University of Edinburgh
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| University of Edinburgh | |
|---|---|
| Image:Edinburgh university crest.svg | |
Latin: Universitas Academica Edinburgensis | |
| Established | 1582 |
| Type: | Public |
| Endowment: | £201 million[1] |
| Chancellor: | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh |
| Rector: | Mark Ballard |
| Principal: | Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea |
| Staff: | 7,700 (2650 Support & Corporate)[2] |
| Students: | 23,715[3] |
| Undergraduates: | 17,135[3] |
| Postgraduates: | 6,585[3] |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland
() |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Affiliations: | Russell Group Coimbra Group LERU, Universitas 21 |
| Website: | http://www.ed.ac.uk |
The University of Edinburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann), founded in 1582,[4] is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the sixth university to be established in the British Isles, making it one of the ancient universities of Scotland. The university is also amongst the largest in the United Kingdom.[5][6][7][8]
Contents |
[edit] History
The founding of the University is attributed to Bishop Robert Reid of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney, who left the funds on his death in 1558 that ultimately provided the University's endowment. The University was established by a Royal Charter granted by James VI in 1582, becoming the fourth Scottish university at a time when more populous neighbour England had only two.
By the 18th century Edinburgh was a leading centre of the European Enlightenment (see Scottish Enlightenment) and became one of the continent's principal universities.
Students at the university are represented by Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA), which consists of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), founded in 1884 by Robert Fitzroy Bell, and Edinburgh University Union (EUU) which was founded in 1889.
In 2002 the University was re-organised from its 9 faculties into three ‘Colleges’, and now comprises the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Science and Engineering (CSE), and Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (MVM). Within these Colleges are 21 ‘Schools’, which are of roughly equal sizes, generally significantly larger than the more-numerous departments they replaced.
[edit] Academic reputation
The 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[9]
- 23rd in the world
- 5th in the UK
- 5th in Europe overall
The THES also ranked world universities in broad subject areas in tables published in the THES itself, and available to subscribers via the THES website.[10] The University of Edinburgh was ranked:
- 28th in the world for arts and humanities
- 30th in the world for life sciences and biomedicine
- 47th in the world for social sciences
The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2007 [ARWU] ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[11]
- 6th in the UK
- 11th in Europe
- 53rd in the world
The Guardian University Guide 2008 ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[12]
- 7th in the UK overall
- 1st in the UK for computer science
- 1st in the UK for physics
- 2nd in the UK for medicine
- 2nd in the UK for veterinary science
The Times Good University Guide 2007 has ranked the University of Edinburgh as the eleventh best university in the UK. In 2005, the University was the Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year.
In 2006 Newsweek ranked the University of Edinburgh 6th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 47th in the world.[13]
[edit] Endowment
The university has the third largest financial endowment among UK universities at £201m and the third largest endowment per student, according to the Sutton Trust,[14] The university has an annual turnover of more than £400m.[15]
[edit] Affiliations
The University of Edinburgh is a member of the Russell Group of large, research-led British universities. It is also the only Scottish university (and along with Oxford and Cambridge the only British universities) to be a member both of the Coimbra Group and the LERU: two leading associations of European universities. The University is also a member of Universitas 21, an international association of research-led universities.
[edit] Colleges and Schools
[edit] College of Humanities and Social Science
- School of Arts, Culture and Environment
- School of Divinity
- School of Health in Social Science
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology
- School of Law (Edinburgh Law School)
- School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
- Management School and Economics
- Moray House School of Education
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
- School of Social and Political Studies
[edit] College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
- School of Biomedical Sciences
- School of Clinical Sciences and Community Health
- School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
[edit] College of Science and Engineering
- School of Biological Sciences
- School of Chemistry
- School of GeoSciences
- School of Engineering and Electronics
- School of Informatics
- School of Mathematics
- School of Physics
[edit] Miscellaneous
Queen's University, a Canadian university founded in 1841, was modelled after the University of Edinburgh, and continues to display strong Scottish roots and traditions today.
McGill University, another Canadian university, founded in 1821, has strong Edinburgh roots and links to the University of Edinburgh as McGill's first (and, for several years, its only) faculty, Medicine, was founded by four physicians/surgeons who had trained in Edinburgh.
The University of Pennsylvania, an American Ivy League university, has long-standing historical links with the University of Edinburgh, including modelling UPenn's School of Medicine after Edinburgh's.
[edit] Location
Edinburgh is considered by some as one of the greenest and most architecturally beautiful cities in Europe often referred to as the "Athens of the North". The University plays an integral role in the city, contributing to its vibrant atmosphere.
With the expansion in topics of study the university has expanded its campuses such that it now has seven main sites:
- The Central Area including George Square, the Informatics Forum, Old College, and surrounding streets in Edinburgh's Southside, is the oldest region, occupied primarily by the college of humanities and social science, and the schools of informatics and law, as well as the main university library. The Appleton Tower is also used for teaching first year undergraduates in science and engineering. Nearby are the main EUSA buildings of Potterrow, Teviot Row House and the Pleasance Societies Centre. Old residents of George Square include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A number of these buildings are used to host events during the Edinburgh International Festival every summer.
