Sussex University


Motto Be still and know
Established 1961
Endowment £4.9m
Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar
Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Farthing
Visitor The Lord President of the Council ex officio
Faculty 830
Staff 2120
Students 12,445
Undergraduates 9,275
Postgraduates 3,175
Location Falmer, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom
Colours White and Teal
Nickname Sussex Uni
Affiliations 1994 Group
Website www.sussex.ac.uk

The University of Sussex is an English campus university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. It was founded in the 1960s, receiving its Royal Charter in August 1961.

The university is currently ranked within the top 15 to 25 in the UK: The Guardian university guide placed Sussex 18th in 2010 and 15th in 2011; while the 2011 Times Good University Guide placed it 21st. According to the 2010 Guardian university rankings, Sussex has Britain's best chemistry department. In 2008 the University of Sussex was ranked within the top 50 in Europe and 130th in the World.


History

The Arts Building on the University of Sussex campus.

The University of Sussex initially began as an idea for the construction of a university to serve Brighton. In December 1911 there was a public meeting at the Royal Pavilion in order to discover ways in which to fund the construction of a university. However, the project was halted by the First World War and the money raised was instead used for books for the Municipal Technical College. However, the idea was revived in the 1950s, and in June 1958, the government approved the corporation's scheme for a university at Brighton, the first of a new generation of red brick universities which came to be known as plate glass universities. The University was established as a company in 1959, with a Royal Charter being granted on 16 August 1961. The University's organisation broke new ground in seeing the campus divided into Schools of Study, with students able to benefit from a multidisciplinary teaching environment.

Sussex quickly came to be identified with postwar social change and developed a reputation for radicalism which it retains. In 1973, a crowd of 500 students forcibly prevented United States government adviser Samuel Huntington from giving a speech on campus due to his involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 2004 the University started to use a new logo in place of its traditional coat of arms, as part of a wider new 'visual identity'.

Campus

Falmer House, home to the Students' Union.
Arts A lecture theatres in 2005.

The campus, designed by Sir Basil Spence, is located in the village of Falmer, next to its railway station, and accessed by car from the A27 road. It is situated next to the Sussex Downs, which influenced Sir Basil Spence's design of the campus.

Sir Basil Spence's designs were appreciated in the architecture community, with many of the buildings on the University's campus winning awards. The gatehouse-inspired Falmer House won a bronze medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Another campus building, The Meeting House, won the Civic Trust award in 1969.In 1993, the buildings which made up the core of Sir Basil Spence's designs were given listed building status, with Falmer House being one of only two buildings to be given a Grade 1 status of "exceptional interest".

Sussex claimed to be “the only English university located entirely within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. However, when the South Downs National Park replaced the Sussex Downs AONB in March 2010, most of the campus was excluded from the park.

The Gardner Arts Centre, another of Basil Spence's designs, was opened in 1969 as the first university campus arts centre. It had a 480 seat purpose built theatre, a visual art gallery and studio space and was regularly used for theatre and dance as well as showing a range of films on a modern cinema screen. The Centre closed in the summer of 2007: withdrawal of funding and the cost of renovating the building were given as the key reasons.

Plans have been put forward to the local council to refurbish the centre, with work starting as soon as mid 2009. It is hoped the centre will be open in 2011-2012, in time for the University's 50th anniversary celebrations.

League tables

The university is ranked within the top 30 in the UK: The Guardian university rankings for 2005 placed Sussex 16th; the 2008 Good University Guide placed it 24th. According to the 2008 and 2010 Guardian university rankings, Sussex has Britain's best chemistry department. Its professor, Geoff Cloke, was in 2007 elected a fellow of The Royal Society. In 2008 the University of Sussex was ranked 20th in the UK, within the top 50 in Europe and 130th in the World.

Organisation

In 2009 the university adopted a new organisational structure. The term "Schools of Studies" was retained, but headed by a "Head of School" rather than the traditional "Dean". Many of these new heads were appointed from outside Sussex rather than from existing faculty. The schools are listed below. The term "department" has been retained in some cases, where a school contains separate disciplines.

  • Engineering and Design
  • Informatics
  • Life Sciences (Includes: Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry and Biochemistry and houses the Centre for Genome Damage and Stability)
  • Mathematical and Physical Sciences (Includes: Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy)
  • Psychology
  • Business, Management and Economics
  • Education and Social Work
  • Global Studies (Includes: Anthropology, Geography and International Relations, as well as interdisciplinary programmes in Development Studies)
  • Law, Politics and Sociology
  • English
  • History, Art History and Philosophy
  • Media, Film and Music

The changes did not affect the

  • Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).

Structure pre-2003

The University was founded with the unusual structure of "Schools of Study" (ubiquitously abbreviated to "schools") rather than traditional university departments within arts and science faculties. The Schools were intended to promote high-quality teaching and research.

In the early 1990s, the University promoted the system by claiming, "Clusters of faculty [come] together within schools to pursue new areas of intellectual enquiry. The schools also foster broader intellectual links. Physics with Management Studies, Science and Engineering with European Studies, Economics with Mathematics all reach beyond conventional Arts/Science divisions. By this time, the original schools had been developed somewhat and were:

  • African and Asian Studies (abbreviated to AFRAS)
  • Biological Sciences (BIOLS)
  • Chemistry and Molecular Sciences (MOLS)
  • Cognitive and Computing Sciences (COGS)
  • Cultural and Community Studies (CCS)
  • Engineering and Applied Sciences (ENGG)
  • English and American Studies (ENGAM or EAM)
  • European Studies (EURO)
  • Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MAPS)
  • Social Sciences (SOC)

Structure 2003 - 2009

In 2001, as the university was celebrating its 40th anniversary, the then Vice Chancellor Alasdair Smith proposed major changes to the curriculum across the 'Arts schools', and structural changes were agreed by the senate which would create two Arts schools and a 'Sussex Institute' in place of the five schools then in place. Corresponding changes would be made in Sciences.

The changes were finally implemented in September 2003. After discussion in senate and the schools, the university adopted for the first time in its history the concept of a department. All subjects were located firmly in one school, and undergraduates were offered straightforward degree subjects rather than the distinctive Sussex differentiation based on the context provided by school courses. The new schools were:

  • Humanities (HUMS)
  • Life Sciences (LIFESCI)
  • Science and Technology (SCITECH)
  • Social Sciences and Cultural Studies (SOCCUL)
  • Sussex Institute (SI)

Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors

The current and fifth Chancellor of the university is Sanjeev Bhaskar, who succeeded Lord Attenborough in 2009.

