University of Exeter

The University of Exeter is the principal University in the English city of Exeter, in Devon. The University received its Royal Charter in 1955 and is today based largely on two campuses near the city centre: the Streatham Estate and St Luke's.

The University also maintains a third campus at Tremough, near Falmouth in Cornwall, in conjunction with University College Falmouth - the University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus - under the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative. The Camborne School of Mines has relocated to the Tremough campus.

The university has several Halls of Residence.

Today

Streatham campus

Most students work on the main campus, Streatham, which includes the Northcott Theatre. Sitting on a hillside one side of which looks down across Exeter city centre, the campus is renowned for its beautiful landscaping and excellent views. The campus also has several galleries, including The Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture. There is also a Sculpture Walk, including pieces by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and a statue to commemorate the events at Tiananmen Square. There is a pub type bar called the Ram and a Bar/Nightclub Called the Lemon Grove (or Lemmy), both run by the Students' Guild. The campus boasts a medical centre, a counselling service, a children’s day-care centre, and numerous catering outlets. Many halls of residence and some self-catering accommodation are located on this campus or in the near vicinity. In 2005 Streatham Campus's newest building, the Xfi centre, was completed to provide facilities mainly but not exclusively for postgraduate study into finance and investment.

St Luke's campus

Several thousand students, mainly Sports Scientists and Education students (both undergraduates and postgraduates), live and work at St. Lukes. This campus also houses part of the Peninsula Medical school, which is a joint venture with the University of Plymouth.

Tremough campus

University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus

The University of Exeter's Cornwall based campus, Tremough is home to the internationally renowned CSM (Camborne School of Mines). It is famous for its graduates who are sought after by earth-based industries ranging from mining to electricity. CSM is an integral part of the University of Exeter and helps publicise the university's existence to a global audience. The Cornwall campus is also home to branches of departments based on the main Exeter campus such as geography, biology and English.

Students' Guild

Students at Exeter are represented by a Guild of Students, which has an active role in campaigning at local and national levels.

There are over 100 affiliated student societies, ranging from the Theatre Company, Live Action Role-playing Game and Creative Writing to the LDYS, Conservative Future, and Socialist Students societies. There are a large number of sports clubs, as well as award winning media: a student radio station (Xpression FM), a newspaper (Exeposé), a website (X-Net) and television station (XTV). There is a volunteering agency within the Students' Guild called Community Action, which runs its own projects with members of the local community that are run by volunteers and provides further volunteering opportunities through links with external partner organisations. There is a RAG (Raising and Giving) group which exists to raise money for nominated charities. RAG events are run by students. Information on these can be found at http://guild.ex.ac.uk, http://xnet.ex.ac.uk, http://ca.ex.ac.uk and http://rag.ex.ac.uk. The main aim of these societies and activities groups is to provide opportunities for student development. The Guild of Students was renamed the Students' Guild in 2005.

Students are represented by a sabbatical team consisting of a President, Deputy President (Based at the St Lukes Campus), Facilities, Activities and Trading Officer (FATO, Formerly General Secretary), Education Officer, Welfare and Equal Opportunities Officer and the Athletic Union President. There are also other non sabbatical officers representing areas of the student population and student activities areas. These are elected by students in a series of elections throughout the academic year.

The Athletic Union (AU) is now a separate body from the Students' Guild but strong links remain.

Attainment

The Sunday Times' university league table for 2005 placed Exeter 25th in the UK, down one place from 2004.

Also according to The Sunday Times University Guide 2005, the University of Exeter was rated Excellent for 20 subjects, including Archeology; Business and Management; Classics and Ancient History; Computer Science; Drama, Dance and Cinematics; Economics; Education (continuing professional development); English; French; Geography; German; Italian; Mathematics, Statistics and Operational Research; Molecular Biosciences; Physics and Astronomy; Politics; Psychology; Teacher Training; Theology and Religious Studies.

The Guardian's 2006 university rankings placed Exeter at 28th in the UK (after erroneously reporting the university at 48th place). The Times league table also placed Exeter 28th in 2006, up 6 places from the previous year.

History

1840 Foundation of Exeter Diocesan Training College

1855 Foundation of Exeter School of Art

1863 Foundation of Exeter School of Science

1868 Schools of Art and Science relocate to Albert Memorial Museum

1876 Foundation of Camborne Miners' Association laboratory

1888 Camborne laboratory established as Camborne Mining School

1893 Schools of Art and Science renamed to the Exeter Technical and University Extension College

1900 Exeter Technical and University Extension College renamed to Royal Albert Memorial College, Gandy Street

1922 Royal Albert Memorial College renamed as The University College of the South-West of England;
Streatham Hall (now Reed Hall) gifted to the University College

1930 Exeter Diocesan Training College renamed to St Luke's College, Exeter

1955 The University College received its Charter and became the University of Exeter

1962 Post-graduate Medical School founded

1966 St Luke's College became co-educational

1978 Incorporation of St Luke's College of Education into the University's Department of Education

1991 Affiliation of the College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth

1993 Incorporation of Camborne School of Mines

1995 Affiliation of St Loyes School of Health Studies

2000 The Peninsula Medical School was established in conjunction with the University of Plymouth and the National Health Service. This is based at St. Lukes and local hospitals.

2004 The University's new Cornwall Campus opens, moving all of its interests in Cornwall to a single campus. Closure of Chemistry and Music departments announced. Closure of Italian department considered but plans were eventually dropped. Closure of the Cognitive Science BSc. (Hons) degree programme and the re-structuring of the Biology department, now called the Biosciences department.