University of Greenwich. Arts and culture. Rankings

Transcription

1 University of Greenwich This university is selected as one of our case studies in Canterbury because of its proximity to London in the South-East, where the student body present socio-economic complexities in race, ethnicity and class relevant to our research questions. And it is also a post-1002 institution, in which retention problems, at least in the terms specified by the National Audit Office Report (2007), are greater. The university traces its roots to 1890, when Britain s second polytechnic was opened near the Thames at Woolwich to teach practical and commercial skills to London workers. The polytechnic pioneered the country s first part-time day-release and sandwich courses. Over the years a range of specialist organisations have joined the institution, giving it the diverse strengths in subjects such as teacher training, architecture, engineering and history. The name Thames Polytechnic was adopted in 1970 and university status awarded in The university has three campuses: Avery Hill, in the south-east London district of Eltham; Greenwich; and Medway, at Chatham Maritime, Kent. The university states that it is proud of its diverse student body. People from more than 100 countries in an international student community of 4,000. Services for students with disabilities or who have dyslexia give support to more than 1,000. Black and other ethnic-minority students participate in a mentoring scheme which pairs them with highfliers in the City and elsewhere. Arts and culture Each year the university offers its most distinguished buildings as part of the London Open House architectural festival. At the Greenwich campus, the Stephen Lawrence Gallery showcases the work of young artists and those from black and other ethnic-minority communities. Rankings In the order given by the Sunday Times: Sunday Times ranking 109 (111) Teaching excellence 17.4% Student satisfaction 67% Head teacher ranking 95= (81=) Peer ranking 110 (115) Research quality 16.6% A/AS-level points 211 A-levels for entry 36% Unemployment 12.1% Firsts and 2:1s 40% 1

2 Student/staff ratio 23.3:1 Dropout rate 18% (20%) Undergraduates 12,196 (4,961) Postgraduates 2,125 (4,573) Teaching staff 550 Applications/places 18,353/2,771; 6.6:1 (+11.4%) Clearing entry 18.5% Bursaries 100%: 510 Scholarships 300+ Ucas points: 500 EU/overseas 5.7%/6.2% Mature 37.9% State school 97% Lowest social classes 47% Low-participation areas 17% Live in 25% (99%) Schools and Institutes Architecture & Construction: architecture, landscape architecture, buildings and facilities management, 3D design, surveying, construction management and estate management The Business School: accountancy and finance, business studies, economics, financial services, international marketing and personnel management. Computing & Mathematical Sciences: mathematics, statistics, software engineering, computing and multimedia technologies. Education: Teacher training, education Engineering: computers and communications, management, product design and civil, mechanical and electronic engineering. Greenwich Maritime Institute: maritime management, policy and history. Health & Social Care: complementary therapies, pre- and post-registration courses in nursing, midwifery, public health, social work and psychology. Humanities & Social Sciences: English, history, law, sociology, languages, media studies, philosophy, politics and creative industries. 2

3 Medway School of Pharmacy: a joint initiative with the University of Kent, MPharm and foundation degrees. Natural Resources Institute: the management of natural and human resources, particularly in developing countries. Science: biochemistry, biomedical science, chemistry, environmental science, forensic science, geography, human nutrition, pharmaceutical science and sports science. Urban Renaissance Institute: research into regeneration in London and Kent. Research In 2005/6, the University of Greenwich generated over 12 million in research, consultancy and other similar activities. Over two hundred and fifty academic staff won increased average grades in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. The university has won two successive research-based Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education. Current research projects include the development of more accurate prediction systems for the measurement of cyclones and an investigation into the experience of survivors of the World Trade Centre disaster to improve the safety of high-rise buildings of the future. Finance 2,560-3,070 per year for full-time UK and EU students depending on the degree programme for Accommodation The university guarantees that all new students both first year undergraduates and direct entrants into other years will be offered a place to live, either in a hall of residence or in university approved housing. The cost for students is per week (the price includes water, electricity and gas bills). Learning Services A wide range of electronic information services are provided, many available for use offcampus, and some 600,000 volumes and PCs are available for on-campus use. Learning Services also provides laptop drop-in zones, photocopying and printing, and self-service machines for the issue and return of books. Times Good University Guide profile - extracts Becoming one of three universities charging British and EU undergraduates less than 3,000 a year was a gamble that appeared not to pay off in the first year of top-up fees. Applications dropped by more than the national average, but the strategy looked more hopeful at the start of 2007 when an increase of 15 per cent saw Greenwich outperform most of its peer group. Having consulted its students, the university plumped for 2,500 for all but pharmacy undergraduates, with students on foundation degrees or Higher National Diplomas paying only 1,500. The aim is to strike a balance between affordability for the maximum number of students and the need to invest in the university. Greenwich was starting from a position of strength, having enjoyed substantial increases in the past two years of lower fees. 3

