Former names | See History |
---|---|
Motto | Excellentia per societatem (Latin) |
Motto in English | Excellence through partnership |
Type | Public university |
Established | 1858 (as a school) 1992 (as a university) |
Endowment | £0.7 m (2015) [1] |
Chancellor | Bernard Ribeiro, Baron Ribeiro (2021) |
Vice-Chancellor | Roderick Watkins |
Students | 35,080 (2022/23) [2] |
Undergraduates | 25,350 (2022/23) [2] |
Postgraduates | 9,730 (2022/23) [2] |
Location | , United Kingdom 52°12′11.1″N0°8′1.3″E / 52.203083°N 0.133694°E |
Campus | Urban |
Colours | Blue and yellow |
Affiliations | |
Website | aru |
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university located in East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins trace back to the Cambridge School of Art (CSA), founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, in 1858. The institution became a university in 1992 and was renamed after John Ruskin, the Oxford University professor and author, in 2005. Ruskin delivered the inaugural speech at the Cambridge School of Art in 1858. ARU is classified as one of the "post-1992 universities." The university's motto is in Latin: Excellentia per societatem, which translates to Excellence through partnership in English. [3]
In 2022, Anglia Ruskin has 35,195 students. ARU has six campuses across the south-eastern portion of the United Kingdom in Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Greater London. [4] [5] [6]
The university has campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Writtle, Peterborough, and London. [7] [6]
Anglia Ruskin University's Cambridge campus is located between the historic city center of Cambridge and the suburb of Romsey Town. The campus features a blend of modern facilities and historical architecture, including the original building of the Cambridge School of Art. [8]
The Cambridge campus underwent significant redevelopment, beginning with the refurbishment of the main building, Helmore, which was named after Roy Helmore, the principal of the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology from 1977 to 1986. This renovation was completed in 2006. In 2009, one of the university's largest buildings, Rackham, located in the campus center, was demolished to make way for the new Lord Ashcroft International Business School. The new business school was inaugurated in 2011. The Mumford Theatre, situated at the heart of the campus, continues to host a diverse range of professional touring, local community, and student theatre productions for both the public and university members. [9] [10] [11]
From 2015, a new building known as Young Street (named for its location between Young Street and New Street) began hosting nursing and health courses, including midwifery, paramedic studies, and operating department practice (ODP). This building is also home to the university's Music Therapy Centre. [12] [13]
As of 2015, all sports, computing, and technology courses were relocated to the newly established Compass House building, which is situated approximately 0.3 miles (0.5 km) along East Road from the main campus. [14] [13]
Anglia Ruskin's Cambridge Campus is home to one of only nine optometry schools in the UK, featuring its own optometry clinic. [15]
Anglia Ruskin University's Chelmsford campus is situated in the city's University and Innovation Quarter, nestled along the river. The campus features modern buildings that house state-of-the-art facilities, including Essex's first School of Medicine, which opened in 2019. [16]
The Chelmsford campus houses several notable buildings, including the Queen's Building (opened in 1995) and the Sawyer's Building (opened in 2001). Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated the Queen's Building. [17]
In 2003, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, opened the Michael A. Ashcroft Building, which was later renamed the Lord Ashcroft Building. [18]
The Chelmsford Central campus closed at the end of the 2007/08 academic year, with all facilities moving to the new buildings at the Rivermead campus (now called Chelmsford Campus) on Bishop Hall Lane.
