, Keele. "Accommodation Enhancement and Expansion Project, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  56. 1 2 "Profile: Keele University". The Sunday Times. 13 September 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  57. "Keele University Announces New Chancellor" (Press release). Keele University. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  58. 1 2 "Aims of the College", from the Programme for the official opening of UCNS, 17 April 1951. Reproduced in Kolbert (2000), pp.70–72
  59. "Uni. finder > West Midlands > Keele University". HERO. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
  60. Kolbert (2000), p.48
  61. Kolbert, JM 'Keele: The First 50 years', Melandrium Books; 2000. p105
  62. UCNS Prospectus, for Session 1950–51. Quoted in Kolbert (2000), p.39
  63. Kolbert (2000), p.141
  64. "Foundation Years". Undergraduate Prospectus 2006. Keele University. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
  65. Kolbert (2000), p.64
  66. Kolbert (2000), p.41
  67. 1 2 "Facts and Figures – Keele University". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  68. Kolbert (2000), pp.142–151
  69. The Sentinel (Staffordshire), November 1946. Quoted in Kolbert (2000), p.23
  70. Kolbert (2000), p.67
  71. Gall, Gregor (28 January 2008). "The death of industrial relations". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  72. "Full list of university access". BBC News. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  73. Nelson, Michael; Jane Bradbury; Jenny Poulter; Alice McGee; Siphosami Msebele; Lindsay Jarvis (2004). "School Meals in Secondary Schools in England" (PDF). National Centre for Social Research. London: King's College London: 1. ISBN 1 84478 276 X.
  74. "Sector Statistics". isc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  75. "QS World University Rankings 2016/17 - United Kingdom". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  76. "QS World University Rankings 2016/17". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  77. "World University Rankings 2016-17 - United Kingdom". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  78. "World University Rankings 2016-17". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  79. "University League Table 2017". The Complete University Guide. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  80. "University league tables 2017". The Guardian. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  81. "The Times and Sunday Times University Good University Guide 2017". Times Newspapers. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  82. "University Guide 2016 - The Times". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  83. "Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  84. THE (Times Higher Education) 31 May 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012
  85. "Keele University wins national award". 23 September 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  86. 1 2 http://www.keele.ac.uk/clearing/
  87. University, Keele. "Facts and Figures, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  88. "The National Student Survey 2016". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  89. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/Attachments/2014/12/17/g/o/l/sub-14-01.pdf
  90. "Intense light 'could detect Parkinson's'". The Daily Telegraph. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  91. Devlin, Kate (6 April 2009). "Patients' own stem cells to be used to patch up holes in bones". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  92. Highfield, Roger (9 June 2008). "Study traces the evolution of the human brain". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  93. Hope, Christopher (7 May 2008). "Cannabis U-turn: Q and A". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  94. Banerjee, Subhajit (3 April 2008). "Cannabis should remain Class C, says Advisory Council". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  95. Clout, Laura (4 September 2007). "Deodorants 'may be linked to breast cancer'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  96. Highfield, Roger (18 April 2008). "Nanomagnet system could target tumours". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  97. Paton, Graeme; Helm, Toby (10 November 2010). "Middle classes abandon state schools". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
  98. "Law-abiding majority is myth, claims survey". The Daily Telegraph. 26 June 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  99. "Crime now a middle class act". The Daily Telegraph. 25 June 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  100. Highfield, Roger; Derbyshire, David (12 September 2003). "Crime is a class act as Britain hits back at rip-off culture". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  101. Womack, Sarah (8 June 2004). "Middle class 'more likely to dodge car tax or TV licence'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  102. Womack, Sarah (19 August 2004). "One in three babies taken into care is abused again at home". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  103. O'Hara, Mary (7 July 2004). "Village people". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  104. Hislop, Victoria (23 June 2001). "Tune in to the power of music". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  105. Lightfoot, Liz (8 December 2000). "Safety fears put an end to playground games". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  106. Uhlig, Robert (4 December 2000). "Millions log off internet 'to join the real world'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  107. "Officials to see the light over offsides". The Daily Telegraph. 10 July 2001. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  108. Ley, John (10 July 2001). "Aid to offside decisions". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  109. Uhlig, Robert; Derbyshire, David; Highfield, Roger (13 September 2000). "Glamorous stars 'put women off sport'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  110. Highfield, Roger (31 October 2007). "Alien worlds suggest Earth-like planets". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  111. Rincorn, Paul (12 August 2009). "New exoplanet orbits 'backwards'". BBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  112. Alleyne, Richard (1 October 2010). "Annual Ig Nobel awards presented for the most 'improbable' research". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  113. University, Keele. "Keele's Benchmarking Group , Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  114. https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2013/jun/27/mission-group-identities-stifles-university-innovation
  115. University, Keele. "Partner Universities, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  116. https://www.keele.ac.uk/finance/accounts/Year-end%20Accounts%20July%202015.pdf, p2
  117. https://www.keele.ac.uk/finance/accounts/Year-end%20Accounts%20July%202015.pdf, p24
  118. https://www.keele.ac.uk/finance/accounts/Year-end%20Accounts%20July%202015.pdf,p4
  119. University, Keele. "Library 50th Anniversary, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  120. Kolbert, JM 'Keele - The First 50 Years: A Portrait of the University', Melandrium Books, 2000 p 42 & 43
  121. 1 2 University, Keele. "Library 50th Anniversary, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  122. Kolbert, JM 'Keele - The First 50 Years: A Portrait of the University', Melandrium Books, 2000 p43
  123. University, Keele. "Joining the Library, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  124. "Early student publications". The Keele Oral History Project. Keele University. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  125. "University Challenge Series Champions". blanchflower.org. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
  126. "Monopoly launches UK-wide edition". BBC News. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  127. "Environment and Facilities". Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2007.
  128. "Keele University Annual Review 2005" (PDF). 2006. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
  129. "DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM". Imagine Football. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  130. "Sneyd Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  131. University, Keele. "Before the Day, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  132. University, Keele. "Keele Heraldry, Colours and Scarves, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  133. 1 2 3 University, Keele. "Notable Keelites, Keele University". Retrieved 6 November 2016.

Bibliography

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.