  1. Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (1961–65)
  2. Lord Shawcross (1965–85)
  3. The Duke of Richmond and Gordon (1985–98)
  4. Lord Attenborough (1998–2008)
  5. Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE (2009–Present)

The university has had seven Vice-Chancellors:

  1. John Fulton, later The Lord Fulton (1961–67)
  2. Professor Asa Briggs (1967–76)
  3. Sir Denys Wilkinson (1976–87)
  4. Sir Leslie Fielding (1987–92)
  5. Professor Gordon Conway (1992–98)
  6. Professor Alasdair Smith (1998–2007)
  7. Professor Michael Farthing (2007–Present)

Financial crises and Stop the Cuts campaign

In 2009 the University had an annual turnover of £160 million but announced that it had to make cuts of £3 million in the current academic year and £5 million in 2010-11 due to reductions in government funding.

The proposal for the cuts includes over 115 compulsory redundancies. These include a third of the academics in the School of Life Sciences, 13 academics in Informatics, and more redundancies in the schools of Engineering, History, English and the Centre for Continuing Education.

The plans also include reductions in funding and reorganising of many of the university's non-academic services, including severe cuts to student advice services, sexual health clinic UNISEX, and the on-campus nursery and creche.

A student and staff movement, "Stop the Cuts", was set up to oppose the proposals, demanding that the university management:

  • Abolish all plans for compulsory redundancies
  • Resist tuition fees and reductions in higher education funding
  • Reduce executive pay
  • Postpone new building projects
  • Give assurances of academic freedom

The "Stop the Cuts campaign" has organised several protests, firstly bringing together more than 500 students, to coincide with a Senate meeting. The Vice-Chancellor, Michael Farthing, called the police to disperse the demonstration - despite the nonviolent nature of the protest.

More recently the Stop the Cuts campaign has occupied buildings on campus. First of all occupying the conference room in Bramber House for 24 hours then two weeks later occupying the VCEG (the most senior body of management) offices in Sussex House for a few hours. At the second occupation riot police were called by the university to manage the protest after some senior staff claimed they were being held hostage, a claim that was strongly denied by the occupiers.[43] Two days after the occupation several students were suspended and the university management were granted a high court injunction making occupational protest a criminal offence on university grounds.

However, the campaign ignored what it described as an "unlawful injunction" and occupied the Arts A2 lecture theatre for eight days, calling for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the six suspended students. Members of the UCU lecturers' union on campus also called on the Vice-Chancellor Michael Farthing "to lift the suspensions with immediate effect so as to enable the students to continue their studies and to exercise their human rights."

During the same week, the UCU also voted to take strike action against job cuts, in a record turn out for the ballot.

On 17 March 2010, an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) of the Student's Union met, over 850 students attended, and voted almost unanimously in favour of a motion of no confidence in Michael Farthing and his VCEG, for their handling of the cuts to jobs and services. They also voted for the unconditional reinstatement of the suspended students, and for an inquiry into what happened during the occupation of Sussex House.[46]

On 18 March 2010, members of UCU went on strike, and the occupiers of Arts A2 went out to join the staff on the picket lines, and provided food. After a week of pressure from the occupation, the six suspended students were allowed back on campus without restrictions, pending disciplinary actions. The disciplinary hearings took place on the 18th May 2010, one day after four of the six had to hand in their dissertations. After over two hours each with the disciplinary board, it was decided that the six should be allowed to graduate, provided that they pay a fine and write a letter to staff members who felt that they were disrupted. The amount of the fine has yet to be decided.

The proposed 112 redundancies are still going ahead, and the Stop the Cuts Campaign, together with UCU, continues to hold demonstrations against job losses and cuts to students' services.

Student life

Housing

Accommodation as seen from the Sussex Downs behind Park Village in 2007. Clockwise from the top left: Brighthelm (barely visible), East Slope (furthest), Park Village (closest, showing new pitched roofs). The construction of new buildings can be seen to the right of the recently modified East Slope car park.

The early campus included five "Park Houses" (Essex, Kent, Lancaster, Norwich, and York, named after other 1960s universities) and Park Village. The "houses", of which all but Kent House were based on a courtyard design, featured several long corridors with kitchens and bathrooms at the end and a social space on the ground floor, very much in the manner of a traditional hall of residence. (Essex House was reallocated in the late 1990s as postgraduate teaching space.) Park Village, by contrast, consists of individual houses with four bedrooms per floor, a kitchen on both the bottom and the top floor, and bathroom facilities on the middle floor. The houses are arranged in "streets" with a social centre building including porters' office, pigeon-holes for post, and a bar, towards the campus end of the area. Essex House also featured a self-contained flat (external but attached by a walkway) which was given over to the Nightline confidential listening and advice service in 1992. Kent House includes the Kulukundis House wing, developed with easy access for residents with special needs.

Accommodation on campus was expanded in the 1970s with the construction of the unusual split-level flats of East Slope. This development also has a social building with a porters' office and bar.

In the 1990s, as student numbers rose, further developments were constructed in the corner of campus between East Slope and Park Village. Brighthelm and Lewes Court were constructed in public-private partnership funding arrangements with the Bradford & Northern and Kelsey Housing Associations. During construction and their first year of use they were named after these associations; students were involved in suggesting the permanent names Brighthelm and Lewes Court. The name "Brighthelm" owes its etymology to part of the former name of Brighton, Brighthelmstone, whilst Lewes Court is named after the nearby county town of Lewes, to some extent in keeping with Sussex and Falmer Houses elsewhere on campus.

In total there are seven areas of student accommodation on campus. The two newest accommodation areas were completed recently: one next to Falmer train station, named Stanmer Court, and the other next to East Slope, opposite Bramber House, known as Swanborough.

In October 2009 it was announced that new accommodation is to be built on the field north of Lewes Court. The new residences will contain 744 study-bedrooms, 12 family flats and 21 studio flats. Building work began in January 2010, with completion in time for the academic year 2011-12.