Three buildings were preserved: the East Building (built in 1931), the Frederick Chancellor Building (built in 1902), and the Grade II-listed Anne Knight Building (constructed in the mid-19th century), which was used by Quakers. The East and Frederick Chancellor buildings are located within a conservation area, meaning they cannot be demolished without planning permission due to their historical significance in the early days of higher education in Essex. The site is currently vacant because the recession halted development that had been planned for many years; however, new plans have been released by Genesis Housing, which currently owns the site. [19] [20] [21]
The campus expanded further with the addition of the Mildmay Sports Centre and the Tindal Building in 2005, followed by the William Harvey Building in 2007. The Faculty Building, opened in 2008, was renamed the Marconi Building in 2011. [18]
The Postgraduate Medical Institute building, opened in 2011, was later named the Michael Salmon Building in 2017. [22]
Construction of Essex's first School of Medicine began in May 2017, and the facility was officially opened in 2019 by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. [18] [17] [23] [22] [24]
ARU London has two locations. The Farringdon Building is situated on Charterhouse Street in Holborn, which borders the City of London. The East India Building is located in the former East India Docks, adjacent to Canary Wharf in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. [25] [26]
The Farringdon Building is located in the heart of central London, near the city's business and financial district. This campus has facilities, including lecture theatres, seminar rooms, PC-equipped study areas, and a library. [27]
The East India Building is situated in the Docklands area of East London, having undergone a significant refurbishment. It offers modern teaching spaces and communal work areas spread over four floors. Both campuses provide a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in subjects such as business, law, and finance. [27]
Anglia Ruskin University Peterborough campus, which opened in September 2022, is a modern, purpose-built institution located close to the city center of Peterborough. The campus features state-of-the-art facilities, including a simulated hospital ward, science laboratories, and engineering labs, designed to provide students with hands-on learning experiences. [28]
On 14 July 2020, the Minister of State for Universities, Michelle Donelan, announced Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) as the official higher education partner for a new employment-focused university in Peterborough. This initiative is a collaboration between the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) and Peterborough City Council (PCC). The campus will also include a materials and manufacturing research and development center operated by 3D printing specialists Photocentric, who have partnered with the CPCA to create the facility on the new Peterborough university campus. [29] [30]
ARU Peterborough opened in 2022, with University House being the first building on the campus. The Peterborough Research & Innovation Centre opened in 2024. In the same year, XRP eXtended Reality Peterborough was inaugurated by writer Sandi Toksvig OBE. The second teaching building, which includes specialized facilities for biomedical sciences and engineering, as well as a Living Lab, was completed in August 2024. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39]
Anglia Ruskin University Writtle campus, located in the Essex countryside near Chelmsford, is an educational facility that specialises in land-based, animal sciences, and sport-related programs. The campus spans 150 hectares and features a variety of facilities, including a working farm, equine center, science laboratories, and design studios. [40]
ARU Writtle offers postgraduate, undergraduate, further education, and short courses in agriculture and animal sciences, with students benefiting from a working farm, a specialist small animal unit, and an equine centre on campus. The institution has also developed a range of degree programmes in applied life sciences, sport, and health subjects. Students have been recognized multiple times by the Royal Horticultural Society, including awards at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London. [41] [5] [42] [43] [44] [45]
In 2023, Anglia Ruskin University and Writtle University College announced a merger. Writtle University College would become ARU Writtle. The official merger took place on 29 February 2024. [46] [6] [5]
The Cambridge campus features several accommodations, including Anastasia House, Peter Taylor House, Swinhoe House Hall of Residence, the Railyard, Sedley Court, CB1, and various university houses located throughout the city. [47]
The Chelmsford campus features the Chelmsford Student Village. [48]
At the new Peterborough campus, students utilise private-sector accommodations. [49]
Students at ARU London utilise private-sector accommodations.s. [50]
There are four Faculties of study at Anglia Ruskin University: [51]
The Faculty of Business and Law is located in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough, and London. [52]
The faculty has two schools, the School of Economics, Finance and Law, and the School of Management. [53] [54]
In 2014, Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab was opened for finance, banking, accounting, and economics students at the Chelmsford campus. [55]
During his tenure as Chancellor, Lord Ashcroft made donations totaling £10 million to construct two facilities for the Lord Ashcroft International Business School in Chelmsford and Cambridge. The Lord Ashcroft Building in Chelmsford was inaugurated by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, in 2003, while the Lord Ashcroft Building in Cambridge was opened in 2011. [56] [57] [58]
In 2022, the ARU Certificate for Professional Development achieved third place out of over 70 submissions for the Most Innovative Approach to Developing Employability Skills at the Pearson HE Innovate Awards. [59]
In 2022, the Faculty of Business and Law was awarded the Small Business Charter Award. [60]
The business school has an Entrepreneurs in Residence program. In 2023, X-Forces Enterprise joined the program as a strategic partner. [61] [62]
The Faculty of Science and Technology is one of the largest faculties at Anglia Ruskin University, with six departments spread across the Cambridge, Chelmsford, and Writtle campuses. [63]
The Faculty of Science and Engineering consists of six schools: the School of Computing and Information Science, the School of Engineering and the Built Environment, the School of Life Sciences, the School of Psychology, the School of Sport and Sensory Science, and the Writtle School of Agriculture, Animal and Environmental Sciences. [64]
The Department of Built Environment is a large multidisciplinary department with the most comprehensive Built Environment portfolio in Eastern England and is located at the Chelmsford campus. [65]
The Department of Computing and Technology is located at both the Chelmsford and Cambridge campuses. The department maintains close links with the electronics, software, automotive, and creative industries and is a Cisco Systems Regional Networking Academy. [66]
The Department of Life Sciences is located at the Cambridge campus. Teaching equipment includes laboratories, gas and liquid chromatographic systems, and facilities for drug analysis, toxicology, fire investigation, and DNA analysis. [67]
The Department of Psychology is based at the Cambridge campus. It was recognised for its performance in the 2008 UK Research Assessment Exercise, making it the top-rated psychology department in a post-1992 university in the UK for the quality of its research. [68]
The Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences is based at the Cambridge Campus for Optometry and Ophthalmic Dispensing. [69]
Research in Psychology, Vision, and Environmental Sciences was rated as world-leading or of international quality in the 2008 UK Research Assessment Exercise. Notable successes include the discovery of new animal species, the design of new car bonnets for improved pedestrian safety, and leading studies on the toxic effects of benzylpiperazine (BZP). [70] [71] [72] [73]
In 2023, the Peterborough Innovation and Research Centre launched XRP eXtended Reality Peterborough, an immersive learning environment. [74]
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences was newly formed in 2023, bringing together four schools: the Cambridge School of Art, the Cambridge School of Creative Industries, the School of Education, and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
It is also home to three research institutes: the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR), the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI), and StoryLab.
