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De Montfort University

Coordinates: 52°37′47″N 1°08′20″W / 52.62973°N 1.13897°W / 52.62973; -1.13897
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De Montfort University
File:De Montfort University logo.png
MottoExcellentia et studium
TypePublic
Established1992 - gained University Status
1969 - City of Leicester Polytechnic
1870 - Leicester School of Art
Endowment£0.9 million[1]
ChancellorLord Alli
Vice-ChancellorProfessor Dominic Shellard
Students21,210[2]
Undergraduates17,125[2]
Postgraduates3,290[2]
Other students
795 FE[2]
Location
Leicester
,
England, UK
AffiliationsUniversity Alliance
Association of Commonwealth Universities
Websitehttp://www.dmu.ac.uk/

De Montfort University (DMU) is a university situated in the centre of Leicester, England. It currently receives more funding for its research than any other post-1992 university,[3] and has the second highest number of national teacher fellows of all UK universities.[4] It is comprised of two campuses; a main Leicester City campus, at which the bulk of the university's faculties are situated, and the outlying Charles Frears campus. The former has seen recent developments which have incorporated a new Business and Law building; allowing all of the main buildings to occupy one central point. The faculties presently on the campus are Art and Design (The Fletcher Building), Technology (Gateway House and Queen's Building), Humanities (Clephan Building), Health and Life Sciences (Hawthorn Building) and The Institute of Creative Technologies. Nursing and Midwifery are also taught on the Charles Frears campus.

History

Origins

De Montfort University, which is named after Simon de Montfort, an Earl of Leicester in the 13th century credited with establishing the first parliament in 1265.[5] It is one of two universities situated in the city of Leicester, along with the University of Leicester.

Prior to 1992, the University was known as the City of Leicester Polytechnic. It had been created in 1969 through the amalgamation of Leicester College of Technology and Leicester College of Art. The Polytechnic was established as a corporation in 1989.

The plan was to make DMU a multi-campus Collegiate university of the entire East Midlands and as such the University swiftly acquired other campuses based in Bedford, Luton, Lincoln, the Scraptoft College of Education in east Leicester, Caythorpe and Milton Keynes. The Milton Keynes campus had actually been built by the university in 1981 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1982, prior to the official foundation of DMU as a New University. Departments at Milton Keynes included computing, built environment and business. DMU conducted a series of expansionist mergers with the Bedford College of Higher Education and with the Lincoln and Caythorpe Colleges in 1994 and then with the Charles Frears College of Nursing and Midwifery, based in Leicester, in 1995.

In 1993, DMU attracted students using a memorable TV and cinema advert that reputedly cost £500k featuring a killer whale chasing some sea lions on a beach. It was taken from a gripping scene filmed in Patagonia in the David Attenborough series, the Trials of Life. The tag line Reserve your Seat of Learning Here was read by Angus Deayton, implying that students should avoid letting life "chew them up" and improve their job prospects with a degree.

Restructuring

In 2001 the Board of Governors adopted a new strategy to do 'fewer things in fewer places' and reduce the number of outlying campuses.[6] DMU consolidated around its Leicester campus, with its satellite sites closed, or transferred to other institutions.

  • The former Lincolnshire College of Art and Design and the Lincolnshire College of Agriculture, based in Lincoln and Caythorpe respectively, were merged with the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside to form the new University of Lincoln in 2001.[7]
  • Following the relocation to Leicester of many of the courses offered in Milton Keynes, the Kents Hill campus was considered economically unviable and was closed in 2003. The premises were sold to the Open University, which now uses them to house its student administration offices.
  • The last remaining campus at Bedford, housing the Faculty of Education and Contemporary Studies , was merged with the University of Luton to become the University of Bedfordshire in 2006.[8]

Present day

Today, De Montfort University has two campuses, Leicester City and Charles Frears. The Scraptoft Campus (home of the teaching courses) closed in 2003.

Recently the University has been redeveloping the Leicester City Campus, adding two new buildings. The Performance Arts Centre for Excellence (PACE), funded by a £4.5 Million grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, was opened in 2007 by the BBC's Creative Director Alan Yentob[9].

A new building for the Faculty of Business and Law - the Hugh Aston building - opened in September 2009. The new Business and Law centre has the iconic Magazine Square at its centre and cost £35 million.[10]

The University has approximately 20,500 students, 3,240 staff and an annual turnover in the region of £132.5 million[11].[citation needed]

Future plans

New Art and Design building

Plans are in progress for a brand new dedicated Art and Design building on the edge of the River Soar.

Sports Centre

There are plans for a £6 million expansion of the John Sandford Sports Centre. This will include expanded facilities and a swimming pool for use by students and the general public.

Health Centre

De Montfort University has sold land on Grasmere Street to allow space for a brand new Health Centre. This is still in the planning stage but will provide a full health care service for both DMU students and the local community.