Sport

The University competes in the following sports:

Team sports
Basketball (men and women), cricket (men, 1st, 2nd and 3rd; women), football (men, 1st, 2nd and 3rd; women), (field) hockey (men and women, 1st and 2nd), netball (women, 1st and 2nd), rugby union (men and women, 1st and 2nd), ultimate frisbee and volleyball (men and women).
Racquet sports
Badminton (men and women) and squash (men and women).
Individual sports
Archery, fencing and trampolining
Outdoor pursuits
Sailing,mountain bike, mountaineering, skiing & snowboarding, sub aqua, surfing and windsurfing.
Martial arts
Integrated Martial Arts (a mixed martial arts club), kickboxing, Shaolin Kung Fu, aikido and sport aikido.
Recent achievements
Women's basketball BUCS trophy champions 09/10

Campus media

  • The Badger is the Union’s weekly newspaper and is written and designed entirely by Sussex students. It aims to represent the views and interests of students and communicate the work of the Union, as well as informing members about local, national and international issues that affect them as students. It has interviewed such celebrities as Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis and Sir Michael Caine.
  • The Pulse, Sussex's termly on-line magazine, complements the Badger by providing in-depth feature articles, interviews with local and national stars, and analysis of the latest happenings in Brighton.
  • University Radio Falmer was one of the first student radio stations in the country. It broadcasts locally on 1431AM and to the world via the Internet urfonline. The station has a busy daytime schedule and during the evening offers a range of genre programming, all from Sussex students from 10am to 2 am daily. URF also runs a news service which is independent of the control of the Student Union and is bound by legal regulations to remain neutral and unbiased. It won a bronze award in the best scripted programming category in the 2008 UK Student Radio Awards.

International students

Of the 10,500 students at Sussex, around a quarter are international.

Sussex has academic staff from over 50 countries and students from over 120 countries.

The University includes people from many different religious and cultural backgrounds. There are several places for religious worship on campus.

Sussex was voted "Best Place to Be" in the autumn 2006 International Student Barometer of 40 leading UK Universities.[52]

Courses & services for international students
  • English Language courses for speakers of other languages - provided by the Language Institute.
  • English in the Vacation. Intensive practice of spoken and written English.
  • International student advice and support from the International and Study Abroad Office.
  • On-campus International Foundation Year[53] offers routes directly to Sussex degrees.
  • The International Summer School runs for four and eight weeks starting in July, providing intensive courses. It is predominantly attended by foreign students. Each session runs for four weeks, with students attending one class per session. A variety of courses are offered, including the arts, sciences, business, culture, and humanities.
  • The ISS trips office also provides excursions to prominent cities, theatres, and activities throughout Europe.
  • Students may also spend a year abroad at Sussex as part of their degree.

University of Southampton


Motto Strenuis Ardua Cedunt
The Heights Yield to Endeavour
Established 1952 - gained University status by Royal charter
1902 - University College
1862 - Hartley Institution
Type Public
Endowment £6.42 million (2008/09)
Chancellor Sir John Parker
Vice-Chancellor Professor Don Nutbeam
Visitor The Lord President of the Council ex officio
Staff Around 5,000
Students 24,735
Undergraduates 17,120
Postgraduates 7,615
Location Southampton, England
Campus City Campus
Affiliations Russell Group
ACU
EUA
WUN
Website http://www.soton.ac.uk/
The  University of Southampton logo

The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902 the Institution developed into the Hartley University College, with degrees awarded by the University of London. On 29 April 1952, HM Queen Elizabeth II, granted a Royal Charter to give the University of Southampton full university status. This was the first Royal Charter granted by HM Queen Elizabeth II on her accession to the throne.

The university is a member of the Russell Group of research universities and the Worldwide Universities Network. It currently has over 17,000 undergraduate and 7,000 postgraduate students, making it the largest university by higher education students in the South East region. The main campus is located in the Highfield area of Southampton. Four other campuses are located throughout the city alongside the School of Art based in nearby Winchester.

The university has a strong emphasis on research, having one of the highest proportions of income derived from research activities in Britain. Southampton is highly regarded as a centre for educational excellence, ranking nationally as a top 20 university in various tables,and regularly rated in the top 10 of the National Student Survey. In recent years it has been rated as a top 100 university in the world according to the Times Higher Education Table.


History

Hartley Institution

The arrival of Prime Minister Lord Palmerston for the opening of the Hartley Institute on the 15th October 1862

The University of Southampton has its origin as the Hartley Institution which was formed in 1862 from a benefaction by Henry Robertson Hartley (1777–1850). Hartley had inherited a fortune from two generations of successful wine merchants. At his death in 1850, he bequest £103,000 to the Southampton Corporation for the study and advancement of the sciences in his property on the Southampton's High Street, in the city centre.

...employ the interest, dividends and annual proceeds in such a manner as best promote the study and advancement of the sciences of Natural History, Astronomy, Antiquities, Classical and Oriental Literature in the town, such as by forming a Public Library, Botanic Gardens, Observatory, and collections of objects with the above sciences.[10]

—Bequest to the Corporation of Southampton of Henry Robertson Hartley estate.

Hartley was an eccentric straggler, who had little liking of the new age docks and railways in Southampton. He did not desire to create a college for many (as formed at similar time in other English industrial towns and commercial ports) but a cultural centre for Southampton's intellectual elite. After lengthy legal challenges to the Bequest, and a public debate as to how best interpret the language of his Will, the Southampton Coorperation choose to create the Institute (rather than a more widely accessible college, that some public figures had lobbied for).

On 15 October 1862 the Hartley Institute was opened by the Prime Minister Lord Palmerston in a major civic occasion which exceeded in splendor anything that anyone in the town could remember[12]. After initial years of financial struggle, the Hartley Institute became the Hartley College in 1883. This move was followed by increasing numbers of students, teaching staff, an expansion of the facilities and registered lodgings for students.





University College

Front of the Hartley Library, constructed in the 1930's after the move to Highfield Campus, with the support of private donors.

In 1902, the Hartley College became the Hartley University College, a degree awarding branch of the University of London. This was after inspection of the teaching and finances by the University College Grants Committee[13], and donations from Council members (including William Darwin the then Treasurer). An increase in student numbers in the following years motivated fund raising efforts to move the college to greenfield land around Back Lane (now University Road) in the Highfield area of Southampton. On the 20th June 1914, Viscount Haldane opened the new site of the renamed Southampton University College. However, the outbreak of the First World War six weeks later meant no lectures could take place there, as the buildings were handed over by the college authorities for use as a military hospital. In order to cope with the volume of casualties, wooden huts were erected at the rear of the building. These were donated to university by the War Office after the end of fighting, in time for the transfer from the high street premises in 1920. At this time, Highfield Hall, a former country house and overlooking Southampton Common, for which a lease had earlier been secured, commenced use as a halls of residence for female students. South Hill, on what is now the Glen Eyre Halls Complex was also acquired, along with South Stoneham House to house male students.

