Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
Encyclopedia
Buckinghamshire New University (formerly Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College) is a university in High Wycombe
, Buckinghamshire, England. The Vice-Chancellor is Prof Ruth Farwell
. The Institution was a university college
between 1999 and 2007, when it announced that its application for university status had been accepted.
The university is a member of the Million+ university group and GuildHE
.
for using the county name.
Bucks had ambitious plans to consolidate its divided campuses into a purpose-built site near to Hughenden Park in High Wycombe on land previously owned by CompAir
. While these plans fell through, the university changed plans to renovate and enlarge the main campus as well as consolidate both the Wellesbourne and Chalfont campuses onto the High Wycombe site. Additionally new halls of residence have been built at the Hughenden Park site.
The University has undertaken a major development of the High Wycombe Campus with a large structure, known as the Gateway, being built onto the front of the existing building. The building itself is based on a study of its contexts and the irregular urban gain of the town centre. It won a RIBA award in 2010. A state-of-the-art complex, it offers a rich mix of commercial-standard facilities, including a sports/events hall, fitness centre and performance lab, dance and drama studios, music recording studios and video production suites, a modern integrated learning resources centre and meeting and conference rooms.
, west London, which is the base for its Nursing
students.
The University in 2008 disposed of two existing campuses; the Chalfont Campus (near Little Chalfont
) and the Wellesbourne Campus (near Hazlemere
).
The university sponsor Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
and London Wasps
who play at the Adams Park Stadium; this agreement entitles all players of the teams to education from the university if they so wish.
The university has two main halls of residence. The older of the two is Brook Street Halls. It consist of 396 rooms, and is situated 5 minutes' walk from the University, across from the main bus station and Eden shopping centre; the other hall is Hughenden Park Student Village built in 2009, which is 15 minutes' walk from the University and town, and built near Hughenden Manor
.
, as well as the extensive Furniture Design and Restoration, Textiles and Advertising departments are the University's main attractions.
The University is one of very few that has created a BSc(Hons) degree in Policing. The degree includes modules such as Police, Crime and the Media during which the relationship between the police and the media is examined. There are also modules in relation to the Criminal Law and Justice, Investigating Identity, Law, Discrimination and Human Rights amongst other modules in relation to policing.
The University also offers a foundation degree course in bed sales management, in partnership with bed manufacturer Dreams
.
Trevor Baylis
is a frequent guest lecturer, and was present at a 2004 graduation ceremony and graduate degree show; he received an honorary degree from the University in 2007, and was present at the official opening of the Gateway building in 2010.
Rugby player Matt Dawson
was given an honorary degree in 2007 and writer Terry Pratchett
was given an honorary degree at a 2008 graduation ceremony.
In the 2010 graduation ceremonies, Olympic gold medalist Adrian Moorhouse
, businessman Steve Hayes
and Ivor Novello Award winning musician Edwyn Collins
were all awarded degrees.
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, Buckinghamshire, England. The Vice-Chancellor is Prof Ruth Farwell
Ruth Farwell
Prof Ruth Farwell BSc , PhD is currently Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive at Buckinghamshire New University.Farwell held a research fellowship in theoretical physics at Imperial College, London, in the early eighties. Her research is at the boundary between applied mathematics and theoretical...
. The Institution was a university college
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
between 1999 and 2007, when it announced that its application for university status had been accepted.
The university is a member of the Million+ university group and GuildHE
GuildHE
GuildHE, formerly the Standing Conference of Principals , is a British membership organisation representing the heads of higher education institutions - from some of the most recently designated universities and university colleges, specialist colleges and other bodies providing higher education...
.
History
University status
The institution changed its name from "Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College" to its current name of "Buckinghamshire New University" ("Bucks") when its application for university status was approved in 2007 by the Privy Council. Proposed names such as "University of Wycombe", "University of High Wycombe", "High Wycombe University", "University of Buckinghamshire" and "Buckingham Chilterns University" were rejected. The chosen name was swiftly attacked by the University of BuckinghamUniversity of Buckingham
The University of Buckingham is an independent, non-sectarian, research and teaching university located in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Great Ouse. It was originally founded as Buckingham University College in the 1970s and received its Royal Charter from the...
for using the county name.
