Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd | |
Former name | Gwent College of Higher Education |
---|---|
Type | Public |
Active | 1841–10 April 2013 |
Students | 9520 (2012) [1] |
Address | Caerleon Campus, Lodge Road, Caerleon, NP18 3QT , , Wales |
Affiliations | Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities ACU University of Wales Campaign for Mainstream Universities |
The University of Wales, Newport (Welsh : Prifysgol Cymru, Casnewydd), was a public university based in Newport, South Wales, before the merger that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was founded as a mechanics' institute in 1841 and became an affiliated institution of the University of Wales in 1992. It had two campuses in Newport, Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city, and a campus on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. [2]
In 2012 the university was ranked 111th out of 120 UK universities in the Guardian League Table for university rankings, [3] 105th out of 116 in The Complete University Guide [4] and 104th out of 116 UK universities in the Times Good University Guide. [5]
Newport had been involved in higher education since 1841. Originally a mechanics' institute, set up to provide further education for workers and tradesmen, it was based in Newport's Town Hall on Commercial Street. Working men and women were able to attend a variety of lectures for two shillings per quarter to study subjects including "The Pursuit of Attainment and Knowledge" and "Popular Superstition". [6]
The institution was later formed as Gwent College of Higher Education by a merger of the Caerleon College of Education (the former Monmouthshire Training College), the Newport College of Art and Design and the Gwent College of Technology in 1975. All three former institutions had established regional and national reputations, most notably the College of Art with many of its students gaining commissions from the BBC and other major organisations in light of the college being among a select number of art colleges in the country awarded Diploma in Art and Design status.
The college became an affiliated institution of the University of Wales in 1992, being admitted as a university college in 1996 where there was a ceremony at which trumpeters of the Prince of Wales's Division played a fanfare from the top of the university clocktower and balloons were released in the faculty colours.
In May 2004, the University of Wales College, Newport secured Privy Council approval to use the title University of Wales, Newport, as a full constituent of the federal university.
On 1 August 2011, the university was restructured, creating two new faculties, each containing three schools:
The Faculty of Arts and Business
The Faculty of Education and Social Sciences
The Centre for Community and Lifelong Learning (CCLL) continued to be based in Tredegar and focused on the university's work to widen participation within the Heads of the Valleys and the wider Gwent region. CCLL was also a key deliverer of the UHOVI (Universities, Heads of the Valleys Institute) project in partnership with the University of Glamorgan and Further Education Colleges. [7]
Along with the University of Glamorgan and Cardiff Metropolitan University, it was proposed by the Welsh Government that the University of Wales, Newport merge to create a single post-92 university in South East Wales.
The plans proved to be highly controversial, with Cardiff Metropolitan opposing any merger, citing the lack of a business case, concerns that the new institution would simply be too big to manage properly, and the 'predatory' attitude of Glamorgan. [12] Newport, however, welcomed the plans, providing they created a genuinely new institution. [13]
Stephen Hagen, appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor by the Newport Board from 1 June 2012 to lead the merger upon the sudden resignation of Peter Noyes, [11] circulated a proposal for the new university to focus on entrepreneurialism, [14] generating start-ups, equipping students with entrepreneurial skills [15] and supporting the industries of South Wales, [16] a concept which was initially well received by the Minister's Office. [17]
In July 2012, Newport and Glamorgan announced talks to create a new University for South Wales, citing the opportunity to: "build on their respective strengths to develop a new, entrepreneurial model of higher education across south Wales". [18] The university was dissolved on 11 April 2013 absorbed into University of Glamorgan and renamed University of South Wales. [19]
In response to Cardiff Metropolitan's opposition to its involvement in any merger plans, Leighton Andrews (a strong proponent of mergers [20] ) threatened to forcibly dissolve Cardiff Metropolitan and hand its assets over to the new university formed by Glamorgan. [21] Cardiff Metropolitan still demanded more evidence before committing to further talks and, in November 2012, Leighton Andrews withdrew a consultation on plans to force a merger. [22]
The university opened a new £35 million campus in Newport's city centre formally on 10 January 2011. The project was a collaboration between the university, Newport City Council and the Welsh Assembly Government operating through Newport Unlimited, the urban regeneration company for the city. [23]
The campus is situated on the western side of the River Usk in the city centre and it was the first phase of an intended £50m development for the university. It housed the Faculty of Arts and Business whilst the Caerleon campus housed the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences. The campus was part of a major redevelopment of Newport city centre. [24] The old city campus at Allt-yr-yn was closed and demolished. [2]
The university had been involved in higher education since 1841. In 2009, it was rated the number one university in Wales for enterprise education by the Knowledge Exploitation Fund. [25]
The School of Film, Photography and Digital Media taught a documentary photography degree programme as well as housing the Newport Film School, [26] founded by John Grierson in 1966 and producing many award-winning film-makers since then. [27]
The 2010 CILECT Congress (the international association for film and television schools) unanimously voted in Newport Film School as a full member – only two of the ten new applicant schools for full membership were given this accolade. [28]
Newport Students' Union was the students' union representing all students at the university. The union was run day-to-day by a team of sabbatical officers. Alongside this sabbatical team, full-time and part-time staff were employed to assist in the operation of the union and part-time officers, team captains, society presidents and student managers who all worked alongside their studies to assist the union. [29]
Newport Students' Union provided a range of sports teams, societies and entertainment for students to get involved in. The union also housed a newspaper (NewsPort), magazine (newtwo), TV station (NTV) and radio station (Radio Noize). As well as weekly social events and club nights, the union organised Freshers' Fortnight, Freshers' Fayre, Re: Freshers Week, RAG (Raising and Giving Week) and the May Ball.