Further expansions through the 1920s and 30s was made possible through private donors, such as the two daughters of Edward Turner Sims for the construction of the University library, and from the people of Southampton, enabling new buildings on both sides of University Road. During World War II the university suffered damage in the Southampton Blitz with bombs landing on the campus and its halls of residence. The college decided against evacuation, instead expanding its Engineering Department, School of Navigation and developing a new School of Radio Telegraphy. Halls of residence were also used to house Polish, French and American troops. After the war, departments such as Electronics grew under the influence of Erich Zepler and the Institute of Sound and Vibration was established.

University

On 29 April 1952, in the early weeks of the reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II, a Royal Charter was granted to the University of Southampton, which enabled the institution to award its own degrees. Six faculties were created: Arts, Science, Engineering, Economics, Education and Law. The first University of Southampton degrees were awarded on 4 July 1953, following the appointment of the Duke of Wellington as Chancellor of the University. Student and staff number grew throughout the next couple of decades as a response to the Robbins Report. The campus also grew significantly, when in July 1961 the university was given the approval to acquire some 200 houses on or near the campus by the Borough Council. In addition, more faculties and departments were founded, including Medicine and Oceanography (despite the discouragement of Sir John Wolfenden, the chairman of the University Grants Committee). Student accommodation was expanded throughout the 1960s and 70s with the acquisition of Chilworth manor and new buildings at the Glen Eyre and Montefiore complexes.

In 1981 a crisis developed when the University Grants Committee announced, as part of nationwide cutbacks, a series of reductions in the funding of the university. In order to eliminate the expected losses, the budgets and deficits subcommittee proposed reducing staff numbers. This proposal was met with demonstrations on campus and was later reworked (to reduce the redundancies and reallocate the reductions in faculties funding) after being rejected by the university Senate.

By the mid 1980s through to the 90s the university looked to expand with new buildings on the Highfield campus, developing the Chilworth Manor site into a science park and conference venue, opening the National Oceanographic Centre at a dockside location and purchasing new land from the City Council for the Arts Faculty and sports fields (at Avenue Campus and Wide Lane, respectively).

Research University

Under the leadership of then Vice Chancellor, Sir Howard Newby the university became more focused in encouraging and investment in more and better quality research. In the mid 90s, the university gained two new campuses, as the Winchester School of Art and La Sainte Union College became part of the university. A new school for Nursing and Midwifery was also created and went on to provide training for NHS professionals in central-southern England. This involved a huge increase in student numbers and the establishment of sub-campuses in Basingstoke, Winchester, Portsmouth and Newport, Isle of Wight.

In the autumn of 1997 the university experienced Britain's worst outbreak of meningitis, with the death of three students.The university responded to the crises by organizing a mass vaccination programme, and later took the ground breaking decision to offer all new students vaccinations.

The University celebrated its Golden Jubilee on 22 January 2002. By this time, Southampton had research income that represented over half of the total income, which remains one of the highest proportions of income derived from research activities of British Universities. In recent years a number of new landmark buildings have been added as part of the estates development. These have included a new buildings for the School of Electronics and Computer Science and the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC), (whose original building was destroyed in a fire in 2005), a new Sports Hall and Institute of Developmental Sciences (on the Southampton General Hospital site).

Campus

The University has five campuses located throughout the city of Southampton alongside the School of Art based in nearby Winchester.

Highfield Campus

Gardens on Highfield Campus

The University's main campus is located in the residential area of Highfield. Opened on the 20th June 1914 the site was initially used as a military hospital during World War I. The campus grew gradually, mainly consisting of detailed red brick buildings (such as the Hartley library and West building of the Students' Union) designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. In 1956 Sir Basil Spence was commissioned to prepare a masterplan of the campus for the foreseeable future[22]. This included incorporating the University Road, that split the 59-acre campus in two and the quarry of Sir Sidney Kimber's brickyard that itself was split by a stream. Unable to remove the road and the private houses along it, Spence designed many of the buildings facing away from it, using contemporary designs working in concrete, glass and mosaic. During recent decades new buildings were added that contravened the master plan of Spence, such as the Synthetic Chemistry Building and Mountbatten Building (the latter of which was destroyed by fire in 2005).

A new masterplan for the Highfield campus was drawn up in 1998 by Rick Mather who proposed that the University Road should become a tree lined boulevard backed by white-rendered buildings. He also contributed some of the newer buildings such as the Zepler and Gower Buildings. In 1991 the Highfield Planning Group was formed within the university under the chairmanship of Tim Holt. This led to the development of new buildings such as the Jubilee Sports Hall, Student Services Building and the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research. In addition, existing buildings, such as the Hartley Library were extensively renovated and extended.

The campus retains an area of parkland in which are scattered 20th century sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, Justin Knowles, Nick Pope and John Edwards. It also houses the John Hansard Gallery, the Nuffield Theatre and the Turner Sims Concert Hall.

Avenue Campus

Avenue Campus

The Avenue Campus site was previously home to the Southampton Tramsheds and Richard Taunton's College. It was purchased by the university in December 1993 from Southampton city council for £2 million. Today it houses most of the school of Humanities including the Centre for Language Study. In 2006 a new purpose-designed building for Archaeology was completed.

Boldrewood Campus

Boldrewood is the Biomedical Sciences campus of the University located a short distance from the Highfield campus. It is used as a non-hospital base for the School of Medicine and home to a research facility for the Biological Sciences

In April 2006, the University announced plans to develop a 'professional campus' on the Boldrewood site, relocating its present occupants to Highfield campus in 2007. The site is intended to house the Marine services division of Lloyd's Register who have announced a strategic alliance with the University. The campus will also be the new home of the School of Management.

National Oceanography Centre

National Oceanography Centre

The National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) was a purpose-built, joint venture between the University and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Opened in 1996 by Prince Philip, NOCS is located near the Ocean Village development in the dock area of Southampton.

The NOCS comprises the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences which operates alongside four NERC research divisions. The NOCS is also the base for the purpose-built research vessels RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook (and formerly RRS Charles Darwin).

Southampton General Hospital

The university's presence at the general hospital dates to 1971, when Southampton (along with Nottingham and Leicester universities) became the first new Schools of Medicine to be founded in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century. As a teaching hospital, it is used by a range of undergraduate and postgraduate medical students, research academics and clinicians. Originally based in the South Academic Block, the university's presence has been expanded to include several other buildings which are home to six different research departments.

