历史

Despite being granted university status only forty years ago, the University of Bath can trace its roots to a technical school established in Bristol 100 years earlier, the Bristol Trade School of 1856. In 1885 the school became part of the Society of Merchant Venturers and was renamed the Merchant Venturers' Technical College, an institution founded as a school in 1595. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring city of Bath, a pharmaceutical school, the Bath School of Pharmacy, was founded in 1907. This became part of the Technical College in 1929.

In 1949, the college came under the control of the Bristol Education Authority and was renamed the Bristol College of Technology, which was subsequently changed again, in 1960, to the Bristol College of Science and Technology when it became one of ten technical colleges under the umbrella of the Ministry of Education. The college was mainly housed in the former Muller's Orphanage at Ashley Down, Bristol, which still houses part of the City of Bristol College whilst the remainder has been converted into residential housing.

In 1963, the government completed an inquiry into the state of higher education in the United Kingdom. This was known as the Robbins Committee report. It was this report that paved the way for the college (along with a number of other institutions) to assume university status.

Although the grounds of Kingsweston House were briefly considered, the City of Bristol was unable to offer the growing college a suitable site. Following discussions between the College Principal and the Director of Education in Bath, an agreement was reached to provide the college with a new home in Claverton Down, Bath, on a greenfield site overlooking the city of Bath.

Construction of a purpose-built campus in Bath began in 1964, with the first building, now known as 4 South, completed in 1965, and the Royal Charter was granted in 1966. Over the subsequent decade, new buildings were added as the campus took shape. A campus in Oakfield, Swindon, was opened in 2000.

In November 1966, the first degree ceremony was held at the Assembly Rooms in Bath.

Discoveries from city records reveal that there were plans in the 19th Century to build a college of the University of Oxford on the very same site, which would have resulted in a university of a very different character. Such plans, however, did not come to fruition.

Campus and facilities

The university's main campus is located on Claverton Down, two kilometres from Bath. The campus is compact; it is possible to walk from one end to the other in fifteen minutes.

Architectural plans of the university show that the design involved the separation of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, with road traffic on the ground floors and pedestrians on a raised central thoroughfare, known as the Parade. Buildings would line the parade and student residences built on tower blocks rise from the central thoroughfare.

Such plans were mostly adhered to. At the centre of the campus is the Library and Learning Centre, a 24/7 facility offering computing services, information and research assistance as well as books and journals. A number of outlets, including restaurants, bars and fast-food outlets, plus three banks, a union shop, a small supermarket and an oriental supermarket, as well as academic blocks, are housed around the parade. Buildings are named based on their location relative to the library - 1 East, 2 East and so forth based on their distance from the library with the same applying to the south and west. Odd-numbered buildings are on the same side of the parade as the library, and even-numbered buildings are on the opposite side.

Buildings along the east-west axis are mostly directly accessible from the parade, which is generally considered to be "level two", but later additions, such as 7 West, 9 West, 3 West North and 8 East, follow this rule less strictly. 7 West is generally only accessible via 5 West or 9 West, and 3 West North, 9 West and 8 East have entrances at ground level at varying distances from the main parade. Buildings on the south of the campus, 1 South to 4 South, are accessible via roads and pedestrian walkways by the university lake and gardens.

Buildings, like many so-called plate glass universities, were constructed in a functional, modernistic style using concrete, although such designs were later derided for lacking the charm of the Victorian red-brick universities or the ancient and medieval ones. In Bath, there is a particular contrast between the concrete campus and the Georgian style architecture of the World Heritage City of Bath.

The eastern part of the campus is dominated by the Sports Training Village, built in 1992 and enhanced in 2003 with an extension.

The northern perimeter of the university is bounded by student residences Westwood, Eastwood, Brendon Court, Polden Court (Postgraduate students), Solsbury Court, Marlborough Court and Woodland Court. The original plan for students to be housed in tower blocks above the parade continues with a small number of rooms (110) in Norwood House. However, the second tower block, Wessex House, now hosts a number of offices rather than residences.

The university owns buildings in the City of Bath, mostly student residences dotted around town, although Carpenter House is also home to a life-long learning centre and a business facility (the Innovation Centre).

Major campus development continues, including the reconstruction of 4 West (some of which is due for completion in 2009), a new multifunction building (office and teaching rooms) has received planning permission and the construction of further Arts facilities is due begin in 2010.

Completed projects include: 3 West North (teaching rooms)in 2005; Woodland Court, with 353 study bedrooms, September 2008; 4 South annexe (research facilities) August 2007.

