Staffordshire University
Encyclopedia
Staffordshire University is a university
with its main campus
based in the city
of Stoke-on-Trent
, and with other campuses in Stafford
, Lichfield
and Shrewsbury
.
into temporary buildings. In 1914 the building now known as the Cadman Building was officially opened as the Central School of Science and Technology by Rt. Hon J A Pease MP, President of the Board of Education. A frieze over the entrance depicts potters and miners.
In 1915 a department was established for the commercial production of Seger cones (used to measure and control the temperatures of ceramic furnaces) based upon research completed by the principal, Dr Joseph Mellor
.
Grants from the Carnegie UK Trust, the second in 1924, were used to develop the ceramics library and in 1926 the name of the institution was changed to North Staffordshire Technical College. By 1931 extensions to the Cadman Building ran along Station Road and housed the Mining Department. A grant was awarded from the Miners’ Welfare Fund to fund the building work. The new extension also housed the library, which by now had 35,000 volumes. By 1934 the college consisted of four departments: Engineering (nearly 800 students), Pottery (just over 600 students), Mining (just under 500 students), and Chemistry (under 300 students).
In 1939 new engineering workshops were occupied for the first time and the land opposite the Cadman Building was purchased. By 1950 Victoria Road changed its name to College Road and the site now extended over 12 acres (48,562.3 m²). The Mellor Building and ‘Experimental Production Block’ (now Dwight Building) were constructed giving the North Staffordshire College of Technology by 1960.
Various faculty movements and further building work resulted in North Staffordshire Polytechnic
being formed in 1971 with the merger of Stoke-on-Trent College of Art
, North Staffordshire College of Technology (both based in Stoke-on-Trent), and Staffordshire College of Technology in Stafford
. The Polytechnic later (in 1977) absorbed a teacher training facility in Madeley
.
The Polytechnic was able to develop traditional strengths of the component institutions, e.g. ceramics (Stoke-on-Trent), computing
(Stafford) and sports education
(Madeley). However, the mining department closed as result of the decline of coal mining
in the 1980s. New subjects were developed, for example, in the 1970s North Staffordshire Polytechnic was amongst only a handful of third-level institutions in the UK to offer International Relations as a dedicated degree. The 1992 UK government Research Assessment Exercise
placed the International Relations Department as the highest-rated in the institution.
In September 1988 the institution changed its name to Staffordshire Polytechnic. In 1992 it became Staffordshire University, one of the New Universities
.
Staffordshire University consists of two primary campuses, four smaller campuses, and extensive links with National, European and Transnational academic institutions.
The Two main campuses (Stoke-on Trent and Stafford) and the Lichfield campus all have purpose built Business Villages; which consist of fully furnished small office spaces with full internet access included.
. A large section of the campus is supported by AirNet, the university's free wireless connection.
A public film theatre is situated on the side of the Flaxman building on College Road, and shows mainstream and independent films on a regular basis to an audience of up to 180 people, as well as being used for large lectures. In 2006, a new TV studio facility was opened by former BBC Director General Greg Dyke
in the Arts, Media and Design faculty building on College Road, Stoke. The new £1 million development features up-to-date technology and industry specification equipment.
Staffordshire University also participated in the Stafford Film Festival, held at its Stafford venue, until the County Council ceased to show sufficient interest and effort in organising the 2009 festival. Festival organisers are planning to create a new festival at the Stoke campus to replace it.
offers engineering, technology and computing courses, some business courses, nursing, midwifery and mental health on the campus. The Beaconside campus consists of the Octagon building which houses the computer facilities, the JCB Schools Centre, The Beacon Building for Engineering (which was fully renovated through the spring/summer of 2008), the new Ruxton Technology Centre (named after the previous Dean of School, Professor Tom Ruxton). The Beacon Building covers an array of technology subjects such as computer games design, music, film, design technology, digital film, 3D animation, automotive, aeronautic and sports technology and a new television studio centre opened by the H. M. The Queen
on 31 March 2006 as part of the university's commitment to media technology, in particular Film Production Technology and associated courses.
Nursing courses are taught just around the corner from Beaconside on Blackheath Lane following the integration into the university in 1995 of the Shropshire and Staffordshire College of Nursing and Midwifery, which also has bases in Shrewsbury
, Telford
and Oswestry
.
.
.
and Stoke-on-Trent 6th Form College and with the co-operation of the local education authority and the city council, a "University Quarter" in the urban area to the north-east of Stoke-on-Trent railway station
that is already home to the university and the two colleges. The vision is that the University Quarter (located between College Road and Leek Road) will attract both students and developers and become a gateway to the city and to the region.