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy.(February 2022) |
(View University of South Wales for further alumni ) [30]
Caerleon is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Newport city centre, and 5.5 miles (9 km) southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hillfort. Close to the remains of Isca Augusta are the National Roman Legion Museum and the Roman Baths Museum. The town also has strong historical and literary associations: Geoffrey of Monmouth elevated the significance of Caerleon as a major centre of British history in his Historia Regum Britanniae, and Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote Idylls of the King (1859–1885) while staying in Caerleon.
Cwmbran is a town in the county borough of Torfaen in South Wales.
The University of the West of England is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With more than 39,912 students and 4,300 staff, it is the largest provider of higher education in the South West of England.
The University of Wales is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first university established in Wales, one of the four countries in the United Kingdom. The university was, prior to the break up of the federation, the second largest university in the UK.
Newport is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, 12 mi (19 km) northeast of Cardiff. The population grew considerably between the 2011 and the 2021 census, rising from 145,700 to 159,587, the largest growth of any unitary authority in Wales. Newport is the third-largest principal authority with city status in Wales, and sixth most populous overall. Newport became a unitary authority in 1996 and forms part of the Cardiff-Newport metropolitan area, and the Cardiff Capital Region.
Cardiff University is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed University College, Cardiff in 1972 and merged with the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology in 1988 to become University of Wales College, Cardiff and then University of Wales, Cardiff in 1996. In 1997 it received degree-awarding powers, but held them in abeyance. It adopted the operating name of Cardiff University in 1999; this became its legal name in 2005, when it became an independent university awarding its own degrees.
In the United Kingdom (UK), a post-1992 university, synonymous with new university or modern university, is a former polytechnic or central institution that was given university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, or an institution that has been granted university status since 1992 without receiving a royal charter. This is used in contrast to "pre-1992" universities.
Monmouthshire is a county in the south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the south, and Torfaen, Newport and Blaenau Gwent to the west. The largest town is Abergavenny, and the administrative centre is Usk. The county is administered by Monmouthshire County Council. It sends two directly-elected members to the Senedd at Cardiff and one elected member to the UK parliament at Westminster. The county name is identical to that of the historic county, of which the current local authority covers the eastern three-fifths. Between 1974 and 1996, the county was known as Gwent, recalling the medieval kingdom which covered a similar area. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which came into effect in 1996. In his essay 'Changes in local government', in the fifth and final volume of the Gwent County History, Robert McCloy writes, "the local government of no county in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century was so transformed as that of Monmouthshire".
The University of Glamorgan was a public university based in South Wales, that merged with University of Wales, Newport to form the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was based in Pontypridd, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, with campuses in Trefforest, Glyntaff, Merthyr Tydfil, Tyn y Wern and Cardiff. The university had four faculties and was the only university in Wales which had no link with the University of Wales.
Birmingham City University is a university in Birmingham, England. Initially established as the Birmingham College of Art with roots dating back to 1843, it was designated as a polytechnic in 1971 and gained university status in 1992.
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Cardiff Metropolitan University, is a public university located in Cardiff, Wales. Formerly known as the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff which was established in 1996.
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Caerleon Comprehensive School is an 11–18 mixed, English-medium community Secondary School and Sixth Form in Caerleon, Newport, Wales.
Croesyceiliog School is a state-funded secondary school in the Croesyceiliog area of Cwmbran, in South Wales, UK.
Newport Film School, also known as The International Film School Wales, was part of Newport School of Art, Media and Design at the University of Wales, Newport. It was considered the leading institution for the promotion and development of the audiovisual culture of Wales through higher-level education, research and training. It had approximately 500 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying a range of film-related courses.
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The University of South Wales is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport. The university is the second largest university in Wales in terms of its student numbers, and offers around 500 undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The university has three main faculties across its campuses in South Wales.
Caerleon campus stands near Lodge Hill, a ridge to the north of the town of Caerleon, on the outskirts of Newport, Wales. The site opened as a teacher training college in 1914. In the 1970s the campus became the Gwent College of Higher Education, before being incorporated as a satellite campus of the University of Wales, Newport. On further merger in 2013, it became part of the University of South Wales. In 2014 the university announced plans to close the campus at the end of the 2015/16 academic year and sell the site for redevelopment. To prevent demolition, the Welsh Government recommended the listing of certain buildings on the site, which was carried out by Cadw, the Welsh historic environment agency, in 2017. The main block and three ancillary buildings are now listed at Grade II. The sale of the site went ahead, and residential redevelopment was in progress at the end of 2024. The site was used for the filming of the Netflix television series Sex Education between 2019 and 2023 when it represented Moordale Secondary School.