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University of York
Motto:	In limine sapientiae On the threshold of wisdom
Established	1963
Type:	Public
Chancellor:	Greg Dyke
Vice-Chancellor:	Professor Brian Cantor
Staff:	3,082
Students:	13,750 [1]
Undergraduates:	9,555 [1]
Postgraduates:	4,195 [1]
Location	Heslington, York, UK
Campus:	Heslington and King's Manor
Affiliations:	1994 Group EUA White Rose WUN N8 Group
Website:	http://www.york.ac.uk/

The University of York is a campus university in York, England. Over 30 departments and centres cover a wide range of subjects in the arts, social sciences, science and technology. A proportion of the university's teaching is divided along collegiate lines; some students also live in college accommodation.

The landscaped campus, constructed in the mid-1960s, is on the outskirts of the medieval city, north and west of the village of Heslington. This campus is home to York Science Park and the National Science Learning Centre. The university occupies a number of historic buildings in the city centre, and also has permission to build a planned extension to the campus on arable land east of Heslington that was taken out of the green belt for the purpose.

Heslington Hall

One of a series of new British universities, the University of York was opened in 1963, admitting 200 students. At the time the university consisted of three buildings, principally the King's Manor (former residence of Thomas Wentworth, and one-time headquarters of the Council of the North) and Heslington Hall (former residence of Thomas Eynns, Secretary and Keeper of the Seal to the Council of the North). A year later, work began on the Heslington Campus (see below), which today forms the main part of the University.

There were several earlier proposals for the development of a university in York. In 1903 F. J. Munby and others (including the Yorkshire Philosophical Society) proposed a "Victoria University of Yorkshire",^[2] whilst the then College of Ripon and York St John also at one time considered purchasing Heslington Hall as part of a proposed new campus.

In newspaper league tables, York frequently ranks within the top ten universities in the UK, coming second in The Daily Telegraph university league table in 2001, and in 2003 The Sunday Times named it "University of the Year". In 2007 the Sunday Times ranked York 8th in its overall university league tables, but the Guardian's 2006 ranking and the Times's 2007 ratings both ranked York in 15th place. In November 2007 the QS-Times Higher Education Supplement ranked York 74th in the world, a rise of 50 places from 2006. It is also frequently at the top of subject specific league tables.

York has an impressive reputation for research with 18 subjects out of 23 receiving a rating of 5 and three 5* ratings in the last Research Assessment Exercise. York is a founder member of the World Universities Network WUN which supports world-wide collaboration in teaching and research. In 2005 the University was awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize for CNAP, the Centre for Novel Agricultural products which explores the potential from the biosphere to reduce the global economy's dependence on fossil reserves and fuel.^[3]

There are around eight applications for every place and a very low dropout rate of 4% (only Oxbridge, Bristol, and UCL are lower).^[4]

In 2007 York became the only British University to have an academic department – Chemistry – win the Athena Swan Gold award for its commitment to the careers of women in science. The Department of Psychology has won a silver Athena Swan award, the first in the country to do so, Biology also has silver, and the University as a whole holds the Athena Swan bronze award.

The university is based on eight colleges, which provide accommodation for students and some academic departments. In practice, the colleges fall somewhere between the halls of residence seen in other UK universities and the traditional Oxbridge colleges. By date of construction the colleges are:

• Derwent, after the River Derwent
• Langwith, after Langwith Common and the abandoned village of Langwith
• Alcuin, after Alcuin of York, a monk and scholar who became the adviser of Emperor Charlemagne
• Vanbrugh, after architect John Vanbrugh
• Goodricke, after astronomer John Goodricke
• Wentworth, now a postgraduate only college, after Earl Thomas Wentworth
• James, (originally a graduate-only college but admitted undergraduates in the academic year 1993/94) after Lord James of Rusholme (the University's first Vice Chancellor)
• Halifax, originally Halifax Court, made a college in the academic year 2001/02, after Lord Halifax

(Derwith, a shared extension of Derwent and Langwith colleges, on the other side of University Road to both of its parents, was built in about 1988)

There are also several off-campus residences, including Constantine House, Walmgate, and Fairfax House.