All accommodation is situated close to all teaching, sporting and Union venues.
The Stafford campus has its own halls of residence, Stafford Court, comprising over 264 en-suite single study bedrooms and 290 single study bedrooms with shared facilities. The various houses take their names from villages in Staffordshire: Brocton
, Derrington, Eccleshall
, Gnosall
, Haughton
, Knightley
, Levedale, Milwich, Norbury
, Ranton
, Shugborough and Weston
. A separate block of larger flats, named after the village of Yarlet (previously Beckett Hall), is also on the same site. This comprises an additional 51 single-study bedrooms over three floors, each accommodating 17 residents, who share a kitchen, dining room and four shower rooms. All of these halls are directly opposite the Stafford campus buildings on Weston Road.
All accommodation on the Stafford Campus has 24/7 Security with Stafford Court benefitting from secure access to the accommodation via a two-way intercom system and students can book the "Aston Common Room" for social events at no cost to them.
The post room is open from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on weekdays (excluding Bank Holidays) for students to collect their post.
Students in Stafford On-Campus accommodation have free access to the Internet, via "ResNet", which also allows access to the university network. Keycom is an optional telephone package to which residents can subscribe. A handset is provided in every room. Calls within Halls are free. The external number for the rooms is 01785 60xxxx where xxxx is replaced with the 4 digits shown on the phone socket.
The off-Campus accommodation at Stafford is called "Beaconside Village", and is ex-RAF accommodation. Beaconside contains 54 semi-detached houses arranged around a communal green area, and provides 161 reasonably sized bedrooms. It is situated 1 km from the teaching campus.
These properties do not have Keycom or ResNet facilities, however many have had Virgin Media or other services installed by previous occupants.
At Stoke, Halls of residence are primarily situated on the Leek Road Campus. The shared-bathroom accommodation was sponsored by various local potteries, and halls are therefore named after them, for example Royal Doulton, Coalport, Minton, Spode, Aynsley
and Wedgwood Halls
.
The on campus en-suite accommodation is contained within Clarice Cliff Court, comprising seven halls of about 30 students over three floors, each named after female ceramicists: Rachel Bishop, Eve Midwinter, Jessie Van Hallen, Charlotte Rhead, Jessie Tait, Millicent Taplin and Star Wedgwood. Along with the halls and en-suite, Staffordshire University also offers 32 houses known as the Leek Road Houses which inhabit up to 6 people each.
Students in Stoke-on-Trent on-campus accommodation have free access to the Internet. Keycom is an optional telephone package to which residents can subscribe.
Carlton House, Caledonia Road, Queen Anne Street Flats, Cromwell Court, Church Street and Sovereign House are situated off campus. They are all within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the Stoke Campus, and are reserved for postgraduate and returning (second and third year) students. As with the on-campus accommodation, each room is equipped with a ResNet connection and a Keycom telephone link.
Each of the halls has a large car park, free for students to use.
The Shelton area of Stoke is where many students choose to live after their first year. The area has many houses which are used by students - each fairly big in size.
Although the area may appear slightly run down and shabby most of the private accommodation is very good and provides students with good access to the university facilities. The proximity of Shelton to the university and the large quantity of student accommodation has effectively turned it into a mini-student village.
Alternatively there are also the popular College Court Halls - which are privately run and operate in a similar way to halls. The Halls are situated opposite to Hanley Park and are within close range to the university. The Halls are also newer than most accommodation in the area ; they also provides students with a large common room with access to SKY television. The cost of College Court is higher than that of houses in Shelton, but as all bills are included it is actually cheaper than Clarice Cliffe and the majority of Shelton terraces.
Private sector accommodation in Stafford tends to be about £10 per week more expensive than in Stoke, but is still very affordable.
was among the top ten in the country, while Molecular Biochemistry and Organismal Biosciences were rated as 'excellent' by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The Science Faculty together with most of the university also does consistently well in the National Student Survey
and measures of graduate level employment after graduation.
The School of Computing was originally situated at Blackheath Lane on the edge of Stafford in GEC
's former Nelson Research Laboratory. It offered one of the first BSc
courses in computing in the United Kingdom
and its first major computer was a second hand DEUCE
. The School of Computing has now moved to a purpose-built building on the Beaconside campus and the newly refurbished Brindley Building in Stoke, and continues to offer one of the best respected computing degrees in the UK. The Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology (FCET) is a Cisco Networking Academy
.
