Richmond, The American International University in London

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Richmond, The American International University in London
Motto	Unity in Diversity
Established	1972 (The original Richmond College, University of London, was founded in 1843)[1]
Chairman	Mr. A. Michael Hoffman
Chancellor	Sir Cyril Taylor[2]
President	Dr. John Annette
Provost	Prof. Phil Deans
Academic staff	83[3]
Students	approx. 1500[4]
Location	London, England, UK
Campus	London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Kensington
Website	http://www.richmond.ac.uk/

Richmond, The American International University in London is a private, liberal arts and professional studies university. It is an internationally accredited institution^[5] established in 1972 in Richmond, London. The university's degrees are accredited in the USA by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education,^[6] and are validated in the UK by the Open University Validation Services (OUVS).^[7]

Campus

The university is split between two campuses, both in the Greater London area: the Richmond campus, located near the crest of Richmond Hill and approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Richmond station, and the Kensington campus, located at a point equidistant between Kensington High Street and Cromwell Road. The Richmond campus is the primary residence of undergraduate students, especially freshman who have just enrolled at the university; its facade is a major symbol of the school and appears on almost all promotional literature. The school's headquarters and admissions department are also located here. The Kensington campus, in reality, is a closely grouped set of buildings rather than a campus. It is where many of the upper-level undergraduate students reside. Both campuses are reasonably close to London Underground stations and the Richmond campus is served by the London Buses 371 route, currently operated by Transdev London. Access to the town of Kingston can be made using this route.

RAIUL main campus, Richmond

Degrees

The university is accredited in the United States, while in the United Kingdom degrees are validated by the Open University; this means that its degrees are equally valid in both countries.^[8] The primary curricula available for study at Richmond are:

• Business & Economics^[9]
• Arts & Sciences^[10]
• Humanities & Social Sciences^[11]
• Soccer & Sports^[12]

Main Kensington campus

Lower-division courses are primarily taught at the Richmond campus. Upper-division courses are unevenly split, with all of the CMS courses and some of the business, finance and humanities courses taught at the Richmond campus; the remainder of the courses are taught at the Kensington campus. Both campuses are supported by the university library; the Richmond campus has benefited from the construction of a new library, classroom and office complex in 2000, providing new facilities for faculty and for students.^[13]

Recognition

Institutions that have degree-awarding powers in the UK are known as "recognized bodies". There are also "listed bodies" which do not have degree awarding powers but provide complete courses leading to recognized UK degrees, validated by institutions which have degree-awarding powers.^[14] The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has Richmond University as a "listed body".^[15] The degrees granted at Richmond are validated by the Open University Validation Services.^[16]

Richmond is accredited^[17] by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools,^[18] an institutional accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. Richmond is licensed to award Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, and the Master of Business Administration degrees by the Department of Education in the State of Delaware.^[19][20] Richmond is also accredited in the United Kingdom by the Open University Validation Services^[21] and holds related degree validation. Richmond's degrees are also designated by the Department for Children, Schools and Families of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom (Recognized Awards).^[22][23]

Student body

Richmond University is characterized by its international student body which generally includes students from more than 100 different countries, which usually totals to fewer than 2,000.^[24] Some students studying at Richmond are part of the university's study abroad program (commonly known as STABs), which is associated with the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS).^[25]

The multicultural diversity of the student body is very much a part of the school's mission, and it actively encourages students from all nations to enroll. This diversity is celebrated with an event occurring every year called "International Night", where the student body stages a performance highlighting the various cultures and ethnicities of the Richmond populace.^[26]

International Study Centers

Richmond students have the opportunity to complement their studies in London with a semester, year or summer at one of Richmond's two international study centers. The centers are in Florence and Rome, Italy. Although each center has a specific academic focus, they both offer intensive study of Italian language and culture and a curriculum that is integrated with the degree requirements in London.

Student life

Over 100 countries are represented in the student population, encouraging exposure to and participation in various culture's customs and activities. Religious holidays are respected by the institution as well as American customs such as Thanksgiving.

Class sizes tend to average between 10 to 15 students, with the lower-level classes tending to be much larger than the higher level ones.^[27]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Richmond, The American International University in London

• Richmond University web site

Coordinates: 51°27′08″N 0°17′48″W / 51.4523°N 0.2966°W / 51.4523; -0.2966