University of Exeter
Encyclopedia
The University of Exeter (usually abbreviated as Exon.
for post-nominals
) is a public university
in South West
England
. It belongs to the 1994 Group
, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom
's smaller research-intensive universities.
The University has three campuses: Streatham
; St Luke's (both of which are in Exeter
); and Tremough
in Cornwall
. Most of its work is conducted in the city of Exeter
, Devon
, where it is the principal higher education
institution. The Tremough campus is maintained in conjunction with University College Falmouth
under the Combined Universities in Cornwall
(CUC) initiative.
The University's Chancellor is Baroness Benjamin, an actress, author and businesswoman. Its Vice-Chancellor is Professor Sir Steve Smith
, who is currently President of Universities UK
.
symbolises the university's historical associations with the locality. The triangular gold castle with three towers comes from Exeter's coat of arms and probably represents the Rougemont Castle
, as alluded to by the red background. The 15 gold Besants around the edge of the shield are from Cornwall's coat of arms, while the green cross on the white background is from the Plymouth
City Council's coat of arms. The theme of learning is symbolised by the book with gold edges and a Latin motto, "lucem sequimur" ("we follow the light").
education in Exeter began in 1922 with the conversion of the previous Royal Albert Memorial College into the University College of the South West of England, and the College's inclusion on the list of institutions eligible to receive funds from the then University Grants Committee
. The College was conceived as a territorial institution, making university education available relatively locally for students from Devon, Cornwall, Dorset
and Somerset
. As was customary for new university institutions in southern England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the College prepared students for external degree
s of the University of London
. With further growth in the 1920s and 1930s, it was granted increasing autonomy, but full independence was delayed by the Second World War. The university college received its Royal Charter
and became the free-standing University of Exeter in December 1955. In the post-war period, Exeter like other UK universities became much more of a national institution, with students coming from all over the southern United Kingdom; as a research-intensive institution, it now attracts significant numbers of students from overseas. However, regional activity continued – for example, through extramural
teaching throughout Devon and Cornwall, and the establishment of an Institute of Cornish Studies in Truro
.
was established as a leading centre for research and advanced study into leadership theory. It is the only specialist centre in the whole of Europe dedicated to scholarship in leadership studies.
The centre offers MA
, MRes and Certificate
programs in Leadership which can be learned through coached elearning.
in Financial Analysis and Fund Management, which is designed around the CFA
curriculum.
Exeter's strongest performance is in the Times Good University Guide rankings.
Exeter was the winner of the "Times Higher University of the Year" award in 2007/8, after finishing runner up three times running. In 2006, it was noted that, "Exeter's excellent record merits special recognition as runner-up this year. Students here are some of the most satisfied in the country, ranking it on the fringes of the top 10. High entry standards and low dropout rates further entrench its standing." Sunday Times, 10 September 2006.
found that some 91% of Exeter students are satisfied with their experience compared to a national average of 81%. This means that Exeter is 7th in the national universities and colleges satisfaction ranking and 4th in the list of traditional universities. This is the third year in a row that Exeter has come within the top ten.
In the 2005 National Student Survey, Exeter was ranked joint 10th nationally for overall satisfaction. The results put Exeter in the top 25 per cent of UK universities for learning resources (such as IT resources) and for course management and organisation.
In the 2001 UK Research Assessment Exercise
, 98% of subject areas at Exeter were rated 4, 5 or 5* (of national or international standing). In 2008, 17% of the submitted research was rated 4* ("world-leading") and 89% no lower than 2* ("recognised internationally").
In the 2006 National Student Survey, Exeter was ranked joint 11th, and the University of Exeter Business School was ranked 1st in the country for Business, Accounting & Finance and Management.
The University hosts the Innovation Centre which is based on the Streatham Campus and supports businesses at different stages of growth.
Most students work on the main campus, Streatham, which includes the Northcott Theatre
. Sitting on a hillside one side of which looks down across Exeter city centre, the campus is renowned for its beautiful landscaping and excellent views. The Independent
has described the campus environment as ‘sublime’. The campus also has several galleries, including the Bill Douglas Centre
for the history of cinema and popular culture. There is also a Sculpture Walk, including pieces by Henry Moore
, Barbara Hepworth
and a statue to commemorate the events at Tiananmen Square
. There is a pub type bar called the Ram and a Bar (previously called the Ewe) within a nightclub called the Lemon Grove (or Lemmy), both run by the Students' Guild. The campus boasts a medical centre, a counselling service, a children’s day-care centre, and numerous catering outlets. Many halls of residence and some self-catering accommodation are located on this campus or in the near vicinity. In 2005 Streatham Campus's newest building, the Xfi centre, was completed to provide facilities mainly but not exclusively for postgraduate study into finance and investment.
) and the School of Sport and Health Sciences. The campus is just over a mile from the larger Streatham campus and 10 minutes’ walk from the city centre.