Winchester School of Art

Uni-link doubledecker bus passing through Highfield Campus

The Winchester School of Art was integrated within the University of Southampton in 1996. This original school premises were purpose build in the 1960s. New buildings have been designed to house the subsequent expansion of student numbers, and new facilities for fashion design, a digital media campus and also to include the internationally respected Textile Conservation Centre which moved its premises from Hampton Court Palace in 1999.

Uni-link

The Uni-link bus service was created in 1998 by the University. Four routes operate that connect the university campuses and halls of residence located throughout the city for both students at the university and general public.

Organisation

Governance

The Professional Services Building

Responsibility for running the University is held formally by the Chancellor, currently Sir John Parker and led at the executive level by the Vice-Chancellor, currently Don Nutbeam. The key bodies in the University governance structure are the Council, Court and Senate.

The Council is the governing body of the University. It is ultimately responsible for the overall planning and management of the University. The Council is also responsible for ensuring that the funding made available to the University by the Higher Education Funding Council for England is used as prescribed. The Council is composed of members from 5 different classes, namely (1) officers; (2) twelve members appointed by the Council; (3) six members appointed by the Senate; (4) one member of the non-teaching staff; (5) the President of the Students’ Union[27].

The University Court provides a forum for consultation with the local and regional community, to help promote public awareness of the University and to attract and maintain goodwill[28]. The Court is composed of some 190 members, comprising representatives of the University, which includes members of Council, Deans of the Faculties, Heads of Academic Schools, members of staff, students and graduates; representatives of local authorities and of schools and colleges in the region; members of the UK and European parliaments; and representatives of other local societies and bodies.

The Senate is the University's primary academic authority, including the direction and regulation of education and examinations, the award of degrees, and the promotion of research. The Senate has approximately 150 members, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellors/Pro Vice-Chancellors, the Deans and Associate Deans of the Faculties, the Heads of the academic Schools and Research Centres, representatives from the academic staff in each School, representatives of the research staff and those administrative groups most closely associated with educational activities, and representatives of the Students' Union. The Senate is Chaired by the Vice-Chancellor.

Faculties and schools

The University is made up of a number of schools organized into three faculties:

Faculty of Engineering, Science and Mathematics

  • Engineering Sciences
  • Civil Engineering and the Environment
  • Chemistry
  • Geography
  • Electronics and Computer Science
  • Mathematics
  • Physics and Astronomy
  • Ocean and Earth Science

Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences

  • Arts
  • Law
  • Humanities (Archaeology, English, Film Studies, History, Music, Modern Languages and Philosophy)
  • Social Sciences (Economics, Politics, Sociology and Social Policy, Statistics and Social Work Studies)
  • Education
  • Management


Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences

  • Biological Sciences
  • Nursing and Midwifery
  • Health Professions and Rehabilitation Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Health Care
  • Medicine



Libraries and collections

Exterior of the 2005 extension to the Hartley Library

The University of Southampton Library has a presence on each of the university's six campuses, holding more than 1.5 million books and periodicals, some 6,000 in electronic form, besides specialist materials, including more than 6 million manuscripts.

The library contains a number of special collections of rare books and manuscripts. In 1983, the university received the correspondence of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. It also houses the Broadlands Archive, including the Palmerston and Mountbatten papers. The library also contains 4,500 volumes of Claude Montefiore's library on Theology and Judaism, the Ford Parliamentary Papers, Frank Perkins' collection of books on agriculture, Sir Samual Gurney-Dixons's Dante collection and the James Parkes Library of Jewish/non-Jewish relations[32]. The library also includes six rare editions of the Divina Commedia; the first of these, the Brescia edition of 1487, is the library's earliest book.

The Hartley library, first built in 1935, has expanded successively to house special collection and to meet the growth in student numbers. The latest of these was in 2005, when 3200 m² were added and much of the existing building renovated.

Academics

Degrees

Southampton awards a wide range of academic degrees spanning academic degrees for bachelor's in a variety of degrees and master's degrees as well as junior doctorates and higher doctorates. The postnominals awarded are the degree abbreviations used commonly among British universities. The University is part of the Engineering Doctorate scheme, for the award of Eng. D. degrees.

Professional qualifications are also awarded, such as Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Short courses and professional development courses are run by many of the University’s Academic Schools and Research Centres.

The University works closely with members of the Armed Forces. It provides professional military educators in the British Army to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The University also works with the Royal Navy to provide training and qualifications towards Chartered Engineer status.

The University of Southampton Science Park

Chilworth Manor.

In 1983, the Chilworth Science Park was established for companies with connections to the University. The park houses over 50 companies and includes a luxury hotel and conference centre, based in Chilworth Manor. The science park was re-named The University of Southampton Science Park in 2006 .

The university has produced a number of spin-out companies in a range of fields, including oil and gas exploration, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology and optoelectronics. Southampton has been particularly noted for its effectiveness in producing spin-out companies in comparison with both its UK and US counterparts.

Over 150 businesses are associated with the university through the key partner scheme, allowing collaboration in the research and development of business and Southampton academics.

EPrints

The School of Electronics and Computer Science created the first archiving software (EPrints) to publish its research freely available on the Web. This software is used throughout the university and as an archiving system for many different institutions around the world.

Student life

Students' Union

The West Building on Highfield Campus.

The University of Southampton Students' Union (SUSU), is sited in three buildings opposite the Hartley Library. One, the West Building, dates back to the 1940s in a red brick style, complementing the Hartley Library opposite; the main building was built in the 1960s in the Basil Spence masterplan. This was extended with new nightclub and cinema facilities in 2002. The newest building was built during the mid-1990s which includes the recently refurbished Union shop, on the ground floor, and hairdressers and travel agency, both on the first floor. In May 2002 (after numerous attempts going back several years), it chose to disaffiliate itself from the NUS, believed by SUSU to be too bureaucratic. The multiple award winning student radio station, Surge, broadcasts from new studios in the main Union building. The award winning website SUSU.org was created and run by students at the university. A brand new purpose built studio has been constructed for the TV station SUSU.TV. The student newspaper, originally Wessex News, is now published once every three weeks as Wessex Scene following a name change in 1996. Inside the Wessex Scene is an editorially independent entertainment magazine called "The Edge". Events are held in The Cube, the Union's nightclub, "The Bridge", the Union's cocktail bar, and in the Stag's Head, the Union pub. National touring bands play in the Garden Court in the West Building. The current President of the Union for the academic year 2009/2010 is Steve O'Reilly.

