Coordinates:
53°48′15″N, 1°32′58″W
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a university with campuses in Leeds and Harrogate, Yorkshire,
England. It came into existence as a chartered university in 1992;
prior to this date it was known as Leeds Polytechnic. As of
May 2006, the overall number of students at the University is
officially given as 'over 52,000'.
Professor Simon Lee is the Vice-Chancellor of the university. On 11 July 2005 Brendan Foster took over as Chancellor from Leslie Silver OBE, the former Leeds United chairman. The university recently opened a multi-million pound Learning Centre building
named in honour of Leslie Silver.
In 2004 the university announced that it would not charge the full rate of £3000 per year (a
figure of £2000 was announced instead) for tuition fees from September 2008, unlike most other universities in England.
In November 2006, the University won the award for the 'outstanding contribution to the
local community' at the annual higher education awards ceremony hosted by the Times Higher Education Supplement. It also came second in the main category,
'the University of the Year', which was won by the University of Nottingham. In
this category, the University was highly commended for its 'low-charging, high impact' strategy.
In June 2007, Leeds Met received recognition of its
environmentally friendly attitude by being ranked number one in the UK in the Green League
2007; a ranking of sustainability in the higher education sector, compiled by People
& Planet.[3][4]
Also in June 2007, it was reported that over two-thirds of Leeds Met staff reported being stressed as a result of bullying
from management.[5]
History
Leeds Polytechnic was formed in 1970 from the amalgamation of four colleges. These were:
- Leeds College of Technology. This was founded in 1824 as Leeds Mechanics' Institute and
in 1868 became the Leeds Institute of Science, Art and Literature, later renamed Leeds College of
Technology. There is now also a separate Leeds College of
Technology.
- Leeds College of Commerce (founded in 1845)
- Part of Leeds College of Art (founded in 1846), the remaining part becoming
Jacob Kramer College
- Yorkshire College of Education and Home Economics, founded in 1874 as the Yorkshire
Training School of Cookery.
In the early 1950s the four colleges were housed on a central site and in 1970 were merged to form Leeds Polytechnic. In
1976 James Graham College and the City Of Leeds and Carnegie College of Physical Education joined
Leeds Polytechnic.
The City of Leeds and Carnegie College had itself been formed when two institutions were merged in 1968:
- City of Leeds College of Education (founded in 1907 as City of Leeds Training
College)
- Carnegie Physical Training College (founded in 1933)
In 1998 a merger with Harrogate College established the Harrogate campus.
Campus locations
The University occupies the following campus locations:
Civic Quarter
This comprises an expanding number of locations within the Leeds City Centre. In addition to the former Polytechnic site,
several 'classic' buildings have recently been acquired. These include: Cloth Hall Court, in the legal district of the city;
Old Broadcasting House, the former home of the BBC in Leeds; Electric Press, a building on
*Millennium Square ; Old School Board, the birthplace of school education
in Leeds. The University has recently begun construction of a new building alongside the Civic Hall which will feature a
'rose bowl' in its
design. It also announced plans to build the Senator George Mitchell Centre for Peace
and Conflict Resolution on the former Polytechnic site, once several of the current buildings have been demolished.[6]
Headingley Campus
This is a one-hundred acre campus sited in the beautiful surroundings of Beckett Park ( 53°49′38″N, 1°35′34″W), Headingley. The
oldest property on this site is the Grange. In 2006, the Campus extended beyond the confines of
Beckett Park to include the Carnegie Stand at the Headingley Carnegie Stadium. This dual-purpose stand can accommodate more than 4,500 spectators
whilst also providing twelve teaching rooms and a room with the capacity of 300. There is parking for 170 vehicles at Headingley
- however, the car parking in the grounds of Headingley Campus are for permit holders only (available to staff and disabled
students). Student parking is available at the car park via the Churchwood Avenue entrance (near the Beckett's Park student bar)
for 40p per hour.
Regional University Network
This is a network of colleges that have entered partnership with the University to provide access to some of its courses
around the region and beyond. The following 18 colleges are members of the RUN:
Belfast Metropolitan College; Bishop Burton
College;Bradford College; Calderdale College;
Chesterfield College; Dewsbury College;
Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education;
Hull College; Leeds College of Building;
Leeds College of Technology; Leeds Thomas Danby
College; Lisburn Institute; Newcastle College;
Park Lane College; South Eastern Regional
College; Wakefield College; West Nottinghamshire College;
York College
Partnerships
The University has established a number of cultural and sporting partnerships in the region. These include:
Sporting
Cultural
The Student Wiki
In 2006, students and staff from the University developed The Student Wiki, a new source of knowledge about student life.
External links
References
- ^ Staff Profile at 31 July 2006 - from official website
- ^ a b c d Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile
2005/06. Higher Education Statistics Agency online
statistics. Retrieved on 2007-03-31.
- ^ People & Planet, People & Planet Green League
2007, accessed 17 June 2007
- ^ Anthea Lipsett, Leeds Met tops green
university league table, The Guardian, 15 June 2007, accessed 17 June 2007
- ^ Leeds Met staff stressed and losing sleep over management bullying, University and College Union, 14 June 2007, accessed 23 June 2007
- ^ Statesman marks start of work in Peace Centre & Rose Bowl - 15/04/07.
- ^ Rugby League News: New sponsor for Challenge Cup. Retrieved on 2007-01-19.
- ^ Ground
Breaking Ownership for Leeds Rugby. Leeds Rugby Limited (2007-05-14). Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
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