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University
College London (UCL)
UCL
was founded in 1826 and became the first university to welcome
all people- regardless of their class, race, religion or sex
– dramatically expanding access to higher education.
The university’s teaching, research and community continue
to be inspired by this radical tradition. UCL was named University
of the Year 2005 by The Times.
To
view Dajiatan.com's exclusive interview with UCL's Vice Provost
Professor Michael Worton, please click here.
| Edited
by Gigi Jin
Photographed by Gigi Jin
Dajiatan.com |
The front quad at UCL |
University College
London, commonly known as UCL, is one of the colleges that
make up the University of London. There
are almost 25,000 staff and students at UCL, making the college
larger than most universities in the United Kingdom. It is
also one of the oldest higher education institutions in the
UK and a member of the Russell Group of Universities. Within
the Russell Group it is part of the 'G5' sub-group of 'super-elite'
universities, along with Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and Imperial.
UCL consistently ranks among the top 5 universities in the
UK league tables.
UCL History
UCL was founded
in 1826 under the name "University of London" as
an alternative to the strictly religious universities of Oxford
and Cambridge. It was founded from the beginning as a University,
not a College or Institute. However its founders encountered
strong opposition from the Church of England which prevented
them from securing the Royal Charter that was necessary for
the award of degrees, and it was not until 1836, when the
University of London was established, that the college was
legally recognised and granted the power to award degrees
of the University of London. Its legal status as a university-level
institution thus postdates that of Durham (founded 1832);
however because it was actually founded in 1826 it is generally
recognised as the third oldest university in England, after
Oxford and Cambridge. It has also been claimed that, since
the charter of King's College London (granted in 1829 in a
reaction by the Church to the foundation of UCL) predates
that of UCL by five years, UCL should not even be regarded
as the oldest college in the University of London.
After death, Bentham's body was preserved and stored in
a wooden cabinet, termed his "Auto-Icon," at
UCL. |
It is generally but wrongly believed that
Jeremy Bentham was the founder of UCL: Bentham was eighty
years old when the University opened in 1828 and actually
played no such close personal role in the establishment of
the University. However, as UCL was the first English university
to admit all, regardless of race, creed or political belief,
it was largely consistent with Bentham's vision, and he oversaw
the appointment of one of his pupils, John Austin, as the
first Professor of Jurisprudence in 1829.
After death, Bentham's body was (as requested
in his will) preserved and stored in a wooden cabinet, termed
his "Auto-Icon," at UCL. The Auto-Icon has always
had a wax head, as Bentham's head was badly damaged in the
preservation process. The real head was displayed in the same
case for many years, but became the target of repeated student
pranks, and is now locked away securely. Bentham's actual
mummified head is now kept in the safe at UCL.
UCL Buildings
The front quad at UCL |
The main part of the college is located
in Bloomsbury, central London, on Gower Street (click here
to view the map). UCL operates in many separate buildings.
Whilst most of the buildings are concentrated in the Bloomsbury
area of Central London, others can be found as far away as
Old Street. Some of the buildings have been acquired through
mergers with other colleges, and others have been newly built.
The newest include the Engineering Wing on Malet Place and
the Andrew Huxley Building within the Gower Street Site. UCL's
newest buildings include the London Centre for Nanotechnology
on Gordon Street, aimed for completion in 2006 and a new building
for the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (currently
at Senate House) which was opened in October 2005 on Taviton
Street. The Institute of Cancer Sciences is currently undergoing
construction at the site of the disused Nurses' Home on Huntley
Street and is due for completion by early 2006.
UCL has provided twenty
virtual clips which introduce a wide range of locations
in and around UCL's main campus in Central London. Each page
also contains general information about the location including
links and a map. To view the virtual clips, please click here.
UCL and China
UCL is in close partnership with
Peking University |
There are currently 797 Chinese nationals
enrolled on degree programmes at UCL (including 301 from The
Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao). There
is an active Chinese Student Society at UCL that is run for
students, by students. UCL is keen on developing Sino-UCL
relations.
UCL has many and varied links with China.
For example in December 2003 UCL and Peking University opened
the new International Centre for Chinese Heritage and Archaeology.
UCL also has strong links with the China Scholarship Council
who contribute funding towards the Vinson Chu and Simon Li
Scholarships. The UCL Language Centre also has links with
the Supreme People's Procurator in China.
Click here
to retrieve "UCL and China" in PDF format.
Reference:
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