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at Summerhall, at the East end of The Meadows. This houses Veterinary Medicine.
- Moray House School of Education just off the Royal Mile, used to be the Moray House Institute for Education until this merged with the University in August 1998. The University has since extended Moray House's Holyrood site to include a redeveloped and extended major building housing Sports Science, Physical Education and Leisure Management facilities adjacent to its own Sports Institute in the Pleasance.
- Pollock Halls, adjoining Holyrood Park to the east, provides accommodation (mainly half board) for a minority of students in their first year. The majority is provided by Self-catered flats. Two of the older houses in Pollock Halls were demolished in 2002 and a new building has been built in their place, leaving a total of ten buildings. Most other students in the city live in private flats in the Marchmont, Newington, Bruntsfield, New Town and Leith areas, although some university-owned flats are also available there.
- New College, on the Mound, which houses the School of Divinity parts of which are also used by the Church of Scotland.
- The King's Buildings, further south, houses most of the Science and Engineering schools including a Biology School that is a world leader in genetics. The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and British Geological Survey (BGS) also have a presence on campus.
- The Chancellor's Building was opened on 12th August 2002 by The Duke of Edinburgh and houses the new £40 million Medical School at the New Royal Infirmary in Little France. It was a joint project between private finance, the local authorities and the University to create a large modern hospital, veterinary clinic and research institute and thus the University is currently (2003) in the process of moving its Veterinary and Medical Faculties there (and quite possibly also the School of Nursing). It has two large lecture theatres and a medical library. It is connected to the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by a series of corridors.
[edit] Alumni and faculty
There have been many notable alumni and faculty of the university, including Adam Smith, Gordon Brown, Alexander Graham Bell, Robin Cook, Charles Darwin, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, David Hume, James Clerk Maxwell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Michael Atiyah and Ian Wilmut. Lord John Russell also matriculated there but did not graduate.
At graduation ceremonies, the Vice-Chancellor caps graduates with the Geneva Bonnet, a hat which legend says was originally made from cloth taken from the breeches of John Knox or George Buchanan. The hat was last restored in 2000, when a note from 1849 was discovered in the fabric.[16][17] In 2006, a University emblem taken into space by Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva Bonnet.[18]
[edit] Student organisations
[edit] Media
Newspapers:
- Edinburgh Student Newspaper is a weekly Scottish independent newspaper produced by students at the University of Edinburgh. Founded in 1887 by author Robert Louis Stevenson, it is the oldest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. It has held the title of Best Student Newspaper in Scotland, awarded by the Herald Student Press Awards, for two years running, having won in 2006 and again in 2007.
[edit] Gallery
University of Edinburgh, Old College.jpg
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Old College Dome.JPG
Old College dome |
Edinburgh University 1827.jpg
The east façade of the Old College, before the dome was added in 1887 |
Old College, University of Edinburgh courtyard facade detail.jpg
Detail of the façade to the courtyard of the Old College |
University of Edinburgh, Teviot.jpg
Students' Union - Teviot Row House |
Teviot row house.jpg
Teviot Row House, seen here as a Gilded Balloon venue during the Edinburgh Fringe |
Appleton tower looming.jpg
Appleton Tower, currently under renovation |
Pollock 1.jpg
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Pollock 3.jpg
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John Playfair.jpg
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David-hume-edinburgh.jpg
David Hume statue |
[edit] See also
- Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
- Rector of the University of Edinburgh
- Edinburgh Student Newspaper
- Russell Group of Universities
- Gifford Lectures
- Students' Representative Council
- James Tait Black Memorial Prize
- Edinburgh University A.F.C.
- Fresh Air (Edinburgh)
- Edinburgh Stanford Link
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ University of Edinburgh (2006). "The University of Edinburgh Reports & Financial Statements for the year to 31 July 2006". Retrieved on 2007-01-19.
- ^ University of Edinburgh (2006). Staff Figures. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.
- ^ a b c Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06. Higher Education Statistics Agency online statistics. Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
- ^ http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/history/
- ^ http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2005/ARWU2005_Top100.htm
- ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html
- ^ http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2005/table/0,,-5163901,00.html
- ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,8403,00.html
- ^ The Top 200 World University Rankings. The Times Higher Education Supplement (2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
- ^ http://www.thes.co.uk/statistics/international_comparisons/2006/main.aspx
- ^ Top 500 World Universities (1-99). Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ Guardian University Guide. The Guardian (2008). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
- ^ The Complete List: The Top 100 Global Universities. MSNBC (13 August 2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-25.
- ^ The Sutton Trust - University Endowments, retrieved 29th October 2007
- ^ University exceeds £400m annual turnover (11 January 2006). ED.ac.uk. Accessed 2007-11-28.
- ^ Omniana. University of Edinburgh. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- ^ Graduation cap (Object Details). University of Edinburgh. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- ^ Richard Luscombe. "One small step for John Knox, one giant leap for university", Scotland on Sunday, 25 June 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
[edit] External links
- The University of Edinburgh
- Accommodation Services at the University of Edinburgh
- Edinburgh University Students' Association
- Edinburgh University Sports Union
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