London Metropolitan University

London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University, located in London, England, was formed on 1 August 2002 by the amalgamation of the University of North London (est.1896) and the London Guildhall University (est.1848).[1][6] The University has campuses in the City of London and in the London Borough of Islington.

The University operates its own archives, libraries and museum. The Women's Library houses the archives of the Fawcett Society, and other material on the history of feminism. The other collections are the TUC Library,[7] the Irish Studies Collection and The Frederick Parker Collection

History

London Metropolitan University was formed on 1 August 2002 by the merger of London Guildhall University with the University of North London. The change of name of the merged University was approved by the Privy Council. In October 2006, the University opened a new Science Centre, part of a £30m investment in its science department at the North campus close to Holloway Road in North London, the facility includes a "Super Lab" claimed to be one of Europe's most advanced science teaching facilities[9][10][11][12] with 280 workstations equipped with digital audio visual interactive equipment. The President Emeritus, who holds the academic title of Professor, is Sir Roderick Floud.[13]

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London Guildhall University
For more details on this topic, see London Guildhall University.

In 1848 Charles Blomfield, the Bishop of London, called upon the clergy to establish evening classes to improve the moral, intellectual and spiritual condition of young men in London. In response, the bishop Charles Mackenzie, who instituted the Metropolitan Evening Classes for Young Men in Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate, London, with student fees at one shilling per session. Subjects on the original curriculum included Greek, Latin, Hebrew, English, History, Mathematics, Drawing and Natural Philosophy. This fledgling college came under royal patronage following the visit of Prince Albert to the classes in 1851. In 1860 the classes moved to Sussex Hall, the former Livery Hall of the Bricklayers' Company, in Leadenhall Street. By this time, some 800 students were enrolled annually.

In 1861 the classes were reconstituted and named the City of London College. Over the next twenty years, the College was one of the pioneers in the introduction of commercial and technical subjects. The college built new premises in White Street at a cost of £16,000 (contributions were received from Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales) and were opened in 1881. In 1891 the college joined Birkbeck Institute and the Northampton Institute to form the City Polytechnic by a Charity Commissioners' scheme to facilitate funding for these institutions by the City Parochial Foundation, and to enable the three institutions to work cooperatively. However this attempted federation did not function in practice, as each institution continued to operate more or less independently. The City Polytechnic concept was dissolved in 1906 and the City of London College came under the supervision of London County Council.

In December 1940 the college's building was destroyed by a German air raid. City of London College subsequently moved into premises at 84 Moorgate in 1944. In 1948, the City of London College celebrated its centenary with a service of thanksgiving addressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St Paul's Cathedral. In 1970 the college merged with Sir John Cass College to form the City of London Polytechnic. From 1992 to July 2002, the institution was known as London Guildhall University.

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University of North London
For more details on this topic, see University of North London.

Founded as the Northern Polytechnic Institute in 1896, it merged in 1971 with the North Western Polytechnic which was established in 1929, to become the Polytechnic of North London. Until the passing of the Education Reform Act 1988, the Polytechnic was under the control of the Inner London Education Authority — part of the then Greater London Council and awarded the degrees of the former Council for National Academic Awards. Under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the institution, a pioneer of widening participation and access to higher education, was granted University status and the right to award its own degrees. Following the merger with London Guildhall University, London Metropolitan University became the largest unitary university in Greater London.

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Campuses
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City campus

The City campus is the site of the former London Guildhall University, near Aldgate East, Tower Hill and Liverpool Street tube stations.

There are buildings located at Minories, Jewry Street,Central House, Moorgate, Whitechapel High Street, Calcutta House, Commercial Road and Goulston Street. There is a gymnasium for the use of staff and students at the Whitechapel High St. building, although there are also several private gymnasiums nearby.

It is at the intersection of the City of London financial district and the old East end (Jack the Ripper tours frequently pass by the University's buildings). Spitalfields market is close by, offering a variety of bars, coffee shops, and restaurants, as well as market stalls.

Moorgate building with London Met flag above the entrance.
Tower Hill building entrance on Minories Road.
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North campus

The North campus is the site of the former University of North London on Holloway Road, near Holloway Road and Highbury & Islington tube stations.

The Campus began life in 1896 as the Northern Polytechnic Institute. By 1900, student numbers had doubled and later the Institute's evening degrees were recognised by the University of London.

In the early 1970s, the Northern Polytechnic merged with the North Western Polytechnic, which was established in 1929, to become the Polytechnic of North London. In 1992 the Polytechnic became the University of North London.

The Tower Building seen from Holloway Road
The Tower Building Building with the graduate centre.
The Deconstructivist Graduate Centre designed by Daniel Libeskind.
The Learning Centre seen from Hornsey Road.
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Profile

London Metropolitan University is the largest "single university" in London,[6] serving more than 28,525 students[5] and with buildings spread throughout the centre of London. The University offers 485 degree courses and has the largest choice of courses in London.[10][14][15][16][17] The University has around 7,000 overseas students from more than 155 different countries.[6] In 2005/06, London Metropolitan University was ranked third most popular university in United Kingdom for international students[18]

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Academic reputation

In the past, London Metropolitan refused to participate in newspaper league tables, believing that the UK Government should be the formal assessor of universities, rather than (private) newspapers. The new management reversed this policy, appearing in the 2011 national rankings (published in 2010) which placed London Metropolitan at 115th (Times University Guide) and 118th (Guardian University Guide) place.