The St Luke’s campus also has its own restaurant, cafeteria, bar, bookshop, bank, indoor swimming pool, two gymnasia including an advanced conditioning studio and grass tennis courts for summer use.
The future of St Luke's is currently under review, with a proposal to bring one of the Schools located there to the Streatham Campus to allow further expansion (see below).
, Tremough
now houses all the university's activity in Cornwall, previously scattered across the county. It is part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall
project, and is shared with University College Falmouth
. University of Exeter departments on the site include the internationally renowned CSM (Camborne School of Mines
), whose graduates are highly sought after by mining and civil engineering industries as well as the (renewable) energy sector. CSM, founded over 100 years before the University of Exeter, merged with Exeter in 1993 and is now part of the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences (SEMPS). Other departments at Tremough include the rapidly growing Centre for Ecology
and Conservation
(CEC), English
, Geography
and the Institute of Cornish Studies
, and additional departments are being added, such as History and Law, the first year of which started in October 2007.
Exeter's Guild is home to award winning media: a student radio station Xpression FM
, a newspaper Exeposé
, a website X-Media Online and television station XTV. There is also a volunteering agency within the Students' Guild called Community Action, which runs its own projects with members of the local community that are run by volunteers and provides further volunteering opportunities through links with external partner organisations. There is a RAG (Raising and Giving) group which exists to raise money for five nominated charities, and collects in town centres around Britain every weekend. RAG events are run by students, under the co-ordination of a full-time member of staff. The main aim of these societies and activities groups is to provide opportunities for student development. The Guild of Students was renamed the Students' Guild in 2005.
There are over 100 affiliated student societies, ranging from the Theatre Company and Creative Writing to the LDYS, Conservative Future
, and Socialist Students
societies. There are a very large number of sports clubs, and the Athletic Union
(AU) is now a separate body from the Students' Guild. This organisation is led by a student-elected President, currently Simon Tyson. The Debating Society which predates establishment of the university, started life in 1893 as The Exeter Debating Society at the Royal Albert Memorial College, and has played host to many notable speakers including Anthony Eden
, H H Asquith, Ludovic Kennedy
, Michael Foot
and Stephen Fry
.
Students are represented by a sabbatical team consisting of a President, Vice President Participation and Campuses, Vice President Welfare and Community, Vice President Academic Affairs, and the Athletic Union President. There are also other non sabbatical officers representing areas of the student population and student activities areas.These are elected by students in a series of elections throughout the academic year.
On 24 October 2006, the existing Christian Union was instructed by the Guild to change its name to the Evangelical Christian Union, following a referendum vote by students at Exeter University. The name change was intended to clarify that the society's position was that of Evangelical Christianity, rather than of all forms of Christianity, and was proposed by a member of the Christian Union.
The dispute was covered nationally by news channels including the BBC, with the Students' Guild freezing the accounts of the Christian Union, and refusing them free access to Guild facilities as well as advertising rights.
On 26 February 2007, the Guild issued a statement saying that Ben Martin is now willing to follow the Internal Complaints Procedure. By the summer this was completed, with Mark Shaw QC ruling in the students' guild's favour.
In 2008/9, after one more failed try by the ECU to change the Students' Guild Constitution in terms of being able to restrict membership to only Christians, the President Robert Moore decided to make a U-turn at the end of the academic year. He proposed scrapping this idea entirely and opening the doctrine of the society up to those of all faiths. This idea seemed greatly supported but the committee of 2009 preferred that this decision be reviewed by them.
opened, the result of a multi-million pound gift from an anonymous donor. After a donation of £650,000 from the ruler of Sharjah, Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi
, an extension has been added to the also recently constructed Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies Building. In 2006, the Department of Drama completed a major renovation. The Department of Drama's state-of-the-art £3 million Alexander Building was named after the former University Chancellor Lord Alexander. A new £28 million Peninsula Dental School, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth,opened its doors in October 2007. The dental school will have places for 62 graduate entry students each year. The South West of England Regional Development Agency is investing £9.7 m in phase II of the University of Exeter Innovation Centre. The project is currently under construction and will create a 38000 sq ft (3,530.3 m²) building for use by new and growing businesses within the development and research sectors at the university's Streatham campus. Phase I of the Innovation Centre was finished in 2000 and houses high-tech businesses from the software, biomedical sectors to advanced manufacturing and internet firms.
The School of Biosciences is undergoing massive investment to further improve the facilities. The Business School, formerly SoBE – The school of Business and Economics, is set to receive investment in the form of a new building to add to its existing buildings of Streatham Court and XFi. Further to the new building, a new student services centre has been constructed in Streatham Court and its lecture theatre corridor and MBA suite renovated.
The new building will act as the University's main reception, and is intended to help push the University further into the top 10 in the UK.
performance in 1996 was poor, and this was widely attributed to the absence of large strong units. As a result, an internal working party recommendation a reorganisation into a smaller number of Schools (18, now reduced further to 11, though the two schools of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry have been added), with the abolition of the traditional Faculties of Arts, Science etc.