In 2008, the grounds received recognition for their outstanding beauty with an award from Bath in Bloom.

Oakfield campus

The university's Oakfield campus, based in Swindon, closed in July 2008.

Academics and courses

The university's major academic strengths have been the physical sciences, mathematics and technology. Today, the university is also strong in management, humanities and the social sciences. Courses place a strong emphasis on vocational education; the university recommends students to take a one-year industry placement in the penultimate year of the course, although it there is no formal recognition of these placements on students' final degree certificates.

According to the latest government assessments, Bath has 15 subjects rated "excellent" (the highest on the scale). These are: Pharmacy and Pharmacology; Business and Management (AMBA accredited); Architecture and Civil Engineering; Economics; Computer Science; Electronic and electrical engineering; Mechanical Engineering (IMechE accredited); Mathematics, Statistics and Operational research; Education; Molecular Biosciences; Biosciences; Physics and Astronomy; Politics; Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, Sport and Tourism; Social Policy and Administration.

According to the Complete University Guide published by The Independent, Bath has 23 out of 26 subjects placed within the top 10 in the UK. In addition, Bath's biosciences, physics, mathematics and statistics all achieve maximum points (24/24) in the latest Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

Rankings

UK University rankings

	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998	1997	1996	1995	1994	1993
Times Good University Guide	13	15	11	9	13	11=	5	4	9	10=	10=	15	15	14	12=	13=	16=	10
Guardian University Guide	9	13	10	9	9	13	18	26	13
Sunday Times University Guide			10	10	10	10	16	12	10	13	9=	15	20
Daily Telegraph				9				18=	18
FT								12	11	7	8	8
Independent Complete University Guide supported by PriceWaterHouseCoopers	9	14	9

Admissions and students

Admissions require top grades at A-Level with twelve applications for each place, the number of applications rising by 16 per cent in 2007.

The university has grown rapidly, particularly in the last few years. As of December 2006, 11,965 students were studying at the university; of whom 8,985 (75%) were undergraduates (full-time and part-time) and 2,980 (25%) were postgraduates.

Over 25% of students are international students (those with non-British domicile), reflecting the university's strong international reputation, with the largest number coming from China (including Hong Kong), Germany and Greece.

Community benefit

The university widens its academic net to include those in the local and distant communities. Affiliation with the Widening Participation, Aim Higher and Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) schemes and initiatives has allowed research staff and postgraduates to enhance the education of school and college students. Some facilities are also used throughout the summer months as support for those studying with the Open University.

Sports and recreation

Sports and TeamBath

The University sports operation is branded TeamBath. The University was host to Team Bath F.C. as well as some of the UK's top Olympic athletes. It has one of the best sports facilities in a United Kingdom University, spread over three main sites: two on the Claverton Down campus, known as the Founder's Hall and Sports Training Village (which also hosts the English Institute of Sport for South West England); and at the Sulis Club, a few miles away.

In 2009, Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Bath to enable Malaysian athletes preparing for the 2012 London Olympics to train there. The University of Bath is not only capitalised as a venue to prepare athletes for the London Olympics but is also a forward base for sports events like the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the badminton Super Series and cycling circuits in Europe.

Facilities at the university include a fitness suite, four squash courts, 25- and 50-metre indoor swimming pools, indoor (110m) and outdoor (400m) athletics tracks, multi-purpose sport halls (including basketball, netball and badminton courts), an eight-court indoor tennis hall, a judo/karate/jitsu dojo and centres for sports science and sports medicine. Outdoor synthetic and natural pitches and grounds cater for football, rugby union, field hockey, lacrosse, and the university's American football team, the Bath Killer Bees. The latest addition to the University's wonderful facilities is a Rowing Shed on the River Avon for the Rowing Club, built in 2008. Limited free use of these facilities, with restrictions on times, bookings and frequency of use, can be obtained by students with a membership of the university's sport association. Alternatively, reduced prices are available to students and staff.

There are also semi-competitive, recreational sporting events. The largest of these is the Interdepartmental Football Cup (IDFC).

Students' Union

The University of Bath Students' Union (BUSU) has been recognised by the NUS as one of the top three in the UK. It runs over 100 clubs and societies including sports clubs, cultural, arts, interest and faith societies, some notable examples are:

• Bath RAG collects money for local and national charities, raising over £1 million since 1966
• The Arts Union (including student theatre, musicals, dance, and various musical groups) performs plays and other shows to audiences both on campus and in the town, with support provided by Backstage Technical Services.
• The Students' Union faith groups include Buddhist, Christian, Islamic and Jewish societies.
• Three student media outlets: a fortnightly student newspaper, Bath Impact; a radio station, 1449AM URB; and a television station, Campus TV.