The university was the first institution to introduce a single honours degree in Film, Television and Radio Studies in 1990.
A new Media Centre was opened by Greg Dyke
in 2005, comprising radio studios, television news desk and broadcast journalist suite. Courses in print, broadcast and sports journalism are nationally accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.
The Forensic Science degrees (Forensic Science, Forensic Science and Criminology and Forensic Science and Psychology) were accredited by the Forensic Science Society (FSC) in 2007, one of four universities whose courses have been acknowledged for teaching services and high academic quality. The Forensic theme is continued with a specialist Forensic Biology degree and on the Stafford Campus the Faculty of Computing Engineering and Technology was one of the first university faculties in the UK to offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the new field of Forensic Computing.
Also the many famous artists produced by the former art schools
of Stoke-on-Trent can be regarded as alumni, as the university is the successor institution.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
with its main campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
based in the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, and with other campuses in Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
and Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
.
History
In 1901 industrialist Alfred Bolton acquired a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) site on what is now College Road and in 1906 mining classes began there. By 1907 teaching of pottery classes followed, being transferred from TunstallTunstall
-Place names:United Kingdom*Tunstall, East Riding of Yorkshire*Tunstall, Kent*Tunstall, Lancashire*Tunstall, Norfolk, in the parish of Halvergate*Tunstall, North Yorkshire*Tunstall, Stafford, near to Eccleshall...
into temporary buildings. In 1914 the building now known as the Cadman Building was officially opened as the Central School of Science and Technology by Rt. Hon J A Pease MP, President of the Board of Education. A frieze over the entrance depicts potters and miners.
In 1915 a department was established for the commercial production of Seger cones (used to measure and control the temperatures of ceramic furnaces) based upon research completed by the principal, Dr Joseph Mellor
Joseph William Mellor
-Early life:Joseph William Mellor was born in Lindley, Huddersfield, England, in 1869. He grew up on New Zealand's South Island where his father found employment in the textile industry. The family was too poor to send Joseph to secondary school, but he continued to study in his spare time.Mellor...
.
Grants from the Carnegie UK Trust, the second in 1924, were used to develop the ceramics library and in 1926 the name of the institution was changed to North Staffordshire Technical College. By 1931 extensions to the Cadman Building ran along Station Road and housed the Mining Department. A grant was awarded from the Miners’ Welfare Fund to fund the building work. The new extension also housed the library, which by now had 35,000 volumes. By 1934 the college consisted of four departments: Engineering (nearly 800 students), Pottery (just over 600 students), Mining (just under 500 students), and Chemistry (under 300 students).
In 1939 new engineering workshops were occupied for the first time and the land opposite the Cadman Building was purchased. By 1950 Victoria Road changed its name to College Road and the site now extended over 12 acres (48,562.3 m²). The Mellor Building and ‘Experimental Production Block’ (now Dwight Building) were constructed giving the North Staffordshire College of Technology by 1960.
Various faculty movements and further building work resulted in North Staffordshire Polytechnic
Polytechnic (United Kingdom)
A polytechnic was a type of tertiary education teaching institution in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. After the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 they became universities which meant they could award their own degrees. The comparable institutions in Scotland were...
being formed in 1971 with the merger of Stoke-on-Trent College of Art
Stoke-on-Trent College of Art
The Stoke-on-Trent Regional College of Art was one of three colleges that were merged in 1971 to form North Staffordshire Polytechnic...
, North Staffordshire College of Technology (both based in Stoke-on-Trent), and Staffordshire College of Technology in Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
. The Polytechnic later (in 1977) absorbed a teacher training facility in Madeley
Madeley, Staffordshire
Madeley is a village and ward in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire, England. It is split into three parts: Madeley, Middle Madeley, and Little Madeley. Madeley Heath is also considered by many to be part of Madeley...
.
The Polytechnic was able to develop traditional strengths of the component institutions, e.g. ceramics (Stoke-on-Trent), computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
(Stafford) and sports education
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
(Madeley). However, the mining department closed as result of the decline of coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
in the 1980s. New subjects were developed, for example, in the 1970s North Staffordshire Polytechnic was amongst only a handful of third-level institutions in the UK to offer International Relations as a dedicated degree. The 1992 UK government Research Assessment Exercise
Research Assessment Exercise
The Research Assessment Exercise is an exercise undertaken approximately every 5 years on behalf of the four UK higher education funding councils to evaluate the quality of research undertaken by British higher education institutions...
placed the International Relations Department as the highest-rated in the institution.