Despite this internal reorganization, the University again entered the 2001 RAE with substantially more disciplines than most comparable universities, and consequently with smaller units. Since 2000, the University has therefore undergone a further process of restructuring in order to focus on areas of strength. In 2004, it closed two departments (chemistry and music) that had been suffering low student demand for a long period, and had failed to achieve a 5-grade in any of the RAEs. Although similar moves elsewhere had attracted little attention, a media storm blew up around this issue at Exeter, perhaps because of the high profile that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Steve Smith
, was taking in UK university politics at the time (for example, he had just been appointed as Chair of the 1994 Group). There was also protest within the institution. The closures eliminated 130 jobs, and the AUT
questioned the University's financial figures.
On Thursday, 25 November 2004, about 2,000 students marched in protest over the decision, making the local television news. Some even attempted to sell the University on eBay
in protest. Sir Harold Kroto
, a Nobel laureate, returned his honorary degree
from this institution in protest against this move., as did celebrated percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie
. The university faced further protest in 2008 when more than 2,000 people signed a petition against plans to get an outside firm to run its profitable and outstanding-rated campus Family Centre.
into the future of the St Luke's site, the location of the Schools of Education and Lifelong Learning, the School of Sports and Health Science, and the university's part of the Peninsula Medical School. The Vice-Chancellor stated that the "problem is one of success, that is if these three Schools achieve their planned expansion ... then we will simply run out of space at St Luke's.". The options considered were moving the three schools currently located there onto the Streatham campus, with the sale of the St Luke's site; moving one of the Schools to the Streatham campus, and expanding the other two at St Luke's; and attempting to expand all three at St Luke's. Although media and student attention focussed on the first of these possibilities, the consultants' advice was that the middle path of moving one School was the most financially sensible, and it is likely that this is what university management had always intended.
, who was knighted in the 2007 Queen's New Years Honours list for services to medicine is the inaugural dean of the Peninsula Medical School. Professor Roy Sambles
in the school of physics is a Fellow of the Royal Society. Professor Richard Overy
, fellow of the British Academy and distinguished Historian specialising in the Third Reich.
children Peter Phillips
and Zara Phillips
attended the University in the late 1990s. J. K. Rowling
, the author of the Harry Potter
books read French and Classics in the mid 80's. Robert Bolt
, playwright and two-time Oscar and BAFTA winning screenwriter (Lawrence of Arabia
, Doctor Zhivago
, A Man For All Seasons
) also attended Exeter. Jonathon Band
, the First Sea Lord
of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy
read Economics in the 70s. Fiona Shackleton
, the divorce case lawyer, read law in the 1970s. Thom Yorke
, lead singer of Radiohead
, read English and Fine Arts at the University of Exeter. Frank Gardner
, the BBC's security correspondent, shot in Riyadh by jihadist radicals but continuing his work, and especially respected for his Middle East expertise, graduated in Arabic in the 1980s. Prof. Abdulaziz N. Al-Mani, winner of the 'Arab Nobel Prize', the 2009 King Faisal Prize, in the category of Arabic Literature, and now emeritus professor of Arabic literature at King Saud University, obtained his doctorate in Arabic literature from Exeter in 1976. Writer and broadcaster John O'Farrell
studied English and Drama in the early 1980s and children's author Steve Voake
obtained a PGCE at Exeter University. Chris Johnson LLB, of Team GB Clay Shooting, also attended the University, from 2006 to 2009. Felix Barrett, founder and artistic director of Punchdrunk Theatre studied drama from 1997 to 2000. The mathematical physicist Professor Sir Michael Berry completed a BSc in Physics at Exeter in 1962 and is now known for, amongst other things, the Berry Phase and receiving an Ig Nobel Prize
for levitating a frog.
Singer Will Young
read politics at Exeter and was a RAG Safer Sex Ball Co-ordinator.
Exoniensis
Exoniensis is the post-nominal suffix given to honorary and academic degrees from the University of Exeter. The term is the anglicisation of the Latin for "of Exeter"...
for post-nominals
Post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
) is a public university
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...
in South West
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It belongs to the 1994 Group
1994 Group
The 1994 Group is a coalition of 19 top "smaller research-intensive universities" in the United Kingdom founded in 1994 to defend their interests following the creation of the Russell Group by larger research-intensive universities earlier that year...
, an association of 19 of 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...
's smaller research-intensive universities.
The University has three campuses: Streatham
Streatham Campus
The Streatham Campus is the largest campus of the University of Exeter. The campus is renowned for its beautiful landscaping and excellent views. The centre of the campus is occupied by teaching, administrative and service buildings...