Bucks had ambitious plans to consolidate its divided campuses into a purpose-built site near to Hughenden Park in High Wycombe on land previously owned by CompAir
CompAir
CompAir is an engineering and manufacturing company specialising in compressed air and gas systems.CompAir was acquired by Alchemy Partners from Invensys, which retained a small minority shareholding...
. While these plans fell through, the university changed plans to renovate and enlarge the main campus as well as consolidate both the Wellesbourne and Chalfont campuses onto the High Wycombe site. Additionally new halls of residence have been built at the Hughenden Park site.
The University has undertaken a major development of the High Wycombe Campus with a large structure, known as the Gateway, being built onto the front of the existing building. The building itself is based on a study of its contexts and the irregular urban gain of the town centre. It won a RIBA award in 2010. A state-of-the-art complex, it offers a rich mix of commercial-standard facilities, including a sports/events hall, fitness centre and performance lab, dance and drama studios, music recording studios and video production suites, a modern integrated learning resources centre and meeting and conference rooms.
Campuses
The University currently consists of two campuses: High Wycombe Campus (previously belonging to the High Wycombe College of Art and Technology), and since 2009 a site in UxbridgeUxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
, west London, which is the base for its Nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
students.
The University in 2008 disposed of two existing campuses; the Chalfont Campus (near Little Chalfont
Little Chalfont
Little Chalfont is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south east Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated in a small group of villages called The Chalfonts which also consists of Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter...
) and the Wellesbourne Campus (near Hazlemere
Hazlemere
Hazlemere is a suburb of High Wycombe and a civil parish within Wycombe district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is to the north east of the town along the A404 in the direction of Amersham....
).
The university sponsor Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
and London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
who play at the Adams Park Stadium; this agreement entitles all players of the teams to education from the university if they so wish.
Halls of Residence
Off-site student accommodation exists in High Wycombe town centre (Brook Street Halls) and (Hughenden Avenue).The university has two main halls of residence. The older of the two is Brook Street Halls. It consist of 396 rooms, and is situated 5 minutes' walk from the University, across from the main bus station and Eden shopping centre; the other hall is Hughenden Park Student Village built in 2009, which is 15 minutes' walk from the University and town, and built near Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor
Hughenden Manor is a red brick Victorian mansion, located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. In the 19th century, it was the country house of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli...
.
Departments and academics
Several courses run at the university are rarities in British universities. Courses like Airline and Airport Management, Music Management and Video ProductionVideo production
Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...
, as well as the extensive Furniture Design and Restoration, Textiles and Advertising departments are the University's main attractions.
The University is one of very few that has created a BSc(Hons) degree in Policing. The degree includes modules such as Police, Crime and the Media during which the relationship between the police and the media is examined. There are also modules in relation to the Criminal Law and Justice, Investigating Identity, Law, Discrimination and Human Rights amongst other modules in relation to policing.
The University also offers a foundation degree course in bed sales management, in partnership with bed manufacturer Dreams
Dreams (bed retailer)
Dreams is a UK bed retailer and manufacturer with over 200 stores throughout the United Kingdom. Its head office is located in Loudwater, High Wycombe.-1980s:In 1985 Mike Clare opened the 'Sofa-bed' shop in Uxbridge...
.
Trevor Baylis
Trevor Baylis
Trevor Graham Baylis OBE is an English inventor. He is best known for inventing the wind-up radio. Rather than using batteries or external electrical source, the radio is powered by the user winding a crank for several seconds. This stores energy in a spring which then drives an electrical...
is a frequent guest lecturer, and was present at a 2004 graduation ceremony and graduate degree show; he received an honorary degree from the University in 2007, and was present at the official opening of the Gateway building in 2010.