Expansion

Claverton Down

• The university continually upgrades its Claverton Down campus with new teaching blocks. A proposal to move the boundary of the green belt from where it crosses the campus to its edge, to facilitate further development, was agreed in October 2007 by the local council following a public inquiry.
• In July 2005, building 3 West North (officially opened on 27 October) was completed.
• The deconstruction of the asbestos-contaminated 4 West was completed in mid-2005 and the new 4 West building is being constructed, part of which was opened in September 2009. This included a new easily accessible centre for Student Support Services and a cafe. The remainder of 4 West is hoped to open in 2010 and will provide additional teaching and office space. The Department of Mathematical Sciences is preparing to move into this space.
• The ICIA Arts Complex is planning to add a new building adjacent to the theatre. It is hoped to start work in 2010.

Swindon

• Under the Gateway Project, the university had planned to build a major new campus next to the Great Western Hospital and the Coate Water nature reserve. The project had met opposition from environmentalists and locals but had met with Government approval. The University withdrew from the project in March 2007 citing "prevailing planning and funding conditions".

Notable alumni

Arts and media

• Sean Li: Hong Kong film actor
• Russell Senior: formerly of the band Pulp
• Neil Fox: radio DJ and TV presenter known as "Dr Fox"
• Nigel Dick: pop music video producer
• Katherine Roberts: author
• Chuck Pfarrer: American screenwriter, novelist, former US Navy SEAL
• Alex James: member of band Blur
• Keith Christmas: English folk/rock musician
• Mike Graham (journalist): journalist and radio broadcaster for TalkSport
• Dave Hall: bass-guitarist with British rock band The Moles.

Government, law and public policy

• Edward Lowassa: former Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania
• Yang Jiechi: Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China
• Don Foster: Member of Parliament (MP) of Bath for the Liberal Democrats
• Sandra Gidley: Member of Parliament (MP) of Romsey for the Liberal Democrats
• Mansoor Hekmat: Iranian Communist Leader
• Eric Joyce: Labour MP for Falkirk
• Diana Mary Organ: former Labour MP for the Forest of Dean
• T S Krishnamurthy: former Chief Election Commissioner of India
• Peter Butcher: British diplomat and Ambassador to Turkmenistan
• Mohammad Tufik Rahim: former Iraqi Minister of Industry and Mines
• Sir Stephen Gary George Dalton: Chief of Air 工作人员, RAF

Business

• Justin King: CEO of Sainsbury's
• Stewart Till: Chairman of United International Pictures and Millwall FC
• Bob Wigley: former Chairman Merrill Lynch, Europe, Middle East and Africa
• Sir Julian Horn-Smith: former COO of Vodafone
• Nick Terry: former Director and Chairman of BDP
• Paul S Allen: business magnate and President of Cognis Corp

Academia

• Sheila Forbes: Principal St Hilda's, Oxford and Deputy Chair, British Library
• Salleh Mohammad Yasin: Director of International Institute for Global Health at the United Nations University and Former Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Malaysia
• Doug Altman: founder and Director of Centre for Statistics in Medicine and Cancer Research UK Medical Statistics Group.
• Florence Wambugu: African plant pathologist
• David Skrbina: pioneer of ecophilosophy

Sports

• Andy Brown: former Chief Engineer of Formula One team Brabham and Chief Engineer at Chip Ganassi Racing
• Matt Stevens: Bath and England rugby union player
• Steve Borthwick: Bath and England rugby union player
• Mark Hardinges: cricketer
• James Hudson: London Irish and England Saxons
• Joe El-Abd: Bristol Rugby
• Gareth Rees: Glamorgan CCC cricketer
• Rachel Dunn: international English netball player
• Darren Mew: two-time summer Olympic medalist
• Jon Sleightholme: former English Rugby player
• Amy Williams: Olympic gold medalist
• Marcus Bateman: Great Britain Rower
• Adam Freeman Pask: Great Britain Rower

更多

• Formula Student
• University of Bath School of Management

参考文献

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: University of Bath

• University of Bath official website
• University of Bath Students' Union
• Bath Rag
• Backstage Technical Services
• Impact, the student newspaper
• School of Architecture website
• Team Bath - Rowing
• Crew Bath - Rowing

Coordinates: 51°22.6′N 2°19.55′W / 51.3767°N 2.32583°W / 51.3767; -2.32583