Buckinghamshire New University

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Buckinghamshire New University
Coat of arms of Buckinghamshire New University.svg
Coat of Arms
Former names
School of Science and Art (1891)
Wycombe Technical Institute (1920)
High Wycombe College of Technology and Art (1961)
Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education (1975)
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College (1999)
Motto Latin: Arte et industria
Motto in English
By Art and Industry
Type Public
Established2007 – gained university status
1891 – Science and Art School
Chancellor Jay Blades [1]
Vice-Chancellor Nick Braisby
Students14,075 (2019/20) [2]
Undergraduates 12,895 (2019/20) [2]
Postgraduates 1,180 (2019/20) [2]
Other students
125 FE [3]
Location
High Wycombe
,
Buckinghamshire
,
England, UK
Campus in Uxbridge, Middlesex
England, UK
Affiliations Million+, GuildHE
Website bucks.ac.uk
Buckinghamshire New University.jpg

Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) is a public university in Buckinghamshire, England, with campuses in High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Uxbridge and Great Missenden. The institution dates from 1891, when it was founded as the School of Science and Art, and has since then has variously been known as Wycombe Technical Institute, High Wycombe College of Technology and Art and the Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education. It was a university college from 1999 until 2007, when its application for university status was accepted.

Contents

The university is a member of the GuildHE.

History

High Wycombe Technical School in 1906 High Wycombe Technical School 1906.jpg
High Wycombe Technical School in 1906

19th century origins

Founded in 1891 as the School of Science and Art, [4] it was initially established with public funds raised from a tax on beer and spirits and set about providing evening classes to residents of High Wycombe and the local area. [5]

20th century

After World War I, it was renamed the Wycombe Technical Institute, forging close links with local crafts such as furniture making and cabinetry and helping to provide skills to injured war veterans in order that they might find work in local industries. [5]

Further building took place after World War II, and on 6 May 1963 the new facilities were officially opened by the Minister of Education, Sir Edward Boyle. [5] A new change of name, the High Wycombe College of Technology and Art accompanied this expansion. [5]

By the 1960s, around 3,000 people worked in the manufacture of furniture in High Wycombe, [6] and 80% of the wooden chairs manufactured in Britain were made there. [7]

In 1975 High Wycombe College of Art and Technology merged with the Newland Park College of Education in Chalfont St Giles, and was renamed the Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education. In the same decade Missenden Abbey, a former Augustinian monastery founded in 1133, was acquired, and in May 1988 it was officially opened as a management centre by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. [5]

In March 1999 it was awarded University College status by the government, changing its name once again to Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College. Around this time the Which University guide described it as a "concrete labyrinth", which was unlikely to be "bringing home architectural awards". [8]

21st century

High Wycombe campus in 2004, before construction of the Gateway Building Bcuc.jpg
High Wycombe campus in 2004, before construction of the Gateway Building

In 2007 its application for university status was approved by the Privy Council and it took its current name "Buckinghamshire New University", abbreviated to Bucks. [9] The university changed its shortened name to 'BNU' in 2021.

Alternative names such as 'University of Wycombe', 'Wycombe University', 'University of High Wycombe', 'High Wycombe University', 'University of Buckinghamshire' and 'Buckinghamshire Chilterns University' were rejected. The chosen name was to lead to displeasure from the University of Buckingham for also using the county name. [10]

Bucks had plans to consolidate its campuses into a purpose-built site near to Hughenden Park in High Wycombe on land previously owned by CompAir.[ citation needed ] While these plans fell through, the university changed plans to renovate and enlarge the main campus as well as consolidate both the Wellesbourne and Chalfont campuses onto the High Wycombe site.[ citation needed ] Additionally, new halls of residence have been built at the Hughenden Park site.

The university is a lead academic sponsor of Buckinghamshire University Technical College, a new university technical college which opened in Aylesbury in September 2013.

Campuses

Hughenden Park Student Village under construction in 2009 Bucks 25.jpg
Hughenden Park Student Village under construction in 2009

The university operates over four campuses: High Wycombe Campus (previously belonging to the High Wycombe College of Art and Technology), since 2009 a site in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, a thriving base for nursing students and applied healthcare research, a campus in Aylesbury and a site known as Missenden Abbey which is also a conference centre.

In 2008, the university disposed of two existing campuses; the Chalfont Campus (near Little Chalfont) and the Wellesbourne Campus (near Hazlemere).