Halls of Residence

Glen Eyre

The university provides accommodation for all first year students who require it and places in residences are further available for international and MSc students. Accommodation may be catered, self catered, have ensuite facilities, a sink in the room, or access to communal bathroom facilities. Each of the halls has a team of wardens who live on-site and ensure students' welfare. Each hall also has a JCR committee that is responsible for the running of social events and representing the residents to the students union and the university via the Students union JCR officer. Some of the halls also have bars which are separately run by the students union and are staffed by current and ex residents.

There are three main complexes of halls of residence. The Glen Eyre Halls Complex lies less than half a mile to the north of Highfield Campus. Set in landscaped surroundings, the complexes houses over 2000 students. These are spread though various buildings, designed and constructed throughout the Universities history. The Wessex Lane Halls complex lies approximately one mile east of the Highfield Campus. Situated next to the gardens of South Stoneham House it houses over 1800 students. Included is Connaught Hall, one of the original halls of residence of the University. The Small Halls accommodate around 1000 students across 7 city locations, within 2 miles of Highfield Campus. The University also has halls of residence in Winchester for School of Art students, Portsmouth and Basingstoke for School of Nursing and Midwifery students.

Glen Eyre Halls Complex

  • Chamberlain Hall
  • Hartley Grove Courts
  • Chancellors' Courts
  • New Terrace
  • Old Terrace
  • South Hill Lodges
  • Richard Newitt Courts
  • Brunei House
  • Beechmount House
  • Gower building

Non-Southampton Locations

  • Erasmus Park (Winchester School of Art)
  • Balmoral House (Portsmouth)
  • Victoria Place (Portsmouth)
  • Basingstoke North Hampshire Hospital Accommodation

Wessex Lane Halls Complex

  • Connaught Hall
  • Montefiore 1
  • Montefiore 2
  • Montefiore 3
  • Montefiore 4

Archers Road and Small Halls

  • Highfield Hall
  • Bencraft Court
  • Gateley Hall
  • Romero Hall
  • Shaftesbury Avenue Apartments
  • St. Margaret's House
  • Tasman Court


Sports

The Sports and Recreation (SportsRec) runs the university sports facilities which are based predominately at two locations. The Jubilee Sports Centre, opened in 2004 at a cost of £8.5 million is located on the Highfield Campus. Included within in the centre are a six-lane, 25-metre swimming pool, full gym and sports hall. In addition to its indoor sports facilities, the University completed a £4.3 million re-development of its 73-acre outdoor facilities located at Wide Lane, Eastleigh (near Southampton) in 2007. Within the complex includes flood-lit synthetic turf pitches, tennis courts, and pavilion. The university also runs facilities at the Avenue Campus, National Oceanography Centre and the Boat Hard on the River Itchen.

The university competes in numerous sports in the BUCS South East Conference (after switching from the Western Conference in 2009). A number of elite athletes are supported by the SportsRec through sports bursaries and the UK Government's Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) .

The University Athletic Union was formally established on the 29th November 1929, by the University College council. Versions of the union had existed previously to which many clubs such as Cricket, Association Football, Rugby, Boxing, Gymnastics, Tennis and Boat clubs (all formed before the turn of the 20th century) were members


Purdue University

Purdue University
Established May 6, 1869
Type Public
Flagship
Land-Grant
Sea-Grant
Space-Grant
Endowment $1.457 billion (systemwide)
President France A. Córdova
Provost Timothy D. Sands
Faculty 6,614
Students 39,697 (Fall 2009)
Undergraduates 31,145 (Fall 2009)
Postgraduates 8,552 (Fall 2009)
Location West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
Campus Large town: 2,474 acres (9.336 km²)
plus 15,108 acres (60.084 km²) for agricultural and industrial research
Athletics 18 Division I / IA NCAA teams
Colors Old Gold and Black
Nickname Boilermakers
Mascot Boilermaker Special
Affiliations

Purdue University System Association of American Universities

Committee on Institutional Cooperation
Website www.purdue.edu
Purduebanner.png

Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University System. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and money from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name. The first classes were held on September 16, 1874, with three buildings, six instructors, and 39 students. Today, Purdue enrolls the second largest student body of any university in Indiana and has the largest international student population of any public university in the United States.This is a result of its aggressive recruiting policies abroad, particularly in Latin America, and has been key in enrolling students that pay full tuition and help replenish its endowment.

Purdue offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in over 210 major areas of study. The university has been highly influential in America's history of aviation, and Purdue's aviation technology and aeronautical engineering programs remain among the highest rated and most competitive in the nation. Purdue established the first college credit offered in flight training, the first four-year bachelor's degree in aviation, and the first university airport (Purdue University Airport). In the mid-20th century, Purdue's aviation program expanded to encompass advanced spaceflight technology giving rise to Purdue's nickname, Cradle of Astronauts. Twenty-two Purdue graduates have gone on to become astronauts, including Gus Grissom (one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts), Neil Armstrong (the first person to walk on the moon), and Eugene Cernan (the last person to walk on the moon).


History

Founding and early years

John Purdue.

In 1865, the Indiana General Assembly took advantage of the Morrill Act, and began plans to establish an institution with a strong focus on engineering. John Purdue, a Lafayette business leader and philanthropist (buried at Purdue), sought to help establish a "land grant" college in Indiana. The state of Indiana received a gift of $150,000 from John Purdue, along with $50,000 from Tippecanoe County, and 150 acres (0.6 km²) of land from Lafayette residents in support of the project. On May 6, 1869, it was decided that the college would be founded near the city of Lafayette and legislators established the institution as Purdue University, in the name of the institution’s principal benefactor.

Classes first began at Purdue on September 16, 1874 with three buildings, six instructors, and 39 students. Purdue issued its first degree, a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, in 1875. Only one of the original buildings remains.

The 20th century - Aviation and Aeronautics

Purdue University is well known for its diverse majors in aerospace. The Purdue University Airport was the first university owned airport in the United States. Purdue was the first university in the world to award a four-year bachelor's degree in aviation. The school is also one of the only institutions in the country that offers AAAE certification for the management of airports.Purdue's Aviation Technology Department is also actively involved and partners regularly with National Business Aviation Association and the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading on a multitude of research projects.

In 2010, Purdue University received a $1.35 million grant from the United States Air Force to develop alternative fuels and test aircraft engines at a new facility. The National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion expected to open late 2010 or early 2011 will be located at the Purdue University Airport. This project will conduct research into fuel-sustainability and emissions data. The objective of this research is to have 10% biofuel usage in aircrafts by 2017.

J. Clifford Turpin, from the class of 1908, was the first Purdue graduate to become an aviator, and received flight instruction from Orville Wright. In 1919 George W. Haskins became the first alumnus to land an aircraft on campus.