In September 1988 the institution changed its name to Staffordshire Polytechnic. In 1992 it became Staffordshire University, one of the New Universities
New Universities
The term new universities has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new universities created or renamed as such in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other "red brick...
.
Campuses
The Two main campuses (Stoke-on Trent and Stafford) and the Lichfield campus all have purpose built Business Villages; which consist of fully furnished small office spaces with full internet access included.
Stoke-On-Trent
The main campus is in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, and primarily offers law, business, sciences, applied computing, arts, design, journalism and media production courses. These are split into two areas, one on College Road, and the other on Leek Road. A new Science and Technology facility is under construction as part of a major redevelopment adjacent to Stoke-on-Trent railway stationStoke-on-Trent railway station
Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station is a main-line railway station in central England. It is located on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line and serves the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent...
. A large section of the campus is supported by AirNet, the university's free wireless connection.
A public film theatre is situated on the side of the Flaxman building on College Road, and shows mainstream and independent films on a regular basis to an audience of up to 180 people, as well as being used for large lectures. In 2006, a new TV studio facility was opened by former BBC Director General Greg Dyke
Greg Dyke
Gregory "Greg" Dyke is a British media executive, journalist and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing 'tabloid' television to British broadcasting, and reviving the ratings of TV-am...
in the Arts, Media and Design faculty building on College Road, Stoke. The new £1 million development features up-to-date technology and industry specification equipment.
Staffordshire University also participated in the Stafford Film Festival, held at its Stafford venue, until the County Council ceased to show sufficient interest and effort in organising the 2009 festival. Festival organisers are planning to create a new festival at the Stoke campus to replace it.
Stafford
The Beaconside campus in the town of StaffordStafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
offers engineering, technology and computing courses, some business courses, nursing, midwifery and mental health on the campus. The Beaconside campus consists of the Octagon building which houses the computer facilities, the JCB Schools Centre, The Beacon Building for Engineering (which was fully renovated through the spring/summer of 2008), the new Ruxton Technology Centre (named after the previous Dean of School, Professor Tom Ruxton). The Beacon Building covers an array of technology subjects such as computer games design, music, film, design technology, digital film, 3D animation, automotive, aeronautic and sports technology and a new television studio centre opened by the H. M. The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
on 31 March 2006 as part of the university's commitment to media technology, in particular Film Production Technology and associated courses.
Nursing courses are taught just around the corner from Beaconside on Blackheath Lane following the integration into the university in 1995 of the Shropshire and Staffordshire College of Nursing and Midwifery, which also has bases in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Telford
Telford
Telford is a large new town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, approximately east of Shrewsbury, and west of Birmingham...
and Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
.
Lichfield
In 1998, in partnership with Tamworth and Lichfield College, the university opened a newly built campus in Lichfield quite near Lichfield City railway stationLichfield City railway station
Lichfield City railway station serves the city of Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England. It is situated towards the northern end of the Cross-City Line 28 km north east of Birmingham New Street...
.
Shrewsbury, Telford and Oswestry
This part of the university is mainly for nursing and midwifery courses, and still forms part of Staffordshire University despite all three settlements being located in neighbouring county ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
Overseas
The university has around 5000 students studying overseas on Staffordshire University awards in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Greece, Spain, Nigeria, France and Macedonia.Regenerating Stoke-on-Trent
The university is seeking to develop in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent CollegeStoke-on-Trent College
Stoke-on-Trent College is a provider of further and higher education based in Stoke-on-Trent. According to www.stoke.net the college has more than 30,000 students and over 1000 staff. The college's main campus, known as Cauldon Campus, is in Shelton and it has a second campus in Burslem.Stoke on...
and Stoke-on-Trent 6th Form College and with the co-operation of the local education authority and the city council, a "University Quarter" in the urban area to the north-east of Stoke-on-Trent railway station
Stoke-on-Trent railway station
Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station is a main-line railway station in central England. It is located on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line and serves the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent...
that is already home to the university and the two colleges. The vision is that the University Quarter (located between College Road and Leek Road) will attract both students and developers and become a gateway to the city and to the region.
Halls of Residence
The university offers guaranteed accommodation for all first year students, provided the university is their firm UCAS choice.All accommodation is situated close to all teaching, sporting and Union venues.
On-Campus
The Stafford campus has its own halls of residence, Stafford Court, comprising over 264 en-suite single study bedrooms and 290 single study bedrooms with shared facilities. The various houses take their names from villages in Staffordshire: Brocton
Brocton, Staffordshire
Brocton is a village and civil parish in the Stafford borough of Staffordshire, England. It about four miles south-east of Stafford town centre, and just outside the built-up area of Stafford, on the edge of Cannock Chase...
