University of Huddersfield

The University of Huddersfield is a public research university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It has been a University since 1992, but has its origins in a series of institutions dating back to the 19th century. It has made teaching quality a particular focus of its activities, winning the inaugural Higher Education Academy Global Teaching Excellence Award in 2017, and achieving a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold Award, in 2017 and 2023. The university has also put an increasing focus on research quality, and as of 2022 more than three quarters of its academic staff hold a doctorate, the third highest rate in England.

Its chancellor George W. Buckley, a graduate of the university and a former CEO of 3M, was appointed in 2020.

History

The present University of Huddersfield can trace its history back through several predecessor institutions.

An early failed start (1825)

In 1825 there was an attempt to set up a Scientific and Mechanics Institution in the town. Supported by a group of donors, its patron was leading Whig and large local landowner Sir John Ramsden. Its aims were to instruct local mechanics and tradesmen in scientific principles relating to their work, through lectures and a circulation library, which by 1827 contained over 700 volumes. The financial crisis of 1825–1826 led to the failure of the institution’s bankers, and it faltered and later became part of the Huddersfield Philosophical Society, an organisation with which its rules now more closely aligned. Some 19th-century students earned qualifications as external students of the University of London.

Young Men's Mental Improvement Society (1841–1843)

The history of the university is usually traced to 1841. It was in that year that five young men who were employed by local industrialist Frederic Schwann, who had been born in Frankfurt, approached their employer for support in establishing a new subscription library and some elementary educational classes, ‘to supply in some cases the deficiency of early instruction, and to procure for others the means of further improvement’. They first met in the Temperance Hotel, Cross Church Street, Huddersfield in May 1841. Classes began for the first 40 or so pupils in the room of the British School at Outcote Bank, and were taught by experienced staff from the local Collegiate Schools and businessmen like Schwann. A subscription library was founded, and classes were delivered in Reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, design and French.

Huddersfield Mechanics' Institution (1844–1883)

The increase in student numbers prompted a move to Nelson's Buildings in New Street, and the renaming of the institution to more closely reflect its remit. The first Secretary, Robert Neil, was appointed in 1844, and acted not just as a Secretary but as a teacher-supervisor, influencing the formative development of the organisation. In March 1844 he organised a Soiree (tea party) for 700 at the town's Philosophical Hall, and in May a Rural Gala for 500 at Fixby Pastures. Negotiations with the local railway company led to reduced fares into York for 300 membership to enjoy the cultural opportunities of the city. In 1846, Neil was succeeded by George Searle Phillips, who was described by historian John O'Connell as 'philosopher, propagandist and missionary' of the institution. He oversaw expansion of the curriculum, revision of the fee system to make the institution self-supporting, the visitation of absent students and the compilation of statistics of the institution's achievements.

Campuses

Queensgate Campus

The university's main campus, Queensgate, is south-east of Huddersfield town centre. Virtually all of the university's teaching takes place on the site. The campus is split in two by the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. It features a mixture of converted mill buildings, and purpose-built facilities. More than £250 million has been invested by the university in the campus.

A notable feature of the University of Huddersfield in recent years has been the amount of building work taking place on the Queensgate campus. The Creative Arts Building opened in 2008, and it has since been adorned by a large piece of public art in the form of the poem Let There Be Peace, by Lemn Sissay. The new £17 million Business School opened in 2010, followed by the £3 million Buckley Innovation Centre in 2012, the £22.5 million Student Central building in 2014, and the £27.5 million Oastler Building for Law and the School of Music, Humanities and Media, in 2017. Redevelopments of existing buildings include the creation of the £1 million Holocaust Centre, opened in 2018, now known as Holocaust Centre North.

As part of the university's 175th anniversary commemorations in 2016, several of the buildings on the Queensgate campus were renamed after significant figures with connections to the Huddersfield area and the university's predecessor institutions. The distinctive brown Central Services Building was renamed the Schwann Building, after Frederic and Mary Schwann who had been inspired to create the Young Men's Mental Improvement Society in 1841. Other buildings were named for Edith Key, Joseph Priestley, the Brontë sisters and the university's own chancellor emeritus, Sir Patrick Stewart.