• Archaeology, located at the King's Manor, incorporates the former Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies.
• Biology
• Borthwick Institute for Archives
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Economics and Related Studies, located in Alcuin College.
• Educational Studies, located in Langwith College.
• Centre for Eighteenth-Century Studies located in the King's Manor
• Centre for Health Economics
• Centre for Housing Policy
• Centre for Women's Studies
• Electronics
• English and Related Literature, located in Langwith College.
• Environment
• Health Sciences
• History, located in Vanbrugh College.
• History of Art, located in Vanbrugh College.
• The York Law School, located in Sally Baldwin Buildings D Block
• Language and Linguistic Science
• The York Management School
• Mathematics, located in Goodricke College.
• The Hull York Medical School, opened in 2003, is shared between the Heslington campus and the University of Hull.
• Centre for Medieval Studies located in the King's Manor
• Music, containing one of the earliest electronic music studios built in the United Kingdom. It was also one of the first departments to include the teaching of ethnomusicology in its undergraduate courses, and has its own gamelan orchestra.
• Philosophy, located in Derwent College.
• Physics
• Politics, located in Derwent College.
• School of Politics, Economics and Philosophy, located in Derwent College.
• Psychology
• Social Policy and Social Work, located in the Seebohm Rowntree Building, Alcuin College.
• Sociology, located in Wentworth College. Staff in the sociology department work actively on various topics, including conversation analysis and sociological theory. The department contains an important Science and Technology Studies Unit, based in the department at Wentworth College.
• Theatre, Film and Television located in Genesis 6
• The Centre for Novel Agricultural Products

The campus is also home to the National Science Learning Centre. Opened in March 2006 by Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, it serves as the hub for a £51 million national network of Centres dedicated to revitalising science teaching in schools. It is operated by the White Rose University Consortium (which comprises the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York) together with Sheffield Hallam University.

Central Hall

In 1964, work began on the campus facilities in the grounds of Heslington Hall. The marshy land was drained, forming the narrow, winding lake which dominates the campus, and extensively landscaped. The original buildings were designed by architect Andrew Derbyshire, and assembled using the CLASP system of prefabricated construction. Scattered around the lake, the buildings are connected by numerous covered walkways and bridges. Most of the university's arts departments inhabit the colleges, while many of the science departments have their own buildings.

A major landmark building is Central Hall, a daringly-designed half-octagonal concert hall whose appearance is frequently likened to that of a spaceship. As well as University convocations and examinations, it is used as a venue for theatrical and musical performances, and has played host to George Melly, Jimi Hendrix, Soft Machine, Pink Floyd, and Paul McCartney. Performances by big-name acts have been rarer at the university following a 1985 Boomtown Rats concert, during which the cover of the Central Hall orchestra pit was damaged.^[5][6] A ban on pop performances, and in particular dancing, in Central Hall was imposed by the University, although it has occasionally been waived. Central Hall is still used for classical concerts. Public concerts are regularly held in the music department's Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, the Rymer Auditorium and in some of the colleges.

The campus lake has attracted a large population of wild and semi-wild waterfowl. These include Greylag, Canada, Barnacle and Snow geese, coots, moorhens and large numbers of ducks, including mallards, Tufted Duck, and Common Pochards. There is also a growing population of Black Swans and a few Great Crested Grebes. The southern end of the lake has been established as a bird sanctuary. Fishing is permitted in season, on purchase of a licence.

The Heslington campus has both indoor and outdoor sports facilities, including an all weather pitch and County standard cricket pitch. A large, tent-like structure allows for indoor sport, gymnastics and dance.