, Derrington, Eccleshall
Eccleshall
Eccleshall is a town in Staffordshire, England. It is located seven miles north west of Stafford, and six miles west of Stone. Eccleshall is twinned with Sancerre in France.-History:...
, Gnosall
Gnosall
Gnosall is a large village in the Borough of Stafford, Staffordshire, England, with a population of approximately 5,000. It lies on the A518, approximately half-way between the towns of Newport and the county town of Staffordshire, Stafford...
, Haughton
Haughton, Staffordshire
Haughton is a village in Staffordshire, England, approximately 4 miles outside the county town of Stafford. It lies on the A518 between Stafford and Gnosall....
, Knightley
Knightley, Staffordshire
Knightley is a hamlet in Staffordshire, England. It is situated on the B5405 and is near the villages of Gnosall and Woodseaves.There is a church, an agricultural contractor, a cattery, an equine centre, along with a few farms and houses and an old blacksmiths....
, Levedale, Milwich, Norbury
Norbury, Staffordshire
Norbury is a village in the Borough of Stafford, in south-west Staffordshire, England.It is situated approximately north-east of Newport, just south of the A519 Newport to Newcastle-under-Lyme road, and two miles south-east of Woodseaves....
, Ranton
Ranton, Staffordshire
Ranton is a small village in Staffordshire, situated west of Stafford, east of Woodseaves and northeast of Gnosall.-All Saints church, Ranton:All Saints church, Ranton, is a small ancient structure, dating from the 13th century....
, Shugborough and Weston
Weston, Staffordshire
Weston is a village situated 5 miles east of the county town of Stafford en route to the market town of Uttoxeter. The village of Gayton is approximately one mile to the east. Weston was formerly a small farming community...
. A separate block of larger flats, named after the village of Yarlet (previously Beckett Hall), is also on the same site. This comprises an additional 51 single-study bedrooms over three floors, each accommodating 17 residents, who share a kitchen, dining room and four shower rooms. All of these halls are directly opposite the Stafford campus buildings on Weston Road.
All accommodation on the Stafford Campus has 24/7 Security with Stafford Court benefitting from secure access to the accommodation via a two-way intercom system and students can book the "Aston Common Room" for social events at no cost to them.
The post room is open from 12:30pm to 1:30pm on weekdays (excluding Bank Holidays) for students to collect their post.
Students in Stafford On-Campus accommodation have free access to the Internet, via "ResNet", which also allows access to the university network. Keycom is an optional telephone package to which residents can subscribe. A handset is provided in every room. Calls within Halls are free. The external number for the rooms is 01785 60xxxx where xxxx is replaced with the 4 digits shown on the phone socket.
Off-Campus
The off-Campus accommodation at Stafford is called "Beaconside Village", and is ex-RAF accommodation. Beaconside contains 54 semi-detached houses arranged around a communal green area, and provides 161 reasonably sized bedrooms. It is situated 1 km from the teaching campus.
These properties do not have Keycom or ResNet facilities, however many have had Virgin Media or other services installed by previous occupants.
On-Campus
At Stoke, Halls of residence are primarily situated on the Leek Road Campus. The shared-bathroom accommodation was sponsored by various local potteries, and halls are therefore named after them, for example Royal Doulton, Coalport, Minton, Spode, Aynsley
Aynsley China
Aynsley China Ltd. is a British manufacturer of bone china tableware, giftware and commemorative items. The company was founded in 1775 by John Aynsley in Lane End, Longton, Staffordshire. In 1861 his grandson John Aynsley built the historic Portland Works on Sutherland Road, Longton. The company...
and Wedgwood Halls
Wedgwood Halls
Wedgwood Halls is one of the Halls of Residence at the Stoke Campus of Staffordshire University. Each of the buildings is named after famous potters, the Wedgwood in question being Josiah Wedgwood....
.
The on campus en-suite accommodation is contained within Clarice Cliff Court, comprising seven halls of about 30 students over three floors, each named after female ceramicists: Rachel Bishop, Eve Midwinter, Jessie Van Hallen, Charlotte Rhead, Jessie Tait, Millicent Taplin and Star Wedgwood. Along with the halls and en-suite, Staffordshire University also offers 32 houses known as the Leek Road Houses which inhabit up to 6 people each.