Cambridge School of Art was opened in 1858 by the renowned art critic and professor John Ruskin. In 1953, in collaboration with Francis Crick and James D. Watson at Cambridge University, lecturer Odile Crick drew the original sketch to illustrate the complex concept of DNA’s double helix - an iconic image that is still used today.
Cambridge School of Art was home to many forward-thinking students, including caricaturists Roger Law and Peter Fluck, known for their work on TV’s Spitting Image, as well as Pink Floyd members Syd Barrett and David Gilmour, who played one of their first gigs in 1966 from the balcony of what is now the illustration studios.
Cambridge School of Art is known worldwide for its MA in Children's Book Illustration.[ citation needed ]
Anglia Ruskin is a member of the Creative East. [75]
In 2023, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Cambridge formed a partnership to support PhD researchers in the social sciences. [76]
The Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Social Care comprises four schools: the School of Allied Health and Social Care, the School of Medicine, the School of Midwifery and Community Health, and the School of Nursing. [77]
On 10 October 2016, Anglia Ruskin University announced plans to open Essex's first School of Medicine at its Chelmsford campus. The purpose-built medical school would be the first undergraduate medical school in Essex and would cost £20 million to construct. It is designed to include state-of-the-art skills facilities, specialized teaching spaces, a lecture theatre, and a cadaveric anatomy suite. [78]
On 19 May 2017, Anglia Ruskin University announced that it had begun construction on the purpose-built medical school at its Chelmsford campus, which was scheduled to open in September 2018. Clare Panniker, Chief Executive of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, attended the event alongside other officials. [24]
On 21 September 2017, the university announced that the General Medical Council had approved its curriculum and that it now had official School of Medicine status. In 2019, the school was formally opened by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. [79]
In 2022, ARU founded the first university hub in the UK for Samaritans, a charity for emotional support. [80]
In 2023, Anglia Ruskin University was rated tenth among the top ten British universities for social work by The Guardian newspaper. [81]
Anglia Ruskin has six research institutes. [82]
National partners are School of Osteopathy in London, Cambridge Regional College, Cambridge Theological Federation, College of West Anglia, Renew Counselling in Chelmsford, and University Centre Peterborough. [83] [84]
Distance learning partners are CNET Training and Cambridge Spark. [85]
International partners are Imperium International College, First City University College, and MAHSA University in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and The School of Accounting and Management, located at the University-Town of St Augustine - Trinidad and Tobago. [86]
Anglia Ruskin University's past and present working life partners are NHS, British Armed Forces, Cambridge University Press, Essex County Council, UPS, Barclays, Capita, Russian Railways, Willmott Dixon, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Softwerx, Triangular Alliance, Greenwoods Legal, Virgin Money, Timberland, Volvo, and Harrods. [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95]
The Ruskin Gallery is the university's public art gallery, and admission is free. Exhibits have included both historic and contemporary art, as well as works by students and staff. The gallery is surrounded by studios for fine art, illustration, design, and media. On 9 May 2011, the Ruskin Gallery unveiled its new digital gallery, which displays art in a digital format on high-definition screens, including the world's first Panasonic 103" 3D Full HD plasma screen. [96] [97]
Anglia Ruskin University founded the Arise Innovation Hubs, which are located in Chelmsford and Harlow. These Essex-based innovation hubs promote entrepreneurship and innovation by supporting startups and scaleups. [98] [99] [100] [101] [102] [103]
Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy (AREA) supports entrepreneurship among university students and alumni. AREA organises the annual #ThinkBigARU business plan competition for students and alumni. The Entrepreneurs' Community connects students with alumni and external entrepreneurs. ARU is accredited by the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs (IOEE) and the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education (NCEE). [104] [105] [106] [107]
The twelve subject areas within Anglia Ruskin University classified by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 as producing "world-leading" research are:
In October 2023, Anglia Ruskin University became the first university in the United Kingdom to sign UNISON's Anti-Racism Charter. The signing ceremony was held in Cambridge. [109]
National rankings | |
---|---|
Complete (2025) [110] | 122 |
Guardian (2025) [111] | 98 |
Times / Sunday Times (2025) [112] | 130 |
Global rankings | |
THE (2025) [113] | 501–600 |
Anglia Ruskin University has its origins in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by William John Beamont in 1858. The inaugural address was given by John Ruskin, who is often incorrectly described as the founder. The original location was near Sidney Sussex College, but it later moved to its current location on East Road, Cambridge. [140]
In the 1920s, the governing body included two remarkable pioneers in the civic history of Cambridge: Clara Rackham and Lilian Mellish Clarke, after whom buildings on the East Road campus were later named. In 1960, this institution became the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT). In 1989, CCAT merged with the Essex Institute of Higher Education, which was originally a vocational school named Chelmsford School of Science and Art and later known as Mid Essex Technical College and Chelmer Institute of Higher Education, to form Anglia Higher Education College.
The merged college became a polytechnic in 1991, adopting the name Anglia Polytechnic, and was awarded university status in 1992. Initially called Anglia Polytechnic University (APU), it retained the term 'polytechnic' in its title because it symbolized the type of education known for equipping students with practical skills for the workforce. However, in 2000 there was some uncertainty about including 'polytechnic' in the title since it was the only university in the country to do so. Wanting to keep the 'APU' abbreviation, a suggestion put forward by the governors was 'Anglia Prior University' (after a former Chancellor Jim Prior), but the Governors decided to keep 'polytechnic' in the title.
The university eventually reconsidered a name change and chose Anglia Ruskin University, incorporating John Ruskin's surname into the title. This change took effect following approval from the Privy Council on 29 September 2005. [141] [140] [142] [143] [144]
In 2024, Writtle University College merged with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), becoming ARU Writtle. [145]
Former students include the Victorian poet Augusta Webster, who signed John Stuart Mill's petition for women's suffrage in 1866. Past lecturers include Odile Crick, the wife of Francis Crick, who created the iconic image of DNA. The musician Syd Barrett, songwriter and lead guitarist of the band Pink Floyd, is also an alumnus. Author Tom Sharpe served as a lecturer in history at CCAT from 1963 to 1972, and Anne Campbell, the Labour MP for Cambridge from 1992 to 2005, was previously a lecturer in statistics at CCAT. [146]
In a BBC News article from 3 June 2014, it was reported that Anglia Ruskin University received more complaints and appeals from its students than any of the other 120 universities that responded to freedom of information requests. In the 2012/13 academic year, the university received 992 "complaints and appeals." In response, Lesley Dobree, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), stated that only 9 of the 992 recorded complaints were actual complaints; the others were protests regarding examination and assignment marking. [147]
In 2019, Hongkonger Pok Wong, a 2014 graduate of Anglia Ruskin University, received a £61,000 out-of-court settlement from the university after suing for false advertising, alleging a low quality of teaching. The university has maintained that the payout does not indicate fault on its part. In 2018, the London County Court ruled in favor of the university and ordered Wong to pay £13,700 of Anglia Ruskin's legal costs. However, the university's insurers later contacted Wong and offered to settle her £15,000 claim while covering her legal costs. Anglia Ruskin added that it did not support the decision made by its insurer's solicitors. [148] [149]
Anglia Ruskin University awarded Junius Ho, a pro-Beijing lawmaker in Hong Kong, an Honorary Doctor of Laws in 2011. During the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, Ho was accused of supporting those who committed the 2019 Yuen Long attack. In response to Ho's controversial speech, David Alton wrote to the university regarding the matter. Lord Alton urged the university to revoke Ho's honorary doctoral degree. The university confirmed that Ho was stripped of his degree on 29 October 2019. [150] [151] [152] [153]
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