; St Luke's (both of which are in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
); and Tremough
University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus
University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus is a campus of the University of Exeter at Tremough, in Penryn, Cornwall. Since 2004 it has housed all the university's operations in Cornwall, previously scattered across a number of different sites. It is set in of countryside, but close to the towns of...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Most of its work is conducted in the city of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, where it is the principal higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
institution. The Tremough campus is maintained in conjunction with University College Falmouth
University College Falmouth
University College Falmouth is a British university college in Falmouth, Cornwall. Founded in 1902, it had previously been the Falmouth School of Art and then Falmouth College of Arts until it received taught degree-awarding powers in March 2005...
under the Combined Universities in Cornwall
Combined Universities in Cornwall
The Combined Universities in Cornwall is a project to provide higher education in Cornwall, one of the few counties in the United Kingdom not to have a university within its boundaries, and also one of the poorest areas of the country in terms of GDP per head...
(CUC) initiative.
The University's Chancellor is Baroness Benjamin, an actress, author and businesswoman. Its Vice-Chancellor is Professor Sir Steve Smith
Steve Smith (academic)
Sir Steven Murray Smith, AcSS is an international relations theorist, academic, and senior university manager.In October 2002 he succeeded Geoffrey Holland as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, and from 2009-2011 was the President of Universities UK.-Early life:He attended the City of...
, who is currently President of Universities UK
Universities UK
Universities UK began life as the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom in the nineteenth century when there were informal meetings involving Vice-Chancellors of a number of universities and Principals of university colleges...
.
Coat of arms
The University coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
symbolises the university's historical associations with the locality. The triangular gold castle with three towers comes from Exeter's coat of arms and probably represents the Rougemont Castle
Rougemont Castle
Rougemont Castle is the historic castle of Exeter.The castle was first built in 1068 to help William the Conqueror maintain control over the city. It is perched on an ancient volcanic plug, overlaying remains of the Roman city of Isca Dumnoniorum...
, as alluded to by the red background. The 15 gold Besants around the edge of the shield are from Cornwall's coat of arms, while the green cross on the white background is from the Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
City Council's coat of arms. The theme of learning is symbolised by the book with gold edges and a Latin motto, "lucem sequimur" ("we follow the light").
History
After earlier beginnings, universityUniversity
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...
education in Exeter began in 1922 with the conversion of the previous Royal Albert Memorial College into the University College of the South West of England, and the College's inclusion on the list of institutions eligible to receive funds from the then University Grants Committee
University Grants Committee (UK)
The University Grants Committee was an advisory committee of the British government, which advised on the distribution of grant funding amongst the British universities. It was in existence from 1919 until 1989...
. The College was conceived as a territorial institution, making university education available relatively locally for students from Devon, Cornwall, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. As was customary for new university institutions in southern England in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the College prepared students for external degree
External degree
An external degree is a degree offered by a university to students who have not been required to be physically present within the geographic territory of the institution. These undergraduates may be called external students and may study at classes unconnected with the university, or independently,...
s of the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. With further growth in the 1920s and 1930s, it was granted increasing autonomy, but full independence was delayed by the Second World War. The university college received its Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
and became the free-standing University of Exeter in December 1955. In the post-war period, Exeter like other UK universities became much more of a national institution, with students coming from all over the southern United Kingdom; as a research-intensive institution, it now attracts significant numbers of students from overseas. However, regional activity continued – for example, through extramural
Extramural
Extramural means to study outside, but under the aegis of, a university or other institution. Extramural studies are taken by the student away from the physical campus, and are often used for those unable to attend classes....
teaching throughout Devon and Cornwall, and the establishment of an Institute of Cornish Studies in Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
.