In the 2006 Institutional Audit, the Quality Assurance Agency expressed "broad confidence" in the soundness of the University's management of the quality of its academic programmes and the academic standards of its awards.[19]

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, London Metropolitan was ranked equal 107th out of 132 institutions by the Times Higher Education's RAE league table.[20][21]

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Academic departments

London Metropolitan University currently consists of the following faculties and schools:

Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Faculty of Architecture and Spatial Design
Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Media and Design
London Metropolitan Polymer Centre
London Metropolitan Business School
Faculty of Computing
Faculty of Life Sciences
School of Psychology
School of Human Sciences
Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Languages and Education
School of Humanities, Arts and Languages
School of Education
Faculty of Law, Governance and International Relations
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Scholarships

Every year London Metropolitan University invests over £700,000 in its scholarship programme to help academically excellent students as well as students with outstanding achievements in various sports disciplines fund their education. London Metropolitan University offers a Merit Scholarship Programme and gives £1000 for all international students who achieve 'A' grades marks whilst studying any bachelor degree course at the University. London Metropolitan University also offers some scholarships in sports, such as Hockey, Tennis and Basketball.[22]

The University also offers postgraduate scholarships, a range of full tuition scholarships, including some scholarships with free accommodation.

London Metropolitan University offers scholarships in conjunction with:

BBC World Service
International Student House
Canon Collins Trust
Mahatma Gandhi Foundation
Murtala Mohammad
Benazir Bhutto
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Study abroad programmes

The London Metropolitan University has several student exchange programmes with academic institutions in the US and Europe, with financial support for those who participate through the Erasmus program.

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Students' Union

London Metropolitan University Students' Union ("MetSU") is affiliated to the National Union of Students. The day to day running of the Union is organised by a team of officers who together make up the Executive Committee. A Student Council sets policy and can set the direction that the Executive take. The University directly manages two award-winning social facilities:The Rocket complex and courtyard located on Holloway Road at North campus; and Hub Bar located on Goulston Street at City campus.[23]

Students' Union Logo.
The Logo of The Rocket Complex.
The Logo of The Sub Bar.
The Hub Logo of The Hub.

The Rocket is renowned for its famous Wednesday club night, which was once voted best student night out in London by Time Out.[24] The Hub bar holds regular university and external events.

Both the Rocket and Hub are used by club and live music promoters for public events.[25] Past performances include Norman Jay, Mary Ann Hobbs, 2manydjs, Justice and Foreign Beggars with Beardyman.[citation needed]

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Governance

The university's operations are overseen by a board of governors comprising external members and senior administrative and academic staff.

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Controversy

In May 2008, London Metropolitan University presented the 14th Dalai Lama with an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy,[26] for "promoting peace globally".[27] This move caused controversy among the Chinese public and the overseas Chinese community,[28] who view the Dalai Lama as partly responsible for the 2008 unrest in Tibet.[29] As a result, Chinese migration agents had been reported to "boycott" London Metropolitan University in advising clients who wish to study in the UK.[30] The university's Vice Chancellor, Brian Roper issued an apology letter to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via embassy officials in July.[31] In an interview with the Global Times, a worker at a Chinese study abroad agency suggested that the University could repair the offence of the honors by refusing speaking platforms to Tibetan independence groups, such as the University's own "Free Tibet Society".[32]

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Financial crisis
A demonstration against job cuts in Jan 2009

In July 2008 it was reported that a financial crisis was looming for the university. London Met had been misreporting data on student drop-outs for several years and, consequently, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) was proposing to claw back at least £15 million for the overpayment in 2008-9.[33]

News of the crisis led to a demonstration of staff and students outside the universities Tower Building in January 2009. They were calling for the vice-chancellor to be sacked and standing against possible job cuts.

In February 2009 the figure of overpayment was revised to £56 million by HEFCE, who were seeking to recover the money.[34] Local newspaper the Islington Gazette reported on the high stress levels among staff, including those on long-term sick leave. Alan Pike, a UNISON official, was quoted as saying "In the past two months, we have had about 20 support staff come to us with stress." [35]

On 19 March 2009, in response to the crisis, vice-chancellor Brian Roper resigned his position with immediate effect but continued to receive his salary until December 2009.[36] Controversially, he received a series of bonuses during the period when the university was returning inaccurate data to HEFCE.[citation needed]

On 29 April 2009, the University and College Union (UCU) announced that members at London Metropolitan University voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action and 'action short of a strike' against the loss of at least 550 jobs.[37]

In May 2009 Alfred Morris, former vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England and University of Wales, Lampeter, was appointed interim vice-chancellor.[38]

The government announced in May 2009 that there would be an independent inquiry, exploring the possibility that HEFCE had colluded with London Met by failing to query implausibly low drop-out rates.[39] It concluded in November 2009 and was reported to cast responsibility to Brian Roper, other senior administrators, and the Board of Governors. Following conclusion of the report, the chair of HEFCE called on "senior staff" and the entire Board of Governors to resign, noting that HEFCE was not convinced that the university's management could effectively safeguard public funds.[40] After the deadline indicated by HEFCE chief executive Alan Langlands had passed, there were ruminations among staff and ministers that HEFCE could withdraw funding, effectively forcing the university to close.[41]

A report commissioned by the university, published in November 2009, found that Roper had “the major responsibility and culpability” for the financial situation: Roper and some members of the executive were aware that the university had been applying its own interpretation of funding rules on student dropouts – rather than the funding council’s – since 2003, but took no action. The university’s board of governors and audit committee had an oversight role, which made them ultimately “accountable for a financial failure of this magnitude” and meant that they “must take overall responsibility”