Gateway site and public squares

The current buildings are to be demolished, creating a new public square and improving the area. This will link with other public squares across the campus, and new landscaping, lighting, street furniture and public art structures will create a ‘one campus’ feel and a vibrant and pleasant place to study.[12]

Organisation

The Faculty of Art and Design

Descended of the former Leicester Polytechnic from the old Leicester College of Art, the Faculty of Art and Design boasts the only University courses in the world to specialise in lingerie, underwear, body-wear, swimwear and performance sportswear,[13] which first began after the Second World War. The Faculty also offers the only UK university courses in Footwear Design. Courses in Product Design and courses in Fine Art and Architecture which have been researched, studied and taught in Leicester continuously for over a century.

The Faculty of Technology

The Queen's Building houses the Faculty of Technology.

Originally Faculty of Computing Sciences and Engineering, renamed on October 1, 2008. Descended via the former Leicester Polytechnic from the old Leicester College of Technology. The Faculty of Technology offers courses across a range of animation, computer game programming, information technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, telecommunications and video production. The main faculty building is the Queen's Building (pictured), its unique design means that the building has no need for heating as it controls the temperature though a series of vents.

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

Descended from the Charles Frears College of Nursing and Midwifery The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences consists of four interconnected schools: Allied Health Sciences, Applied Social Sciences, Nursing and Midwifery and the Leicester School of Pharmacy. These interrelate so as to allow collaboration across subject boundaries in teaching, consultancy and research. Between them, the Schools cover Biomedical Science; Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy; Community Studies; Criminal Justice; Counselling and Psychotherapy; Criminology; Environmental Awareness; Management; Protection and Technology; Forensic Science; Health and Community Studies; Midwifery; Nursing; Pharmacy; Psychology; Social Work; and Speech and Language Therapy.

The Faculty of Business and Law

Magazine Square, with the Hugh Aston Building and the medieval Magazine Gateway

The Faculty of Business and Law incorporates the Leicester Business School and the De Montfort Law School. The Business School is one of the top schools in the country according to the results of the 2007 National Student Survey. The School is an accredited provider of professional courses approved by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). A new £35 million building to hold both Schools was opened to staff and students in September 2009. The new building is called the Hugh Aston building and it was opened officially in April 2010. The University also has a long history of international partnerships. In 1997 the business school collaborated to help found a business school in India - Daly College Business School.[14]

The Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities offers English, History and Politics degree courses and courses in Arts Management, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Education, Film, Globalisation, International Relations, Media and Music (including Technology and Innovation).

The Institute of Creative Technologies

The Institute of Creative Technologies (IOCT), which opened at DMU in 2006, undertakes interdisciplinary research in emerging areas at the intersection of Science, the Digital Arts and the Humanities. The Institute offers an MA in Creative Technologies, a highly interdisciplinary course of study with modules across the faculties of Art and Design, Computing Science and Engineering, and Humanities. Post-graduate students are engaged in research in a wide variety of areas reflecting the inter/transdisciplinary nature of the IOCT.

Reviews

The University has one of the largest numbers of Teacher Fellows of any UK University and was awarded Centre of Excellence status for its performance practice teaching and student support.[15] This award has enabled further investment in research as well as the construction of a new building with state of the art performance studios, rehearsal areas and the latest technology.

In 2005/6, DMU was highly rated by both external examiners and the Quality Agency Audit (QAA) for its academic planning, staff training and the support given to students.

The University also runs its own award schemes to promote and disseminate good teaching practice, an approach which was highly praised by the QAA. Its Curriculum Innovation Awards recognise the contributions of teams to programme design and delivery while the Vice Chancellors’ Distinguished Teaching Awards are voted for by students.

UK University Rankings
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999
Times Good University Guide 66th[16] 77th[17] 97th[18] 99th[19] 89th 81st[20] 80th= 86th[21] 85th 67th 67th
Guardian University Guide 77rd[22] 82nd 103rd[23] 81st 81st[24] 83rd[25] 47th[26] 77th[27]
Sunday Times University Guide 69th[28] 87th 90th[29] 91st[29] 96th[30] 90th[30] 98th[30] 94th[30] 82nd[30] 67th[30] 66th[30]
Daily Telegraph 88th[31] 80th
FT 69th[32] 70th[33] 66th[34] 65th[35]
Independent - Complete University Guide 66th[36] 88th[36]

Student Facilities

The Campus Centre Building.

Campus Centre

The campus centre offers numerous facilities for students at De Montfort University. It houses the De Montfort University Students' Union, comprising various societies such as Demon FM, a student radio station that runs 24 hours a day; Demon TV; and The Demon, a fortnightly university newspaper. The Students' Union also runs its own lettings agency, known as DSU Lettings. There is a food court situated in the building, as well as a bar named 'Level 1' and a pub named 'The Graduate'. There is also a Spar supermarket.

The Kimberlin Library

The Kimberlin Library is open 24 hours a day during term time, enabling students to study whenever it suits their schedule. There is also an @ccess anywhere scheme, allowing students to access a portion of the library's facilities remotely, at any time. The new Learning Zone on the ground floor provides space for group and individual work and has workstations with power supplies for laptops. There are also meeting rooms available for use by students, comprising interactive whiteboards as well as DVD and video facilities; providing students with an opportunity to collaborate and rehearse presentations.

