The University of Wales (Prifysgol Cymru in Welsh) is a confederal university founded in 1893. It has accredited
institutions throughout Wales, ranging from nineteenth-century establishments such as Lampeter to post-1992 universities such as
Newport and institutes of higher education such as UWIC and NEWI. Indeed, the only university in Wales completely separate from the
University of Wales is the University of Glamorgan in Pontypridd. The Chancellor of the University of Wales is HRH the
Prince of Wales and the Pro-Chancellor is the Archbishop of Wales, Dr. Barry Morgan. The Vice-Chancellor is currently
Professor Marc Clement.
History
The University of Wales was founded in Wales in 1893 as a federal university with three foundation colleges: University
College Wales (now UW Aberystwyth), which had been founded in 1872 and University College North Wales (now Bangor University) and
University College South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University) which were founded following the Aberdare Report in
1881. Prior to the foundation of the federal University, these three colleges had prepared students for the examinations of the
University of London. A fourth college, Swansea, was added in 1920 and in 1931 the
Welsh School of Medicine was established in Cardiff. In 1967 the Welsh College of Advanced Technology entered the federal
University as the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST), also in Cardiff. In 1971 St David's College (now UW Lampeter), Wales' oldest degree-awarding institution, suspended
its own degree-awarding powers and entered the University of Wales. A financial crisis in the late eighties caused UWIST and
University College Cardiff to merge in 1988, forming the University of Wales College Cardiff (UWCC). In 1992 the University lost
its position as the only university in Wales when the Polytechnic of Wales became the University of Glamorgan.
The University was composed of colleges until 1996, when the University was reorganised with
a two-tier structure of member institutions in order to absorb the Cardiff Institute of Higher Education (which became the
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC)) and the Gwent College of Higher Education (which became University of Wales
College, Newport (UWCN)). The existing colleges became constituent institutions and the two new member institutions became
university colleges. In 2003, both of these colleges became full constituent institutions and in 2004 UWCN received permission
from the Privy Council to change its name to the University
of Wales, Newport.
Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) merged on August 1
2004. The merged institution, known as Cardiff University, ceased to be a constituent institution
and became a new category of 'Affiliated/Linked Institutions'. While the new institution will continue to award University of
Wales degrees in medicine and related subjects, students joining Cardiff from 2005 to study other
subjects will be awarded Cardiff University degrees.
At the same time, the University admitted four new institutions, helping to fill the void left by the loss of Cardiff and
UWCM. Thus, North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI), Swansea Institute of Higher Education and Trinity College,
Carmarthen (who were all previously Associated Institutions) along with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (which was
previously a Validated Institution) were admitted as full members of the University on July 27
2004.
The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama subsequently left the University in January 2007 to become an independent college
once again. It retains no ties to the University (expect for students completing legacy Wales courses) and now has its degrees
awarded by the University of Glamorgan. More changes followed in September 2007 when the university changed from a federal
structure to a confederation of independent institutions. At the same time, Swansea changed its name to 'Swansea University' (a
name it had been using publicly for some time) and Bangor to 'Bangor University'. Aberystwyth changed its name to 'Aberystwyth
University' in October of the same year. All former member institutions are now independent universities, but all still have
their degrees awarded by the University of Wales.
Accredited institutions
| College |
Established |
Undergraduate students |
Postgraduate students |
Location |
Vice-Chancellor |
| Aberystwyth University |
1872 |
8,450 |
2,570 |
Aberystwyth |
Noel G. Lloyd |
| Bangor University |
1884 |
9,500 |
|
Bangor |
Professor Merfyn Jones |
| Swansea University |
1920 |
9,864 |
1,695 |
Swansea |
Prof. Richard B. Davies |
| University of Wales, Newport |
1975 |
7,525 |
1,850 |
Newport |
Peter Noyes |
| North East Wales Institute of Higher Education |
1975 |
6,000 |
|
Wrexham |
Professor Michael Scott |
| University of Wales Institute, Cardiff |
1996 |
9,275 |
|
Cardiff |
Professor Antony J Chapman |
| University of Wales, Lampeter |
1822 |
7,455 |
1,035 |
Lampeter |
Professor Robert A Pearce |
| Swansea Institute of Higher Education |
1992 |
|
|
Swansea |
Professor David Warner |
| Trinity College, Carmarthen |
1848 |
2,200 |
|
Carmarthen |
Medwin Hughes |
Affiliated institutions
Cardiff was once a full member of the University but has now left (though it retains some ties). When Cardiff left, it merged
with the University of Wales College of Medicine (which was also
a former member). Currently Cardiff still awards University of Wales degrees, but awards its own degrees to students admitted
from 2005 (except in Medicine and related subjects where University of Wales degrees continue to be awarded).
Validated insititutions
Neither of the two institutions are accredited by the University, but do have some of their courses validated by them.
Former members
Central services
The University of Wales Registry, in Cardiff's Civic Centre, is the central administrative centre and the place that actually
registers degrees and sends out degree certificates as well as validating the degrees of the University that are offered outside
the accredited institutions. The University also directly runs the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies and the Welsh
Dictionary Unit, both based alongside the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The first edition of Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (University of Wales Dictionary), which has the same status for
Welsh as the OED does for English, was completed in 2002, eighty-two years
after it had been started. The University of Wales Press was founded in 1922
and publishes around sixty books a year in both English and Welsh. The University also runs the Gregynog conference and fieldwork
centre in mid-Wales, based around the 150 year-old Gregynog Hall - one of Britain's oldest concrete buildings.
Bibliography
- The University of Wales: A Historical Sketch written by D.Emrys Evans in 1953 by the University of Wales Press. It is
illustrated with black and white photographic plates, and contains an Appendix listing
'Authorites and Officers of the University' and 'Professors and Other Heads of Departments' since 1872 [2]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.bangor.ac.uk/ar/ro/important_announce/namechange_jan07.php
- ^ Detail obtained from a copy The University of Wales" with the date of
1953
External links
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