Students in Stoke-on-Trent on-campus accommodation have free access to the Internet. Keycom is an optional telephone package to which residents can subscribe.
Off-campus
Carlton House, Caledonia Road, Queen Anne Street Flats, Cromwell Court, Church Street and Sovereign House are situated off campus. They are all within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of the Stoke Campus, and are reserved for postgraduate and returning (second and third year) students. As with the on-campus accommodation, each room is equipped with a ResNet connection and a Keycom telephone link.
Each of the halls has a large car park, free for students to use.
Private sector
Private sector housing in Stoke-on-Trent is very affordable with prices ranging from £38-£55 a week (exclusive of bills) for rooms in shared basic terraced houses.The Shelton area of Stoke is where many students choose to live after their first year. The area has many houses which are used by students - each fairly big in size.
Although the area may appear slightly run down and shabby most of the private accommodation is very good and provides students with good access to the university facilities. The proximity of Shelton to the university and the large quantity of student accommodation has effectively turned it into a mini-student village.
Alternatively there are also the popular College Court Halls - which are privately run and operate in a similar way to halls. The Halls are situated opposite to Hanley Park and are within close range to the university. The Halls are also newer than most accommodation in the area ; they also provides students with a large common room with access to SKY television. The cost of College Court is higher than that of houses in Shelton, but as all bills are included it is actually cheaper than Clarice Cliffe and the majority of Shelton terraces.
Private sector accommodation in Stafford tends to be about £10 per week more expensive than in Stoke, but is still very affordable.
Academic profile
The university is noted for its science departments; in 2002 PsychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
was among the top ten in the country, while Molecular Biochemistry and Organismal Biosciences were rated as 'excellent' by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. The Science Faculty together with most of the university also does consistently well in the National Student Survey
National student survey
The National Student Survey is a survey, launched in 2005, of all final year degree students at institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and measures of graduate level employment after graduation.
The School of Computing was originally situated at Blackheath Lane on the edge of Stafford in GEC
GEC
The three-letter acronym GEC may mean* Government Engineering College, Delhi, India* Government Engineering College, Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, India* Goa Engineering College, Goa, India* Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Trivandrum...
's former Nelson Research Laboratory. It offered one of the first BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
courses in computing in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and its first major computer was a second hand DEUCE
English Electric DEUCE
The DEUCE was one of the earliest British commercially available computers, built by English Electric from 1955.It was the production version of the Pilot ACE, itself a cut down version of Alan Turing's ACE....
. The School of Computing has now moved to a purpose-built building on the Beaconside campus and the newly refurbished Brindley Building in Stoke, and continues to offer one of the best respected computing degrees in the UK. The Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology (FCET) is a Cisco Networking Academy
Cisco networking academy
Cisco Networking Academy, a global education initiative from Cisco Systems, offers networking programs, like the CCNA and CCNP courses, which prepare students for the certification exams of the same name, and other computer-related courses...
.
The university was the first institution to introduce a single honours degree in Film, Television and Radio Studies in 1990.
A new Media Centre was opened by Greg Dyke
Greg Dyke
Gregory "Greg" Dyke is a British media executive, journalist and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing 'tabloid' television to British broadcasting, and reviving the ratings of TV-am...
in 2005, comprising radio studios, television news desk and broadcast journalist suite. Courses in print, broadcast and sports journalism are nationally accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.
The Forensic Science degrees (Forensic Science, Forensic Science and Criminology and Forensic Science and Psychology) were accredited by the Forensic Science Society (FSC) in 2007, one of four universities whose courses have been acknowledged for teaching services and high academic quality. The Forensic theme is continued with a specialist Forensic Biology degree and on the Stafford Campus the Faculty of Computing Engineering and Technology was one of the first university faculties in the UK to offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the new field of Forensic Computing.