A view of the J. B. Morrell Library, the University's main academic library, north-west from near Langwith College at the Heslington campus

Main article: King's Manor

Located in the centre of the city of York, around three miles from the main Heslington campus, The King's Manor is home to the Archaeology, Medieval Studies and Eighteenth Century Studies departments and is regularly used by other similar departments such as History. It has a public restaurant and is used for art displays.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

University Radio York (URY), the student radio station, is the oldest independent radio station in the United Kingdom, and winner of the Student Radio Awards Best Station Award 2005. Nouse, the oldest student newspaper on Campus, was established in 1964 and was 2005 NUS/Mirror Student paper of the year; its rival newspaper, Vision, was named Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year for three consecutive years between 2002 and 2004 - the only time this has occurred in the 27-year history of the prestigious awards. It also won Best Small Budget Publication at the 2006 NUS/Mirror National Student Media Awards. There also exists student television station YSTV founded in 1967. The University of York Filmmaking Society is a student-run film-making group: since 1999 its members have made two feature films and many shorts, some of which have been shown at national film festivals.

The University of York Music Society and The University of York DramaSoc are two of the largest student societies on campus; the former collaborate with the Central Hall Musical Society in staging an annual musical. Other performing societies include the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and Pantsoc who stage an annual student pantomime. FUSION was recently founded to promote the ever-growing urban music scene and to raise money for charity.

The York Union Society is the University of York's debating union, which competes in intervarsity tournaments against other universities.

Each College has its own JCRC or students' association which provides a variety of services, including college events, student welfare services; they also organise the Freshers' Fortnight activities in their College. The university students' union is called York University Students' Union (YUSU), the membership of which is currently almost the entire student population.

Every summer term the students take part in the Roses Tournament, a sports competition against Lancaster University. The venue of the event alternates each year between York and Lancaster.

Despite lacking a central students' union social facility, there are college bars on the Heslington campus, and the city has numerous nightclubs and pubs.

Over the next decade, the University plans to increase student numbers by around 5,000, and to introduce a number of new subjects. The Departments of Law and of Theatre, Film and Television studies are already recruiting students. Pharmacy and Dentistry are planned. These intentions are based upon calculations of expansion of University numbers nationally and a re-targeting of the University's assets. For most of its history, the core strengths of the University were regarded as the technology departments - Physics, Computer Science and Electronics - and the traditional liberal arts - History and English. Successes in cancer research lead to a re-structuring of the Chemistry and Biology departments to bring them closer together, the founding of a Health Sciences department, the establishment of courses in Nursing and Midwifery, and the creation of the Hull York Medical School or HYMS. This entry into medical and health care training has led to a change in the University's priorities.

On the arts side, the University is building upon its reputation for fostering interdisciplinary studies. The Centre for Medieval Studies has been regarded as at the forefront of combining history, art history, archaeology, literary studies, architectural studies and drama to give a more rounded view of historical events and culture. This model has been successfully replicated with the establishment of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies. The opening of the Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies was in 2007, admitting the first postgraduate students in 2008. At the same time, the Department of English and Related Literature intends to expand upon its literary studies by placing more emphasis on creative writing and performance linked to the new Department for Theatre, Film and Television. On 6 November 2007 an Institute for Effective Education was launched, to improve knowledge of teaching and learning processes and promote the most effective.

For a number of years, the University's expansion plans have been limited by planning restrictions on the Heslington West campus. The City of York planning conditions stipulate that only 20% of the land may be built upon, to retain its character. Nevertheless additions are expected such as a Humanities and Education Research Centre.

In the academic year 2003/04, draft plans were finalised for a new part of the campus, called Heslington East. The proposal is for a 70 hectare extension to the campus designed to mirror the existing Heslington campus, to be built on land situated between Grimston Bar park and ride car park and Heslington village. This land is currently used for arable farming. Designs have yet to be finalised for the site and for the new buildings, but the current proposal includes landscaping the area, constructing an artificial lake and planting light woodland. Several departments are being considered for new, purpose-built facilities on the extension, including Computer Science and Law, and the University's Chancellor Greg Dyke has funded a professorship in the new Department of Theatre, Film and Television. Heslington East will be connected to the existing site by a network of pathways and light transport links. The University hopes to begin construction in 2008, with the first buildings coming into use the following year. A lengthy consultation and planning exercise took place, with a public inquiry into the proposals being held^[7] in 2006. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government gave the go-ahead in May 2007.^[8]

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

University of York

• University of York – official website
• University of York Students' Union ("YUSU")

Coordinates: 53.9456° N 1.0579° W