STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY

'Staffordshire University' is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford & Lichfield.

Contents

History

Accolades

Students' Union

Campuses

Residence halls

Notable alumni

References

External links

History

'North Staffordshire Polytechnic' was formed in 1971 from the Staffordshire College of Technology in Stafford, and the Stoke-on-Trent College of Art and the North Staffordshire College of Technology (both based in Stoke-on-Trent). The Polytechnic also absorbed a teacher-training college at Madeley.
The Polytechnic developed the traditional strengths of the component institutions, eg ceramics, computing and sports education. Also, new subjects were offered, for example, in the 1970s North Staffordshire Polytehnic was amongst only a handful of third-level institutions in the UK to offer International Relations as a dedicated degree. The 1992 UK government Research Assessment Exercise placed the International Relations Department as the highest-rated in the instituion.
In September 1988 the institution changed its name to 'Staffordshire Polytechnic'. In 1992 it became Staffordshire University, one of the New Universities.

Accolades

The University is noted for its science departments; in 2002 Psychology was among the top ten in the country, while Molecular Biochemistry and Organismal Biosciences were rated as 'excellent' by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. Forensic science has a purpose-bought 'scene of crime' house.
Staffordshire University's Aerospace & Aeronautics research lab was, alongside both Birmingham and Manchester Universities, an official joint entry into the Ansari X Prize.
The School of Computing was originally situated at Blackheath Lane on the edge of Stafford in GEC's former Nelson Research Laboratory. It offered one of the first BSc courses in computing in the United Kingdom and its first major computer was a second hand DEUCE. The School of Computing has now moved to a purpose-built building on the Beaconside campus and the newly refurbished Brindley Building in Stoke, and continues to offer one of the best respected computing degrees in the UK.
The University was the first institution to introduce a single honours degree in Film, Television and Radio Studies in 1990.
Despite criticism of Media Studies courses as Mickey Mouse degrees, a new Media Centre was opened by Greg Dyke in 2005, comprising radio studios, television news desk and broadcast journalist suite.
Staffordshire Law School is highly regarded, and runs one of only five Legal Practice Courses to be rated "Excellent" by The Law Society.

Students' Union

Staffordshire University Students' Union (SUSU) aims to represent students at Staffordshire University, England. SUSU is run by five Sabbatical Officers and four part time Executive Committee Officers, all of whom are held to account by a Union Council.
The student newspaper published each term is called ''GK News'', formerly known as ''Get Knotted''. The new radio station broadcasts on the internet and is called GK Radio.^[2]
For evening entertainment, a common activity of students, there are Legends and The Lounge (formerly Sleepers) at Stafford, and Ember Lounge (formerly Odyssey) and Leek Road Venue (LRV) at Stoke.
The union provides plenty of weekly events, considering it has two campuses to keep happy. On Fridays, Stafford hosts Smashed, with DJ Chris Lauriello. At the LRV at Stoke, there is Gobble on Wednesdays, Super Friday on Friday, and Saturday Night.

Campuses

Staffordshire University consists of two primary campuses, one in Stoke-on-Trent, the other in Stafford. The main campus is in Stoke town, Stoke-on-Trent, and primarily offers law, business, sciences, applied computing, arts, design and media production courses. these are split into two areas, one on College Road, and the other (which is more modern looking) on Leek Road.
The University is seeking to develop in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent College and Stoke-on-Trent 6th Form College and with the co-operation of the local education authority and the city council, a "University Quarter" in the urban area to the north-east of Stoke-on-Trent railway station that is already home to the University and the two colleges. The vision is that the University Quarter, through the promotion of excellence, in education, design, architecture and sustainable regeneration will attract both students and developers and become a gateway to the city and to the region.
^[3]
The Beaconside campus in the town of Stafford mainly offers engineering, technology and computing courses, together with the teaching of some business courses and also nursing on the campus. The Beaconside campus consists of the huge Octagon building, housing the Computing Sciences and extensive computer facilities, the JCB Schools Centre, The Beacon Building for Engineering, the new Ruxton Technologies Centre (named after the previous Dean of School, Professor Tom Ruxton) for computer games design, music, film, design technology, digital film, 3D animation, automotive, aeronautic and sports technology and a new television studio centre opened by the H. M. The Queen on April 1st, 2006 as part of the University's commitment to media technology, in particular Film Production Technology and associated courses.
Nursing courses are taught just around the corner from Beaconside on Blackheath Lane following the integration into the University in 1995 of the Shropshire and Staffordshire College of Nursing and Midwifery, which also has bases in Shrewsbury, Telford and Oswestry.
In 1998, in partnership with Tamworth and Lichfield College, the University opened a newly built campus in Lichfield quite near Lichfield City railway station.

Residence halls

Royal Doulton is a university hall of residence in Stoke-on-Trent, taking its name from the Royal Doulton pottery company. The hall is divided into four colour-coded sections, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow.
There is also a hall of residence named after Clarice Cliff with component houses named after other female ceramicists.
The Stafford campus has its own halls of residence - Stafford Court, comprising of over 600 en-suite and shared bathroom accommodation.

Notable alumni

★ Borsum Ato, Athlete and olympian

★ Fatmir Besimi, Minister of the Economy of the Republic of Macedonia

★ Rachel Bishop, Ceramic designer

★ Claire Curtis-Thomas MP

★ Jim Davies, Guitarist for The Prodigy and Pitchshifter.

★ Emma Jones, Tabloid journalist, and former editor of Smash Hits magazine

★ David Leach, Studio potter

★ Ian McMillan, Poet and broadcaster

★ Joanna Spear, Director of the Security Policy Studies Program at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

★ John Mayock, Athlete and olympian.

★ Keri Maddox, Athlete and olympian.

★ Thomas Spawton, HDR Photographer.

★ Tom Smith, Lead Singer for Editors (who met and formed whilst studying Music Technology at Staffordshire University)

★ Andrew Triggs-Hodge, Olympic Oarsman
Also the many famous artists produced by Burslem School of Art can be regarded as alumni, as the university is the successor institution.

References

1. Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06
2. GK Radio Website
3. Maps and further information on the Stoke-on-Trent University Quarter

External links

★ Staffordshire University web site