Gateway Building Gateway building BNU.jpg
Gateway Building

Gateway building

The university undertook a major development of the High Wycombe Campus with a large structure, known as the Gateway Building, being built onto the front of the existing building. It won a RIBA award in 2010. [11]

The Gateway offers facilities including a sports/events hall, fitness centre and performance lab, dance and drama studios, sound design labs, music recording studios and video production suites, a 'modern integrated learning resources centre'[ clarification needed ], a cafe and meeting and conference rooms. It also has green screen facilities and a motion capture system. [12]

Halls of residence

Brook Street Halls Bucks-P4230055.JPG
Brook Street Halls

There is a range of accommodation at Bucks New University including halls of residence, managed houses and the student village:

Academic profile

Cabair at Denham International Denhamcabair.jpg
Cabair at Denham International

Reputation and rankings

Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2024) [13] 102
Guardian (2024) [14] 70
Times / Sunday Times (2024) [15] 119

In November 2013 it was ranked 12th in the UK by the Huffington Post in a list of creative universities. [16] It was also included in a list of the top 14 creative universities in the UK by The Daily Telegraph in December 2013. [17] Domestically, the university is ranked 70th out of 121 universities for 2023 (Guardian) and 39 out of 105 universities in England for teaching quality (Times / Sunday Times).

Research standing

For the most recent 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the grading "internationally excellent" or "world leading" was for some submissions in the areas Allied Health Professions, Business and Management Studies, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Art and Design. [18]

Specialist courses

The university runs several specialist courses.

The Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training is a course offering students the opportunity to study for a professional pilot's licence whilst undertaking university studies in areas such as globalisation of the air transport industry and health safety and security for airlines and airports. [19] Many former students (including Virgin Atlantic deputy chief pilot David Brooks) have gone on to attain jobs as pilots in flying schools, charter companies and airlines around the world including Susi Air, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, BMI and Ryanair. [20]

Although the Air Transport with Commercial Pilot Training course aims to provide guidance and support to students with the aim of becoming commercial pilots, many students are inspired by various modules of the course and pursue careers in other areas within the air transport industry. In 2009 graduate Antony Coe set up his own business DexFix computer repairs.[ citation needed ] Following this and in conjunction with his studies in Health safety and security for airlines and airports Coe now provides contract services to the counter terrorism task forces worldwide.

In 2023, the university established a new Centre for Intelligence, Security and Resilience and expanded its offerings for students at the start of their careers as well as middle managers looking to apply analysis and information leadership to emerging challenges where intelligence, security and resilience coincide. Key staff in this endeavour include Dr Maitland Hyslop, Mike Croll, Fiona Galbraith and Beverley Griffiths.

The university offers several other courses such as Music Management and Film and Television Production. The university also offers a course in Animation and Visual Effects, launched in September 2013. [21]

Former logo until March 30, 2021. Buckinghamshire New University logo.svg
Former logo until March 30, 2021.

Bucks New University, in partnership with the UK's largest non-metropolitan Police service Thames Valley Police, offers a Degree Apprenticeship for new Police entrants.

Academics

Trevor Baylis was a frequent guest lecturer, and was present at a 2004 graduation ceremony and graduate degree show; he received an honorary degree from the university in 2007, and was present at the official opening of the Gateway building in 2010.

Notable alumni

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckinghamshire</span> County of England

Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the east, Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, and Oxfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Milton Keynes, and the county town is Aylesbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amersham</span> Human settlement in England

Amersham is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, 27 miles (43 km) northwest of central London, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Aylesbury and 9 miles (14 km) north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Wycombe</span> Town in Buckinghamshire, England

High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe, is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is 29 miles (47 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, 13 miles (21 km) south-southeast of Aylesbury, 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Oxford, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Reading and 8 miles (13 km) north of Maidenhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesham</span> Human settlement in England

Chesham is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, about 26 miles (42 km) north-west of central London, and part of the London commuter belt. It is in the Chess Valley, surrounded by farmland. The earliest records of Chesham as a settlement are from the second half of the 10th century, although there is archaeological evidence of people in this area from around 8000 BC. Henry III granted a royal charter for a weekly market in 1257.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiltern Hills</span> Range of hills in Southeast England

The Chiltern Hills are a chalk escarpment in southern England, northwest of London, covering 660 square miles (1,700 km2) across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire, stretching 45 miles (72 km) from Goring-on-Thames in the southwest to Hitchin in the northeast. The hills are 12 miles (19 km) at their widest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalfont St Peter</span> Village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England