League table rankings
The university's world ranking is 1354 in 2010, according to webometrics.info.| 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardian University Guide | 69 | 55 | 67 | 74 | - | 85 | 81 | 91 | 87 | ||||||||||
| Times Good University Guide | 81= | 74= | 67 | 64 | 75 | 80= | 85= | 86 | 81= | 82 | 75 | 75 | 83= | 88 | 88 | 77= | 76 | 75 | 91 |
| Sunday Times University Guide | 95 | 77= | 79 | 81 | 79 | 81 | 79= | 76 | 75 | 75 | 76 | 88 | |||||||
| The Complete University Guide | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | |||||||||||||||
| The Daily Telegraph | 80 | 68 | |||||||||||||||||
| FT | 77 | 88 | 79 | 90 |
| UK University Ranking League tables of British universities Rankings of universities in the United Kingdom are published annually by The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times and The Times... for graduate prospects and employability |
2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times Good University Guide | ||||
| Guardian University Guide | 52 | 49 | 42 | |
| The Complete University Guide |
Students' Union
Staffordshire University Students Union aims to represent students at the university. Constitutionally it is governed by the student body via referendums, who annually elect a union council which is responsible for the organisation of the Union. The day to day operation of the union is handled by five Sabbatical Officers and four non-portfolio Executive Officers, who are held to account by the Council. All officer positions, bar the five sabbatical officers, work on a part time basis.Notable alumni
- Jermaine AllenJermaine AllenJermaine Allen is an American Football running back who is active for the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes since December 2009. He was signed by the London Olympians in 2005...
, Professional American footballer. - Matt BakerMatt Baker (footballer)Matthew Christopher J. Baker is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper and a Conservative Politician running to be a councillor in Leeds.-Football career:...
, Professional footballer and Conservative politician. - Chris BeardsleyChris BeardsleyChristopher Kelan "Chris" Beardsley is an English footballer who plays for League One side Stevenage as a striker.Beardsley started his career with Mansfield Town, spending two years at the club, during which he spent a brief period on loan at Worksop Town in 2004...
, Professional footballer. - James BeaumontJames BeaumontJames Beaumont is an English former professional footballer who played in midfield. Beaumont joined Nottingham Forest from Newcastle United in 2003, along with Ross Gardner. Unlike Gardner, however, Beamount was unable to break into the first team, and his only league appearance was during a loan...
, Professional footballer. - George Berry, Professional footballer and Welsh international.
- Fatmir BesimiFatmir BesimiFatmir Besimi is a Macedonian politician and economist of Albanian nationality. He served twice as Minister of Economy of Macedonia , while currently he serves as the country's Minister of Defence...
, Minister of the Economy of the Republic of MacedoniaRepublic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. - David BoltDavid BoltDr. David Bolt is the founding editor of and the co-editor of the issues on poetry, dependency and cognitive impairment with Jim Ferris, Michael Davidson and Lucy Burke respectively.-Academic work:...
, Academic specialising in literature and disability. - Jim Davies, Guitarist for The ProdigyThe ProdigyThe Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
and PitchshifterPitchshifter (band)Pitchshifter are a British five-piece electronic-metal band from Nottingham, United Kingdom formed in 1989. The band was started by bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden, lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A...
. - Kate DennisonKate DennisonKate Dennison is an English pole vaulter. She is the British indoor record holder in the Pole Vault and she was also the British outdoor record holder in the event before Holly Bleasdale jumped 4.70 in July 2011....
, Pole vaulter and current British record holder. - Marcus DillistoneMarcus DillistoneMarcus Dillistone is an award-winning and Royal Premiered British film director. A close friend of Sir John Mills, he directed the film of Sir John's life Sir John Mills' Moving Memories. Dillistone and Sir John first collaborated on Dillistone's film "The Troop", which was first screened at BAFTA...
Royal Premiered Film Director and music producer for the Athens 2004 Olympic Opening & Closing Ceremonies. - Tim FieldTim FieldTim Field .was a prominent British anti-bullying activist with his main focus relating to workplace bullying....
, Founder of the UK National Workplace Bullying Advice Line. - Gan See Wee, Classical Guitar Professor
- Raimi GbadamosiRaimi GbadamosiRaimi Olakunle Gbadamosi, PhD is a contemporary British conceptual artist and writer. His work addresses themes of identity and art theory using his trademark motif of yellow, white and black.-Life and work:...
, Conceptual artist. - Michael Greco, Soap actor.
- Paul HarveyPaul Harvey (artist)Paul Harvey is a British musician and Stuckist artist, whose work was used to promote their 2004 show at the Liverpool Biennial. His paintings draw on pop art and the work of Alphonse Mucha, and often depict celebrities, including Madonna....
, Stuckist artist. - Emma Jones, Tabloid journalist.
- Edward Lay, Drummer for rock band EditorsEditorsEditors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
. - David LeachDavid Leach (potter)David Andrew Leach was an English studio potter and the eldest son of Bernard Leach and Muriel Hoyle Leach, Bernard's first wife....
, Studio potter. - Russell LeetchRussell LeetchRussell Jonathan Leetch is the bass guitarist for Birmingham-based indie rock band Editors. He studied music technology at Staffordshire University where he met his fellow Editors band members. He went to secondary school at Arden School, Knowle.He used to work with bandmate Tom Smith in a call...