Timeline
| 1829 | John Taylor published his Prospectus for a School of Mines in Cornwall |
| 1840 | Foundation of Exeter Diocesan Training College |
| 1855 | Foundation of Exeter School of Art |
| 1863 | Foundation of Exeter School of Science |
| 1868 | Schools of Art and Science relocate to Albert Memorial Museum |
| 1876 | Foundation of Camborne Miners' Association The Miners Association The Miners Association was founded in 1858 by Robert Hunt FRS, and the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society.The Association was formed to create a body that would discuss, develop, address the needs and represent the hard rock mining industry within the south west region of the United... laboratory |
| 1888 | Camborne laboratory established as Camborne Mining School |
| 1893 | Schools of Art and Science renamed as the Exeter Technical and University Extension College |
| 1900 | Exeter Technical and University Extension College renamed as Royal Albert Memorial College, Gandy Street |
| 1922 | Royal Albert Memorial College renamed as the University College of the South-West of England; Streatham Hall (now Reed Hall) given to the University College |
| 1930 | Exeter Diocesan Training College renamed to St Luke's College, Exeter |
| 1955 | The University College received its Charter and became the University of Exeter |
| 1962 | Post-graduate Medical School founded |
| 1966 | St Luke's College became co-educational |
| 1978 | Merger of the University's School of Education and St Luke's College of Education into the University's new Department of Education |
| 1991 | Affiliation of the College of St Mark and St John, Plymouth |
| 1993 | Incorporation of Camborne School of Mines Camborne School of Mines The Camborne School of Mines , commonly abbreviated to CSM, was founded in 1888. It is now a specialist department of the University of Exeter. Its research and teaching is related to the understanding and management of the Earth's natural processes, resources and the environment... |
| 1995 | Affiliation of St Loyes School of Health Studies |
| 1997 | Establishment of Centre of Leadership Studies |
| 2000 | The Peninsula Medical School was established in conjunction with the University of Plymouth University of Plymouth Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff... and the National Health Service National Health Service The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom... . This is based at St Luke's and local hospitals. |
| 2004 | The University's new Cornwall Campus University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus is a campus of the University of Exeter at Tremough, in Penryn, Cornwall. Since 2004 it has housed all the university's operations in Cornwall, previously scattered across a number of different sites. It is set in of countryside, but close to the towns of... opened, moving all of its interests in Cornwall Cornwall Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of... to a single campus. Closure of Chemistry and Music departments announced. Closure of Italian department considered but plans were eventually dropped. Closure of the Cognitive Science Cognitive science Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary scientific study of mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. It includes research on how information is processed , represented, and transformed in behaviour, nervous system or machine... BSc. (Hons) degree programme and the re-structuring of the Biology department, now called the Biosciences department. |
| 2006 | Closure of the Crossmead Conference Centre, formerly Crossmead Hall of Residence. |
| 2007 | Exeter admitted its first intake of dental students. The College of St Mark and St John stopped awarding University of Exeter degrees as it became a university college. |
| Chancellors | Vice-Chancellors | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Centre for Leadership Studies
In 1997 the Centre for Leadership StudiesCentre for Leadership Studies
is part of the University of Exeter Business School, and was established in 1997. Teaching activities include a range of undergraduate and post-graduate programmes, and a portfolio of short courses. The Centre has a professional network of Fellows and Affiliates consisting of leadership...
was established as a leading centre for research and advanced study into leadership theory. It is the only specialist centre in the whole of Europe dedicated to scholarship in leadership studies.
The centre offers MA
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, MRes and Certificate
Academic certificate
An academic certificate is a document that certifies that a person has received specific education or has passed a test or series of tests.In many countries, certificate is a qualification attained in secondary education. For instance, students in the Republic of Ireland sit the Junior Certificate...
programs in Leadership which can be learned through coached elearning.
Xfi Centre for Finance and investment
A specialist centre for the study of Finance and Investment. It offers an MScMSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...
in Financial Analysis and Fund Management, which is designed around the CFA
Chartered Financial Analyst
The Chartered Financial Analyst Program is a graduate level self-study program offered by the CFA Institute to investment and financial professionals...
curriculum.
Reputation
In recent years, Exeter has risen sharply in all the main league tables, except in the QS World University Rankings, as the following tables show.| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times Good University Guide | 10th | 9th | 13th | 9th | 28th | 34th | 31st= | 34th | 35th | 36th | 38th | 38th | 40th | 37th | 36th | 35th= | 36th= | 39th= | 36th | |
| Guardian University Guide | 11th | 13th | =14th | 34th | 27th | 28th | 46th | 29th | 31st | |||||||||||
| Sunday Times University Guide | 9th | 17th | 14th | 17th | 18thth | 25th | 24th | 20th= | 28th | 24th | 27th | 34th | 32nd= | |||||||
| Daily Telegraph | 17th | 30th | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Independent | 19th | 17th | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Financial Times | 40th | 40th | 40th | 41st |
| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THES – QS World University Rankings | 184th | 266th | 237th | 220th | 224th | 202nd | ||
| Academic Ranking of World Universities | 303–401 | 305–402 | 301–400 | 401–500 |
Exeter's strongest performance is in the Times Good University Guide rankings.
Exeter was the winner of the "Times Higher University of the Year" award in 2007/8, after finishing runner up three times running. In 2006, it was noted that, "Exeter's excellent record merits special recognition as runner-up this year. Students here are some of the most satisfied in the country, ranking it on the fringes of the top 10. High entry standards and low dropout rates further entrench its standing." Sunday Times, 10 September 2006.
National Student Survey
The 2007 National Student SurveyNational 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...
found that some 91% of Exeter students are satisfied with their experience compared to a national average of 81%. This means that Exeter is 7th in the national universities and colleges satisfaction ranking and 4th in the list of traditional universities. This is the third year in a row that Exeter has come within the top ten.
In the 2005 National Student Survey, Exeter was ranked joint 10th nationally for overall satisfaction. The results put Exeter in the top 25 per cent of UK universities for learning resources (such as IT resources) and for course management and organisation.
Other
In 2007/08 academic year the University has seen a rise of 23.8% in applications for places – one of the highest rises among universities in the country.In the 2001 UK 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...