Chalfont St Peter is a large village and civil parish in southeastern Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe and Rickmansworth. Chalfont St Peter is one of the largest villages, with nearly 13,000 residents. The urban population for Chalfont St Peter and Gerrards Cross is 19,622, the two villages being considered a single area by the Office for National Statistics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Missenden</span> Human settlement in England

Great Missenden is an affluent village and civil parish in the Misbourne Valley in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England, situated between the towns of Amersham and Wendover. It adjoins the village of Little Kingshill, and is a mile from Little Missenden and the village of Prestwood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holmer Green</span> Human settlement in England

Holmer Green is a village in the civil parish of Little Missenden, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is next to Hazlemere, about 3 miles (5 km) south of Great Missenden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prestwood</span> Human settlement in England

Prestwood is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, about two miles west of Great Missenden and six miles north of High Wycombe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiltern District</span> Former non-metropolitan district in England

Chiltern District was a local government district of Buckinghamshire in south-central England from 1974 to 2020. It was named after the Chiltern Hills on which the region sits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Misbourne</span> River in Buckinghamshire, England

The River Misbourne rises in a field on the outskirts of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, passing through Little Missenden, Old Amersham, Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter and under the Chiltern railway line and the M25 motorway to its confluence with the River Colne just north of where the Colne is crossed by Western Avenue, the A40 road. It falls by around 94 m (310 ft) in the course of its 27 km (17 mi) length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aylesbury (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1801 onwards

Aylesbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Rob Butler of the Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in Buckinghamshire

Wycombe is a constituency in Buckinghamshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Steve Baker, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesham and Amersham (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Chesham and Amersham is a parliamentary constituency in Buckinghamshire, South East England, represented in the House of Commons by Sarah Green, a Liberal Democrat elected at a 2021 by-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aylesbury College</span> College in Buckinghamshire, UK

Aylesbury College is a general further education college in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. It educates students in a broad range of vocational fields, including Creative Arts, Health and Social Care, Hair and Beauty, Hospitality and Catering, Construction, Business and IT in addition to A Level and GCSE in its Sixth Form Centre. In September 2021, a new qualification, which is known as T Level was introduced for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Missenden railway station</span> Railway station in Buckinghamshire, England

Great Missenden railway station serves the village of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, England and the neighbouring villages of Prestwood, Little Hampden and Little Missenden. The station lies on the London to Aylesbury Line and is served by Chiltern Railways trains. It is between Amersham and Wendover stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carousel Buses</span> Buckinghamshire bus operator

Carousel Buses Limited, trading as Carousel Buses, is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Originally an independent company, it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. It is grouped together with Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, both of Oxfordshire, and with Pulham's Coaches of Gloucestershire, with the fleets of each operator regularly interchanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newland Park, Chalfont St Peter</span> Country house in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom

Newland Park is a Grade II listed country house and estate near the village of Chalfont St Peter in Buckinghamshire.

References

  1. 1 2 "Jay Blades appointed first chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University". BBC News. 20 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Where do HE students study?". Higher Education Statistics Agency . Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Table 0a – All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07" (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Higher Education Statistics Agency . Retrieved 5 April 2008.
  4. ↑ "About Us". Buckinghamshire New University. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Official history Archived 23 January 2014 at archive.today Retrieved January 2014
  6. ↑ Ashton, John. The Epidemiological Imagination: A Reader. p. 4.
  7. ↑ Ashton, John, p.21, The Epidemiological Imagination: A Reader Retrieved January 2014
  8. ↑ Rich, Jonny, p.96 Push Guide to Which University Retrieved January 2014
  9. ↑ www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk Retrieved January 2014
  10. ↑ Kealey, Terence (13 November 2007). "What's in a name? Our reputation, for a start". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  11. ↑ "Newsroom". Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  12. ↑ Bucks Animation Blog 12 January 2014 Retrieved January 2014
  13. ↑ "Complete University Guide 2024". The Complete University Guide. 7 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Guardian University Guide 2024". The Guardian. 9 September 2023.
  15. ↑ "Good University Guide 2024". The Times. 15 September 2023.
  16. ↑ Huffington Post 5 November 2013 Retrieved November 2013
  17. ↑ Daily Telegraph December 2013 Retrieved December 2013
  18. ↑ "Research Excellence Framework". Buckinghamshire New University. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Search Results". Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "Graduate preparing for new life as pilot with Cathay Pacific". Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  21. ↑ Bucks New University Official Site Archived 21 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 2012

51°37′41″N0°45′07″W / 51.628°N 0.752°W / 51.628; -0.752

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