The Eric Wood Building

The Eric Wood Building has been extended and developed into a Learning Zone, providing 180 more modern study places and up-to-date study facilities. This was opened on 12 January 2009.

Affiliations

The University has special arrangements with more than 80 universities and colleges in over 25 countries, as well as with the Digital Media Centre (DMC) which was partly funded by DMU who put £1 Million into the project in Leicester City Centre. Through DMU’s involvement the DMC will benefit from the latest research in media and related technologies. Students on appropriate courses will have the opportunity to use the production and educational facilities at the Centre. [37]

Research

De Montfort University’s research achieved a higher proportion of top grades than any other post-1992 university in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2001).[citation needed]. The Sunday Times Good University Guide for 2010 ranks the University as one of the top 5 "new" universities for research.

Pharmacy course controversy

On 20 April 2006, The Times Higher Education Supplement reported that first year pharmacy students in 2004 who underperformed in examinations were allowed to progress to the next year of the MPharm course at De Montfort University School of Pharmacy avoiding resits, despite concern from lecturers and external examiners. This followed from the release of documents of meeting minutes, in a ruling under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.[38]

The Daily Telegraph reported that the University "has been caught lowering a pass mark to 26 per cent to prevent widespread failure of students, ... the proof that up to 14 per cent was arbitrarily added to the scores of trainee pharmacists to save the university's reputation has renewed concerns over the dumbing down of degrees in the move toward mass higher education."[39]

Subsequently, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain put the pharmacy course on a probationary status and required the University to implement a five-point action plan.[40] The School remains one of 26 in the UK that the Society accredits for offering recognised degrees in pharmacy.[41]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "Financial Statements 2007-08" (PDF). De Montfort University. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  2. ^ a b c d "Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2006/07" (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet). Higher Education Statistics Agency. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  3. ^ http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/facts/facts.jsp DMU Facts | De Montfort University - Leicester, UK
  4. ^ http://www.dmu.ac.uk/news_events/news/archive/090625_3_national_teaching_fellowships.jsp 090625 National Teaching Fellowships | De Montfort University - Leicester, UK
  5. ^ http://dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/history/index.jsp A brief history |De Montfort University - Leicester, UK
  6. ^ Institutional Review Reports - De Montfort University
  7. ^ De Montfort University
  8. ^ De Montfort University | Push university guide | University rankings
  9. ^ http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/campus-development/pace-building.jsp
  10. ^ http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/campus-development/business-and-law.jsp
  11. ^ http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/history/index.jsp
  12. ^ http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/campus-development/future-projects.jsp
  13. ^ BBC - Leicester - Showcase - De Montfort University Contour Fashion Graduate Show 2002
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ De Montfort University Profile – The Good University Guide
  16. ^ Elliott, Francis. "Good University Guide 2010". The Times. London. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  17. ^ Elliott, Francis. "Good University Guide 2009". The Times. London. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  18. ^ Elliott, Francis. "The Times Good University Guide 2008". The Times. London. Retrieved 03-11-2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ Elliott, Francis. "The Times Good University Guide 2007 - Top Universities 2007 League Table". The Times. London. Retrieved 03-11-2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. ^ "The Times Top Universities". The Times. London. Retrieved 03-11-2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. ^ "Times Good University Guide 2003 - Ignore the 2002 typo in the doucument" (PDF).
  22. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. London. 2010-06-08. Retrieved 2010-7-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  23. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  24. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  25. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  26. ^ "University ranking by institution 2004". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
  27. ^ "University ranking by institution". The Guardian 2003 (University Guide 2004). London. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  28. ^ "The Sunday Times Good University Guide League Tables". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 03-11-2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ a b "The Sunday Times University League Table" (PDF). The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 03-11-2007. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. ^ a b c d e f g "University ranking based on performance over 10 years" (PDF). London: Times Online. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  31. ^ "University league table". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2007-07-30. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
  32. ^ "The FT 2003 University ranking". Financial Times 2003.
  33. ^ "FT league table 2001". FT league tables 2001.
  34. ^ "FT league table 1999-2000" (PDF). FT league tables 1999-2000.
  35. ^ "FT league table 2000". FT league tables 2000.
  36. ^ a b "The Independent University League Table". The Independent. London. 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
  37. ^ http://www.dmu.ac.uk/aboutdmu/campus-development/digital-media-centre.jsp
  38. ^ Staff concerns ignored as exam results massaged at De Montfort
  39. ^ The Daily Telegraph. London http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/20/nuni20.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/04/20/ixhome.html. Retrieved 2010-05-01. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. ^ http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/pdfs/pr050524a.pdf
  41. ^ Where can I study? - Graduating - Pharmacy Careers

52°37′47″N 1°08′20″W / 52.62973°N 1.13897°W / 52.62973; -1.13897

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