, 98% of subject areas at Exeter were rated 4, 5 or 5* (of national or international standing). In 2008, 17% of the submitted research was rated 4* ("world-leading") and 89% no lower than 2* ("recognised internationally").
In the 2006 National Student Survey, Exeter was ranked joint 11th, and the University of Exeter Business School was ranked 1st in the country for Business, Accounting & Finance and Management.
The University hosts the Innovation Centre which is based on the Streatham Campus and supports businesses at different stages of growth.
Streatham campus
Northcott Theatre
The Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England.-History:The Northcott is the seventh building in Exeter to be used as a theatre....
. Sitting on a hillside one side of which looks down across Exeter city centre, the campus is renowned for its beautiful landscaping and excellent views. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
has described the campus environment as ‘sublime’. The campus also has several galleries, including the Bill Douglas Centre
Bill Douglas Centre
The Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture contains both a public museum and an academic research centre, housing one of Britain's largest public collections of books, prints, artefacts and ephemera relating to the history and prehistory of cinema...
for the history of cinema and popular culture. There is also a Sculpture Walk, including pieces by Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth
Dame Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism, and with such contemporaries as Ivon Hitchens, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, Naum Gabo she helped to develop modern art in Britain.-Life and work:Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth was born on 10 January 1903 in Wakefield,...
and a statue to commemorate the events at Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
. There is a pub type bar called the Ram and a Bar (previously called the Ewe) within a nightclub called the Lemon Grove (or Lemmy), both run by the Students' Guild. The campus boasts a medical centre, a counselling service, a children’s day-care centre, and numerous catering outlets. Many halls of residence and some self-catering accommodation are located on this campus or in the near vicinity. In 2005 Streatham Campus's newest building, the Xfi centre, was completed to provide facilities mainly but not exclusively for postgraduate study into finance and investment.
St Luke's campus
The St Luke’s campus is home to the largest academic school of the University, the Graduate School of Education (previously known as School of Education & Lifelong Learning). It shares the campus with the Peninsula Medical School (a joint venture with the University of PlymouthUniversity of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
) and the School of Sport and Health Sciences. The campus is just over a mile from the larger Streatham campus and 10 minutes’ walk from the city centre.
The St Luke’s campus also has its own restaurant, cafeteria, bar, bookshop, bank, indoor swimming pool, two gymnasia including an advanced conditioning studio and grass tennis courts for summer use.
The future of St Luke's is currently under review, with a proposal to bring one of the Schools located there to the Streatham Campus to allow further expansion (see below).
Tremough campus (University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus)
The University of Exeter's Cornwall campusUniversity of Exeter, Cornwall Campus
University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus is a campus of the University of Exeter at Tremough, in Penryn, Cornwall. Since 2004 it has housed all the university's operations in Cornwall, previously scattered across a number of different sites. It is set in of countryside, but close to the towns of...
, Tremough
Tremough
Tremough Campus is a university campus situated in Penryn, Cornwall. It is the only such university project in Cornwall currently. The name Tremough derives from the Cornish word for "pig farm"....
now houses all the university's activity in Cornwall, previously scattered across the county. It is part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall
Combined Universities in Cornwall
The Combined Universities in Cornwall is a project to provide higher education in Cornwall, one of the few counties in the United Kingdom not to have a university within its boundaries, and also one of the poorest areas of the country in terms of GDP per head...
project, and is shared with University College Falmouth
University College Falmouth
University College Falmouth is a British university college in Falmouth, Cornwall. Founded in 1902, it had previously been the Falmouth School of Art and then Falmouth College of Arts until it received taught degree-awarding powers in March 2005...
. University of Exeter departments on the site include the internationally renowned CSM (Camborne School of Mines
Camborne School of Mines
The Camborne School of Mines , commonly abbreviated to CSM, was founded in 1888. It is now a specialist department of the University of Exeter. Its research and teaching is related to the understanding and management of the Earth's natural processes, resources and the environment...
), whose graduates are highly sought after by mining and civil engineering industries as well as the (renewable) energy sector. CSM, founded over 100 years before the University of Exeter, merged with Exeter in 1993 and is now part of the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences (SEMPS). Other departments at Tremough include the rapidly growing Centre for Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and Conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
(CEC), English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and the Institute of Cornish Studies
Institute of Cornish Studies
The Institute of Cornish Studies is a research institute in west Cornwall: it started in 1970/71 as a research centre jointly funded by Exeter University and Cornwall County Council, with three core staff being employees of the University of Exeter...
, and additional departments are being added, such as History and Law, the first year of which started in October 2007.
Students' Guild
Students at Exeter are represented by a Guild of Students, which has an active role in campaigning at local and national levels. It is run by four elected Sabbatical Officers: Nick Davis (President), James Fox (Vice President Participation & Campuses), Emma Payne (Vice President Welfare & Community) and James Eales (Vice President Academic Affairs). They were elected in February 2011 with a record numbers of students voting in the elections, a national record 38.1% turnout of registered students.Exeter's Guild is home to award winning media: a student radio station Xpression FM
Xpression FM
Xpression FM is an award winning campus radio station for the University of Exeter, England. Formerly known as URE , the station has been broadcasting since 1976 and is entirely run by students from the university.-History:...