4 The university s move, completed in 2002, into the former Royal Naval College buildings designed by Sir Christopher Wren, provided a desirable campus. Following a 45-million programme of restoration and conversion the Maritime Greenwich campus is now part of a World Heritage site. Now under the leadership of Baroness Tessa Blackstone, the former Higher Education Minister, Greenwich has dropped the soubriquet of regional university but still draws primarily from South East London and Kent, a populous county that until recently had only a single university. The latest investment is in the Medway campus, centred on the former HMS Pembroke naval base at Chatham, which is being developed in partnership with Kent and Canterbury Christ Church universities. Some 20 million is going into one of the first new schools of pharmacy for 20 years, as well as the schools of science and engineering, the Natural Resources Institute, nursing and some business courses. A joint learning resources centre serves Chatham Maritime and the University of Kent s neighbouring premises. Another shared facility has improved teaching facilities and expanded student services, the campus having already exceeded its original target of 6,000 students. Other departments are situated at Avery Hill, a Victorian mansion on the outskirts of South East London, where a 14 million sports and teaching centre opened at the end of As well as a sports hall and 220-seat lecture theatre, there are laboratories for health courses that replicate NHS wards. A neighbouring building will be the main base for the School of Health and Social Care. The campus also contains a student village of 1,300 rooms, as well as teaching accommodation for the social sciences, architecture, landscape and construction and the large education faculty, which is one of the few to offer both primary and secondary teacher training courses. Most teaching assessments were favourable, with pharmacy and pharmacology, town planning, sociology and nursing the star performers. However, Greenwich was near the bottom of rankings from the first two national student satisfaction surveys, although art and design did well in The university achieved some respectable results in the last research assessment exercise, with computing, German and materials leading the way, although less than a third of the academic staff entered. A fifth of its income is from research and consultancy the largest proportion at any former polytechnic. Strong links with institutions in Europe and further afield provide a steady flow of overseas students mainly from China, India and Greece as well as exchange opportunities for those at Greenwich. Eleven associated colleges in Kent and London teach the university's courses. A commitment to extending access to higher education has led to low entrance requirements in many subjects and a relatively high proportion of mature students. More than 95 per cent of students are state educated, almost half coming from working-class homes. Both figures are significantly higher than the benchmark, which takes account of the subject mix and entrance qualifications. The downside is a projected dropout rate of more than 20 per cent, although even this is an improvement on previous figures. Greenwich was one of just three universities to discount degrees across the board last year. Standard tuition fees of 3,070 were cut by 510 to all students in lieu of providing a Greenwich bursary. Those achieving at least BBB at A-level or equivalent got a further 500 annual scholarship. An 11% jump in applications this year might well be reward for the university s boldness. Greenwich is one of the most socially inclusive universities in the UK, with almost half its students, it is claimed, from working-class backgrounds. While fewer drop out than expected by the funding council, the mix of low entry grades, fewer high-class degree awards and a 4

5 poor score for student satisfaction (just five institutions rank lower) hinders Greenwich in the tables quoted above. 5