In a second round of renaming in 2017, other campus buildings were named in honour of Karen Sparck Jones, Dame Caroline Haslett, Sir John Cockcroft, and Charles Sikes.

The university's latest major building project, the Barbara Hepworth Building, is home to teaching across subjects in art, design and architecture. It was completed in summer 2019.

Next, the university plans to build a Health Innovation Campus, at the nearby Southgate site. The area had been derelict since the demolition of the old Huddersfield Sports Centre. The proposals were approved by Kirklees Council in 2020 and form part of the broader Huddersfield Blueprint project under which a series of redevelopment schemes are taking place throughout the town.

In 2021, the Yorkshire Film and Television School was launched at the university. It features a custom-built film studio facility on Firth Street in Huddersfield, on the edge of the campus. It has been named the Stewart Film Studio, after the university's chancellor emeritus Sir Patrick Stewart.

Organisation and governance

Chancellor

The university's first two chancellors were Reginald Cross, who held the role between 1992 and 1994, and Sir Ernest Hall, who served between 1996 and 2004.

Sir Patrick Stewart served as chancellor for 11 years, having first been appointed in 2004. He has been a regular visitor to the campus, sometimes leading workshops with drama students, in addition to being an overseas ambassador for the university. One feature of Sir Patrick's tenure as chancellor was his attendance at summer graduation ceremonies, and his leading of parades of graduates through the town. The first such parade took place in 2008. He has continued his association with the university as emeritus chancellor. In 2016, the building used by the university's Drama department, previously known as the Milton building, was renamed the Sir Patrick Stewart building. He returned to the campus to reopen it.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York replaced Sir Patrick Stewart to become the university’s fourth chancellor in July 2015. He had previously served as the patron of the university since 2013. In 2013 he opened the university's centre for young entrepreneurs situated in the Buckley Innovation Centre. He resigned in 2019 following a Newsnight interview concerned with his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and amid student protests against him; the student union had called for his resignation and issued a statement that the university's chancellor was "a man with ties to organised child sexual exploitation and assault."

Since 2020, the chancellor has been businessman and graduate of the university, George W. Buckley.

Senior management

The university is run by the vice-chancellor, Professor Bob Cryan. Underneath him is deputy vice-chancellor, Professor Tim Thornton, and three pro vice-chancellors. Each of the five academic schools is led by a dean, with a seventh dean who oversees the graduate school. The university previously had seven schools, but the former schools of Art, Design and Architecture and Music, Humanities and Media merged in 2021 to form the school of Arts and Humanities. Other university services are run by directors.

Academic profile

Academic schools

The university is organised into the following academic schools:

• Applied Sciences
• Arts and Humanities
• Computing and Engineering
• School of Business, Education and Law
• Human and Health Sciences

Research

The university has world-leading applied research groups in biomedical sciences, engineering and physical sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities. It has quadrupled its research income and its number of postgraduate researchers in recent years.

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, the University of Huddersfield achieved its best ever result. It rose to 68th in the UK Research Power league table, having been placed 97th in the 2008 REF. More University of Huddersfield academics, 262, were entered than in any previous cycle, and the proportion of world leading research submitted increased to 15%.

The 2021 REF allowed the university to further develop its performance, submitting 589 academic staff. It is now placed in the top third of all UK institutions on the measurement of 'research power'.

The university also host the MIAMI facilities, a world-class laboratory addressed to materials sciences investigations and energy studies.

Reputation and rankings

It was ranked 701+ in the 2015–16 QS World University Rankings. The university was the Entrepreneurial University of the Year at the THE awards 2012. It won the Outstanding Registry Team 2013 at the THE Leadership and Management awards 2013. The university was University of the Year at the THE awards 2013. In 2014 the university was named the Times Higher Education's (THE) Best University Workplace. The university was the New University of the Year at the Educate North Awards 2015. The university has also been ranked as 20th place on the QS World University Rankings for the subject of Music, being the highest ranked non-conservatoire university in Britain on the list.