, a newspaper Exeposé
Exeposé
Exeposé is the official student-run newspaper of the University of Exeter. With a circulation of up to 16,000, Exeposé is free and published fortnightly during term time...
, a website X-Media Online and television station XTV. There is also a volunteering agency within the Students' Guild called Community Action, which runs its own projects with members of the local community that are run by volunteers and provides further volunteering opportunities through links with external partner organisations. There is a RAG (Raising and Giving) group which exists to raise money for five nominated charities, and collects in town centres around Britain every weekend. RAG events are run by students, under the co-ordination of a full-time member of staff. The main aim of these societies and activities groups is to provide opportunities for student development. The Guild of Students was renamed the Students' Guild in 2005.
There are over 100 affiliated student societies, ranging from the Theatre Company and Creative Writing to the LDYS, Conservative Future
Conservative Future
Conservative Future, abbreviated to CF, is the youth movement of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom for members aged up to 30 years old.Founded in 1998, Conservative Future is the largest political organisation on British campuses...
, and Socialist Students
Socialist Students
Socialist Students is a socialist organisation with branches in universities, further education colleges and sixth form colleges in the United Kingdom....
societies. There are a very large number of sports clubs, and the Athletic Union
Athletic Union
An Athletic Union or Athletics Union usually refers to the group of student sports clubs within a university or other institute of higher education, in the United Kingdom.-General information:...
(AU) is now a separate body from the Students' Guild. This organisation is led by a student-elected President, currently Simon Tyson. The Debating Society which predates establishment of the university, started life in 1893 as The Exeter Debating Society at the Royal Albert Memorial College, and has played host to many notable speakers including Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
, H H Asquith, Ludovic Kennedy
Ludovic Kennedy
Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy was a British journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author best known for re-examining cases such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the murder convictions of Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley, and for his role in the abolition of the death penalty in the United...
, Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
and Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
.
Students are represented by a sabbatical team consisting of a President, Vice President Participation and Campuses, Vice President Welfare and Community, Vice President Academic Affairs, and the Athletic Union President. There are also other non sabbatical officers representing areas of the student population and student activities areas.These are elected by students in a series of elections throughout the academic year.
Evangelical Christian Union disputes
Since late 2006, the Exeter Students' Guild has been in dispute with the Evangelical Christian Union (ECU), over the ECU's requirement that members sign a declaration saying they agree to a statement of beliefs, and the requirement that speakers and committee members agree to a doctrinal basis. The ECU's umbrella organisation, the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship, promote the idea of the doctrinal basis for committee members.On 24 October 2006, the existing Christian Union was instructed by the Guild to change its name to the Evangelical Christian Union, following a referendum vote by students at Exeter University. The name change was intended to clarify that the society's position was that of Evangelical Christianity, rather than of all forms of Christianity, and was proposed by a member of the Christian Union.
The dispute was covered nationally by news channels including the BBC, with the Students' Guild freezing the accounts of the Christian Union, and refusing them free access to Guild facilities as well as advertising rights.
On 26 February 2007, the Guild issued a statement saying that Ben Martin is now willing to follow the Internal Complaints Procedure. By the summer this was completed, with Mark Shaw QC ruling in the students' guild's favour.
In 2008/9, after one more failed try by the ECU to change the Students' Guild Constitution in terms of being able to restrict membership to only Christians, the President Robert Moore decided to make a U-turn at the end of the academic year. He proposed scrapping this idea entirely and opening the doctrine of the society up to those of all faiths. This idea seemed greatly supported but the committee of 2009 preferred that this decision be reviewed by them.
New developments
The University has undergone an investment programme worth more than £235 million in recent years. £38 million has been invested in new student accommodation, including the new Holland Hall, named after the former vice-chancellor of the same name. £8m has been invested in sports facilities, including a professional-standard tennis centre. A £1m upgrade has been carried out to the students’ union building and nightclub and £1.5 m has been spent improving access for people with disabilities. In October 2002, The Peninsula Medical School, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, admitted its first students of medicine. In 2005, the new Xfi Centre for Finance and InvestmentXfi Centre for Finance and Investment
The Xfi Centre for Finance and Investment is a research and teaching institute at the University of Exeter. It is a leading research institute, under director Professor Ian Tonks....
opened, the result of a multi-million pound gift from an anonymous donor. After a donation of £650,000 from the ruler of Sharjah, Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi
Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi
Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi III is a member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and current ruler of the Sharjah emirate...