, Bass guitarist for rock band EditorsEditorsEditors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
. - John MayockJohn MayockJohn Paul Mayock is a British middle distance runner. He has competed at three Olympic Games, at the 1996 games in Atlanta and the 2000 games in Sydney in the 1500 m and at the 2004 games in Athens in the 5000 m...
, Athlete and olympian. - Ian McMillan, Poet.
- Scott MintoScott MintoScott Christopher Minto is an English former footballer who played as a left back in the Football League and the Premier League for Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, West Ham United and Rotherham United, and for Benfica in Portugal...
, Professional footballer and sports broadcaster. - Mike O'Brien, Former Labour MP and Minister of StateMinister of StateMinister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
for Health ServicesDepartment of Health (United Kingdom)The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
. - Paul ReillyPaul Reilly (computer scientist)Paul Reilly is a pioneer of virtual archeology and data visualisation in archeology. He was a research scientist at the IBM UK Scientific Centre. He received his B.A. Honours degree in archaeology and history from the University of Leeds and his Ph.D in computer-based archaeological research, at...
, Computer scientist. - Graham Shaw, Professional football
- Tom SmithTom Smith (musician)Thomas Michael Henry Smith is an English musician. He is lead singer, lyricist, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist for the Birmingham-based indie rock band Editors....
, Lead singer for rock band EditorsEditorsEditors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
. - Sam StockleySam StockleySamuel Joshua "Sam" Stockley is an English footballer currently playing for F.C. New York in the USL Professional Division....
, Professional footballer. - Gavin StrachanGavin StrachanGavin David Strachan is a Scottish association football coach and sports journalist. He is the son of manager and former player Gordon Strachan, and currently is youth team coach at Peterborough United...
, Professional footballer. - Andrew Triggs-HodgeAndrew Triggs-HodgeAndrew Triggs Hodge MBE is a British rower and an Olympic and double World Champion.- Education :...
, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion rower. - Chris UrbanowiczChris UrbanowiczChristopher Dominic Urbanowicz is the lead guitarist and synthesizer player of the British indie rock band Editors. He studied music technology at Staffordshire University for three years with the other members of Editors...
, Lead Guitarist for rock band EditorsEditorsEditors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...
. - Mark Wallace, Cricketer.
- Richard WestRichard WestRichard West may refer to:*Richard West, 7th Baron De La Warr and 4th Baron West *Richard West , 18th century Irish politician and lawyer*Richard West , member of British rock band Threshold*Mr...
, A.K.A. Mr. CMr. CRichard West is a British DJ, musician, actor and rapper, who uses the monikers Mr. C and Sycophant Slags. He is best known as the frontman for The Shamen during their most commercially successful era. West is also a house music DJ and co-owner/co-founder of London's The End nightclub with Layo...
, DJ, MC and frontman of The ShamenThe ShamenThe Shamen were an experimental electronic music band, from 1985–1999, initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act. The founding members are Colin Angus , Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie...
.
Also the many famous artists produced by the former art schools
Stoke-on-Trent College of Art
The Stoke-on-Trent Regional College of Art was one of three colleges that were merged in 1971 to form North Staffordshire Polytechnic...
of Stoke-on-Trent can be regarded as alumni, as the university is the successor institution.
Burslem School of Art
- William BowyerWilliam Bowyer (artist)William Bowyer RA is a contemporary British portrait and landscape painter, who works in a traditional manner.-Life and work:...
, Artist. - Clarice CliffClarice CliffClarice Cliff was an English ceramic industrial artist active from 1922 to 1963.Cliff was born in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England.- Early life :...
, Ceramic artist. - Susie CooperSusie CooperSusie Cooper was a prolific English ceramic designer working in the Stoke-on-Trent pottery industries from the 1920s to the 1980s.-Life and work:Born in Stanfields, Stoke-on-Trent, she was the youngest of seven children...
, Ceramic artist. - Jessie TaitJessie TaitDorothy Jessie Tait was a prolific English ceramic designer working in the Stoke-on-Trent pottery industries, most prominently for Midwinter, from the 1940s to the 1980s.-Life and work:...
, Ceramic artist. - Sidney TushinghamSidney TushinghamSidney Tushingham was a painter and etcher who specialised in rustic scenes of villages and small town life.He was born in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, where he started his artistic career as a china painter. He attended Burslem School of Art and progressed to the Royal College of Art...
, Artist and etcher.