The university has a policy of ensuring all academic staff have, or are working towards, a teaching qualification. In 2016, the university came top among all UK universities for having qualified teaching staff. More than 90% of its academics were found to have a teaching qualification, with the next-highest institution scoring 84%. By 2020, the university remained joint top among English universities.

Heritage Quay

The university's archive collection is named Heritage Quay and housed in the Schwann building on the Queensgate Campus. It holds the archives of all the university's predecessor institutions. Heritage Quay opened in 2014 and is open to the general public, allowing easier access to both students and non-students to the many collections within the university's archives. It received more than £1.5 million in Lottery funding, and in 2016 won the Buildings That Inspire category in The Guardian's University Awards. Heritage Quay is home to the archive of the Rugby Football League. The university has been partnering with the RFL and Kirklees Council as part of a project to turn the historic George Hotel in Huddersfield into a national museum of rugby league although the project has been thrown into some doubt by the council's desire to house the museum at a different location in the town. Heritage Quay's collections focus on "education, British 20th/21st century music, sport, politics, theatre, and art and design". In 2023, it became the new home of brass band history.

Student life

Accommodation

The Storthes Hall Park Student Village and Ashenhurst Student Houses are the university-affiliated accommodation. These residences are privately owned and operated by Digs Student, independently of the university.

Storthes Hall is situated in a parkland to the south of the town with 1,386 en-suite single, double or disabled bedrooms in shared flats of six to eight students.

Ashenhurst Houses are located in woodlands close to the campus and Storthes Hall Park. There are 280 single bedrooms in shared houses of six to eight students, all with shared facilities including a communal lounge and kitchen/dining area.

HudLets work with halls of residences and private landlords to ensure students have access to high-quality accommodation at a fair price during their studies. Incorporated In 2014, Huddersfield Students' Union Lettings LTD (trading as HudLets) is a subsidiary of Huddersfield Students' Union.

Students' Union

Huddersfield Students' Union (HSU) represents, supports and advises students on all aspects of their time at the university.

HSU is a charity based on campus, led by students for students, although they work closely with the university, it is a completely separate organisation. The Union is home to over 100 student-led Sports Clubs and Societies and five Student Networks helping members making change on and off campus. The student-run radio station Radio Hud and magazine and website Galvanise are among the prominent media-focused societies which operate from the SU. Galvanise relaunched in 2022, having previously been known as T'Hud.

The Students' Union is also home to a lettings agency (HudLets), an Advice Centre and Shop.

In November 2017 HSU celebrated its 90th birthday.

In January 2014 HSU moved to Floor 5 of the newly purpose-built Student Central building. The building cost £22.5 million and includes an 800-capacity sports hall, catering outlets, a shop, offices for the student radio station Radio Hud and magazine T'Hud, and a range of university support services including welfare and the careers centre. There was some controversy when the new building opened as it does not include a bar. Reports suggested the bar in the previous union building had been losing as much as £100,000 a year, with students instead choosing to drink at home or in other nearby pubs and clubs.

Noted people

Royal connections

The university has developed a significant association with the royal family in recent years, in particular with the appointment of Prince Andrew, Duke of York as patron in 2013 and then chancellor in 2015, although he later resigned in 2019. The Duke's former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, was in 2016 given the title of Visiting Professor of Philanthropreneurship. Their elder daughter, Princess Beatrice, has also visited the university to meet students and view their work.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the campus in 2007 to lay the foundation stone of the Creative Arts Building. Other royals to have visited the university in the years since include Anne, Princess Royal, who in 2015 opened the new Student Central building, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Charles, Prince of Wales visited University Campus Barnsley in 2012.

In 2022, the university's Centre for Precision Technologies was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize, at a prize giving event at St James's Palace in London.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)