Amelia Earhart with her Lockheed Model 10 Electra.

In 1930 Purdue became the first university in the country to offer college credit for flight training, and later became the first university to open its own airport, the Purdue University Airport. Famed aviator Amelia Earhart came to Purdue in 1935 and served as a "Counselor on Careers for Women," a staff position she held until her disappearance in 1937.[13] Purdue played a meaningful role in Earhart's ill-fated "Flying Laboratory" project, providing funds for the Lockheed Model 10 Electra aircraft she intended to fly around the world. Purdue's libraries maintain an extensive Earhart collection, which is still studied today by those seeking to solve the mystery of her disappearance.Purdue later named a residence hall in her honor, which is lined with Earhart pictures and articles.

At one point, Purdue University owned and operated a charter airline operation under FAR part 121 simply called "Purdue Airlines". The company had a fleet of DC-9s, and was highly successful. In fact, Hugh Hefner's famous Playboy DC-9 aircraft was leased from Purdue, and its permanent storage was at Purdue University.

Over the past ten years, Purdue’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics has awarded more aerospace engineering degrees than any other institution in the country, issuing 6% of all undergraduate degrees and 7% of all Ph.D. degrees. These alumni have led significant advances in research and development of aerospace technology, headed major corporations and government agencies, and have established an amazing record for exploration of space.

Campus

Purdue's campus is situated in the small city of West Lafayette, near the western bank of the Wabash River. State Street, which is concurrent with State Road 26, divides the northern and southern portions of campus. Academic buildings are mostly concentrated on the eastern and southern parts of campus, with residence halls to the west, and athletic facilities to the north. The Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation (CityBus) operates eight campus loop bus routes on which students, faculty, and staff can ride free of charge.

Purdue Mall

The Engineering Fountain at Purdue

The Purdue Mall is the central quad of Purdue University. It is also known as the Engineering Mall, due to its proximity to several engineering buildings. The most prominent feature of the Purdue Mall is the 38-foot-tall concrete Engineering Fountain, and also features the Frederick L. Hovde Hall of Administration, which houses the office of the university president, France A. Córdova. The Purdue Bell Tower is located between the Purdue and Memorial Malls. The Bell Tower is considered an icon of the university and can be found on many Purdue logos and those of the cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette.

Southwest of the Purdue Mall is the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music, one of the largest proscenium theaters in the world.Purdue's Student Concert Committee often invites famous entertainers to perform there for an audience of students, faculty, and the general public. Also near the Purdue Mall is Felix Haas Hall, which was constructed in 1909 as Memorial Gymnasium in memory of the 17 Purdue University football players, coaches, alumni, and fans who perished in the Purdue Wreck railroad accident on October 31, 1903. The structure was renovated in 1985 to house the Computer Science department. In 2006, it was renamed in honor of Felix Haas and began to also house the Statistics department.

Memorial Mall

University Hall from the Memorial Mall

The Purdue Memorial Mall is located south of the Purdue Mall and is generally considered the older part of campus. A popular meeting place for students, the Memorial Mall is surrounded by the Stewart Student Center, the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, and University Hall. The Memorial Mall also features the Hello Walk. East of the Memorial Mall is the Purdue Memorial Union, Purdue's student union building, and the adjacent Union Club Hotel.

University Hall is the only building remaining from the original six-building campus. Construction began in 1871, when the building was known as "The Main Building". The building was dedicated in 1877 and the project cost $35,000 to complete. University Hall originally housed the office of the president, a chapel, and classrooms, but was remodeled in 1961 to house only the department of history. At the request of John Purdue, he was buried in the Memorial Mall, directly across from the main entrance of University Hall.

South campus

The area south of State Street is home to Purdue's agricultural and veterinary buildings. This area also includes the Horticulture Gardens, Discovery Park, and the Purdue Airport.

West campus

The western portion of campus consists of student housing, dining, and recreation facilities. Students can play club and intramural sports at the Recreational Sports Center, the Boilermaker Aquatic Center, and the intramural playing fields in this area. Purdue's Recreational Sports Center, built in 1957, is the first building in the nation created solely to serve university student recreational needs. From January 2011 until August 2012, the building will undergo a LEED-certified expansion and renovation project to become the Student Wellness and Fitness Center.

Stadium area

Mackey Arena

Much of the northern part of campus sits on land purchased for the university by David E. Ross and George Ade. David Ross is one of two people buried on Purdue's campus (the other being John Purdue). Many of Purdue's athletic facilities are located there, including Ross–Ade Stadium (American football), Mackey Arena (basketball), and Lambert Fieldhouse (indoor track & field). This area also includes the Slayter Center of Performing Arts and Cary Quadrangle, one of the largest all-male housing units in the country.

Academics

Purdue offers more than 200 options for major areas of study at the West Lafayette campus alone, and a variety of options for minors.[19] Purdue is organized into eight colleges and schools contained within larger colleges; the two exceptions are the Krannert School of Management and the School of Veterinary Medicine.These two academic units retained their "school" status during a university-wide renaming policy in 2004 and 2005 in deference to national professional school naming conventions.

Faculty

The original faculty of six in 1874 has grown to 2,563 tenure and tenure-track faculty in the Purdue Statewide System by Fall 2007 totals. The number of faculty and staff members system-wide is 18,872.The current faculty includes scholars such as Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar - known for his contributions to singularity theory, Arden L. Bement Jr. - Director of the National Science Foundation, R. Graham Cooks, Joseph Francisco, Douglas Comer, Louis de Branges de Bourcia who proved the Bieberbach conjecture, Ei-ichi Negishi, Victor Raskin, Michael Rossmann who mapped human common cold virus, Leah Jamieson, and H. Jay Melosh.

Purdue's tenured faculty comprises sixty Academic Deans, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans; 63 Academic Department Heads; 753 Professors; 547 Associate Professors and 447 Assistant Professors. Purdue employs 892 non-tenure-track faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctorals at its West Lafayette campus. Purdue employs another 691 tenured and 1,021 Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Lecturers, and Postdoctorals at its Regional Campuses and Statewide Technology.

Research

Undergraduate library, facilities are underground.

The University expended $472.7 million in support of research system-wide in 2006–07, using funds received from the state and federal governments, industry, foundations, and individual donors. The faculty and more than 400 research laboratories put Purdue University among the leading research institutions.[24] Purdue University is considered by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to have "very high research activity".Purdue also was rated the nation's fourth best place to work in academia, according to rankings released in November 2007 by The Scientist magazine.Purdue's researchers provide insight, knowledge, assistance, and solutions in many crucial areas. These include, but are not limited to Agriculture; Business and Economy; Education; Engineering; Environment; Healthcare; Individuals, Society, Culture; Manufacturing; Science; Technology; Veterinary Medicine.