Rugby player Matt Dawson
Matt Dawson
Matthew James Sutherland "Daws" Dawson, MBE is a retired English rugby union player who played scrum half for Wasps and Northampton Saints. During his international career he toured with the British and Irish Lions three times and was part of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning side...
was given an honorary degree in 2007 and writer Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
was given an honorary degree at a 2008 graduation ceremony.
In the 2010 graduation ceremonies, Olympic gold medalist Adrian Moorhouse
Adrian Moorhouse
Adrian David Moorhouse MBE is a British former swimmer who dominated British swimming in the late 1980s. He won the 100 m breaststroke gold medal at the Seoul Olympics. Since then Moorhouse, a former pupil of Bradford Grammar School, has translated his sporting success to a successful career...
, businessman Steve Hayes
Steve Hayes
Steve Hayes is an English businessman, and the current owner of both League One football club Wycombe Wanderers and Aviva Premiership rugby union side London Wasps....
and Ivor Novello Award winning musician Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
were all awarded degrees.
League tables
In the 2008/2009 year Bucks was ranked- 108 out of 113 on The Times Good University Guide rankings
- 87 out of 113 on the complete university guide
- 109 out of 133 on the Guardian university guide
| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times Good University Guide | 112th | 108th | |||||||||
| Guardian University Guide | 113th | 113th | 114th | 107th | – | 94th | 105th | 103rd | 117th | ||
| Sunday Times University Guide | 119th | 113th | 98th | 102nd | 112th | 106th | 103rd | 93rd | |||
| The Complete University Guide | 108th= | 103rd | 86th= |
Alumni
- Noel FieldingNoel FieldingNoel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
- Actor and Comedian - Mohamed Mohamed- Big Brother 9 contestant
- Dave BrownDave Brown (comedian)Dave Brown is a British comedian, choreographer designer and photographer.He is most famous for his work with The Mighty Boosh.His most prominent role is that of Bollo the ape...
- Comedian - Veronica CarlsonVeronica CarlsonVeronica Carlson is an English model and actress, famous for her roles in Hammer horror films.Born as Veronica Mary Glazer, Veronica Carlson spent most of her childhood in Germany where her father was stationed...
- Model and Actress - Philip KoomenPhilip KoomenPhilip Koomen FRSA is a British furniture designer and maker.Koomen studied Furniture Design and Technology and Wood Science at High Wycombe College of Art and Technology , a leading centre for furniture design. He makes bespoke furniture using wood that he largely selects himself...
- Furniture designer - Rebecca StephensRebecca StephensRebecca Stephens is a singer, formerly with British band The Pipettes, where she was commonly known as RiotBecki....
- Singer - Fans of KateFans of KateFans of Kate describe themselves "haircut band from London" who toured the UK between May 2004 and December 2005. They played guitar and piano driven pop-rock and cited influences such as Blur, Radiohead, Grandaddy and Broken Social Scene.- Formation :...
- Band - Otto DeckerOtto DeckerOtto Decker is a retired German-American soccer player who earned one cap, scoring two goals, with the U.S. national team in 1953.-Youth:...
- English-U.S. soccer player - Lucian ErcolaniLucian ErcolaniLucian Randolph Ercolani , furniture designer, was born in St Angelo, Tuscany, Italy. His father, Abdon Ercolani, a pictureframe maker, migrated to London, England, in search of work, and in 1898 was joined by his family...
- Furniture Designer - John BolamJohn BolamJohn Bolam is generally rated as one of Britain’s lesser post war artists.-Background:John Bolam was born in 1922 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. He originally studied painting at Hornsey School of Art and furniture design at High Wycombe School of Art...
- Artist - Chris JoyceChris JoyceChris Joyce is known for being drummer with different new wave groups and with Simply Red in the 1980s.Coming from Didsbury, Manchester, he adopted the hippie lifestyle...
- Actor
External links
- Buckinghamshire New University – official website
- Bucks Students' Union