Purdue University generated a record $333.4 million in sponsored research funding during the 2007-08 fiscal year with participation from National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, and Health and Human Services.

Purdue University established the Discovery Park to bring innovation through multidisciplinary action.In all of the eleven centers of Discovery Park, ranging from entrepreneurship to energy and advanced manufacturing, research projects reflect a large economic impact and address global challenges.[30] Purdue University's nanotechnology research program, built around the new Birck Nanotechnology Center in Discovery Park, ranks among the best in the nation.

The Purdue Research Park which opened in 1961 was developed by Purdue Research Foundation which is a private, nonprofit foundation created to assist Purdue. The park is focused on companies operating in the arenas of life sciences, homeland security, engineering, advanced manufacturing and information technology.It provides an interactive environment for experienced Purdue researchers and private business and high-tech industry.It currently employs more than 3,000 people in 155 companies, including 90 technology-based The Purdue Research Park was ranked first by the Association of University Research Parks in 2004.



University rankings (overall)


ARWU World[36] 65
ARWU National[37] 45
Forbes[38] 448
Times Higher Education[39] 87
USNWR National University[40] 61
WM National University[41] 12

Administration

The University President, appointed by the Board of Trustees, is the chief administrative officer of the university. The office of the president oversees admission and registration, student conduct and counseling, the administration and scheduling of classes and space, the administration of student athletics and organized extracurricular activities, the libraries, the appointment of the faculty and conditions of their employment, the appointment of all non-faculty employees and the conditions of employment, the general organization of the university, and the planning and administration of the university budget.

The Board of Trustees directly appoints other major officers of the university including a provost, who serves as the chief academic officer for the university, a number of vice presidents with oversight over specific university operations, and the satellite campus chancellors.

Sustainability

Purdue's Sustainability Council, composed of University administrators and professors, meets monthly to discuss environmental issues and sustainability initiatives at Purdue. The University is currently constructing its first LEED Certified building in an addition to the Mechanical Engineering building, which is to be completed in Spring 2011.The school is also in the process of developing an arboretum on campus. In addition, a system has been set up to display live data detailing current energy production at the campus utility plant. The school holds an annual "Green Week" each fall, an effort to engage the Purdue community with issues relating to environmental sustainability.

Student life

Student body

Graduation Ceremony

The Purdue student body is composed primarily of students from Indiana. In 2006-07, 23,086 out of a total of 39,288 students enrolled were Indiana residents. As of 2007, the racial diversity of the undergraduate student body was 86.9% white, 5.51% Asian, 3.53% African American, and 2.75% Hispanic. Of these students, 41.2% are female.Domestic minorities constitute a total of 15.4% in the Graduate student body population of which 38.5% are female.The largest minority (six percent of the full-time student body) is international, representing 123 countries.In graduate student population, non-residents occupy an overwhelming majority, about 78%. Almost all undergraduates and about 70% of the graduate student population attend full-time. The school's selectivity, for admissions, is average: approximately 70% of applicants are admitted.

Housing

Purdue University operates fifteen separate residence halls for its undergraduate and graduate students, including: Cary Quadrangle, Earhart Hall, First Street Towers, Harrison Hall, Hawkins Hall, Hillenbrand Hall, Hilltop Apartments, McCutcheon Hall, Meredith Hall, Owen Hall, Purdue Village, Shreve Hall, Tarkington Hall, Wiley Hall, and Windsor Halls. The newest residence hall, First Street Towers, opened in July 2009 and is exclusively for upperclassmen.

There are 12 cooperative houses at Purdue (5 men's houses and 7 women's houses). The men's houses include Circle Pines, Fairway, Marwood, Chauncey, and Gemini. The women's houses include Ann Tweedale, Glenwood, Twin Pines, Maclure, Stewart, Devonshire, and Shoemaker. All cooperative houses are governed under the Purdue Cooperative Council which is led by Purdue University students who live in these houses. The cooperative system claims that it allows for a much lower cost of living than other types of housing,[55] as the members take an active role in sharing chores and cooking all meals themselves, as opposed to hiring out cleaning and cooking staff.

Purdue University hosts the nation's third largest Greek community, with approximately 5,000 students participating in one of the 46 men's fraternities or 29 women's sororities. Several of Purdue's most distinguished graduates are members of fraternities and sororities.

Media

The Purdue Exponent, an independent student newspaper, has the largest circulation of any Indiana college newspaper, with a daily circulation of 17,500 copies during the spring and fall semesters.

The "Movie Tribute Show with Erik Mygrant" was created in a small television studio (now known as the Erik Mygrant Studio) on campus in 1999.

WBAA is a radio station owned by Purdue University. The station operates on the AM frequency of 920 kHz and FM frequency of 101.3 MHz. Its studios are in the Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music on the Purdue campus, and the transmitters are located in Lafayette, Indiana. WBAA is the longest continuously-operating radio station in Indiana, having been licensed on April 4, 1922. WBAA airs NPR and local news/talk programming during the day. Overnight, the AM station airs jazz while the FM station airs classical music.

There are also a few student radio stations on campus. Currently, three operate from residence halls, broadcasting via internet only; WCCR from Cary Quadrangle (not to be confused with the current WCCR FM or WCCR-LP stations in other states), WILY from Wiley Hall, and WHHR from Harrison Hall. A fourth student station, the Purdue Student Radio club operates from the Purdue Memorial Union and broadcasts on low power AM in addition to internet streaming.

W9YB is the callsign of the Amateur Radio Club at Purdue University. W9YB also holds the self declared title of having one of the largest and most active collegiate amateur radio stations in the country. W9YB actively participates in emergency management for the Tippecanoe County area and maintains ready status with its members in skills to assist.

Athletics

Former Purdue Football head coach, Joe Tiller

Purdue is home to 18 Division I/I-A NCAA teams including football, basketball, cross country, tennis, wrestling, golf, volleyball and others. Purdue is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, and played a central role in its creation. Traditional rivals include Big Ten colleagues the Indiana Hoosiers, the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from the Big East Conference (football program independent, however).

The Boilermaker men's and women's basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school, with 27 conference banners, including a league-leading 22 for the men’s team. Purdue men's basketball has an all-time winning record against all Big Ten schools.