, an extension has been added to the also recently constructed Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies Building. In 2006, the Department of Drama completed a major renovation. The Department of Drama's state-of-the-art £3 million Alexander Building was named after the former University Chancellor Lord Alexander. A new £28 million Peninsula Dental School, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth,opened its doors in October 2007. The dental school will have places for 62 graduate entry students each year. The South West of England Regional Development Agency is investing £9.7 m in phase II of the University of Exeter Innovation Centre. The project is currently under construction and will create a 38000 sq ft (3,530.3 m²) building for use by new and growing businesses within the development and research sectors at the university's Streatham campus. Phase I of the Innovation Centre was finished in 2000 and houses high-tech businesses from the software, biomedical sectors to advanced manufacturing and internet firms.
The School of Biosciences is undergoing massive investment to further improve the facilities. The Business School, formerly SoBE – The school of Business and Economics, is set to receive investment in the form of a new building to add to its existing buildings of Streatham Court and XFi. Further to the new building, a new student services centre has been constructed in Streatham Court and its lecture theatre corridor and MBA suite renovated.
Forum Project
£48 million has recently been invested into the renovation of the library, great hall and the area between it. The large glass structure will resemble a large shopping mall style, with a top of the range conference lecture theatre, and many seminar rooms. It will have trees planted, as well as flowing water to give a modernist, yet natural atmosphere.The new building will act as the University's main reception, and is intended to help push the University further into the top 10 in the UK.
Restructuring
For nearly 40 years Exeter was the only university in the south-west peninsula, and as such it sought to offer the maximum number of academic disciplines. By 1995 the University had nearly 50 separate departments and centres. Its Research Assessment ExerciseResearch 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...
performance in 1996 was poor, and this was widely attributed to the absence of large strong units. As a result, an internal working party recommendation a reorganisation into a smaller number of Schools (18, now reduced further to 11, though the two schools of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry have been added), with the abolition of the traditional Faculties of Arts, Science etc.
Despite this internal reorganization, the University again entered the 2001 RAE with substantially more disciplines than most comparable universities, and consequently with smaller units. Since 2000, the University has therefore undergone a further process of restructuring in order to focus on areas of strength. In 2004, it closed two departments (chemistry and music) that had been suffering low student demand for a long period, and had failed to achieve a 5-grade in any of the RAEs. Although similar moves elsewhere had attracted little attention, a media storm blew up around this issue at Exeter, perhaps because of the high profile that the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Steve Smith
Steve Smith (academic)
Sir Steven Murray Smith, AcSS is an international relations theorist, academic, and senior university manager.In October 2002 he succeeded Geoffrey Holland as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, and from 2009-2011 was the President of Universities UK.-Early life:He attended the City of...
, was taking in UK university politics at the time (for example, he had just been appointed as Chair of the 1994 Group). There was also protest within the institution. The closures eliminated 130 jobs, and the AUT
Association of University Teachers
The Association of University Teachers was the trade union and professional association that represented academic and academic-related staff at pre-1992 universities in the United Kingdom...
questioned the University's financial figures.
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
in protest. Sir Harold Kroto
Harold Kroto
Sir Harold Walter Kroto, FRS , born Harold Walter Krotoschiner, is a British chemist and one of the three recipients to share the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley....
, a Nobel laureate, returned his honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from this institution in protest against this move., as did celebrated percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, DBE is a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. She was the first full-time solo percussionist in 20th-century western society.-Early life:Glennie was born and raised in Aberdeenshire...
. The university faced further protest in 2008 when more than 2,000 people signed a petition against plans to get an outside firm to run its profitable and outstanding-rated campus Family Centre.
The future of St Luke's
In 2006, the University commissioned a feasibility studyFeasibility study
Feasibility studies aim to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats as presented by the environment, the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success. In its simplest...
into the future of the St Luke's site, the location of the Schools of Education and Lifelong Learning, the School of Sports and Health Science, and the university's part of the Peninsula Medical School. The Vice-Chancellor stated that the "problem is one of success, that is if these three Schools achieve their planned expansion ... then we will simply run out of space at St Luke's.". The options considered were moving the three schools currently located there onto the Streatham campus, with the sale of the St Luke's site; moving one of the Schools to the Streatham campus, and expanding the other two at St Luke's; and attempting to expand all three at St Luke's. Although media and student attention focussed on the first of these possibilities, the consultants' advice was that the middle path of moving one School was the most financially sensible, and it is likely that this is what university management had always intended.
Notable current and former members of academic staff
Exeter has a large number of leading academics. Sir John TookeJohn Tooke
Professor Sir John Edward Tooke FRCP FMedSci is the Inaugural Dean of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, and of the Peninsula Medical School which was its first constituent...
, who was knighted in the 2007 Queen's New Years Honours list for services to medicine is the inaugural dean of the Peninsula Medical School. Professor Roy Sambles
Roy Sambles
John Roy Sambles, FRS is an English experimental physicist.Sambles, originally from Callington in Cornwall, studied physics at Imperial College, London, gaining his BSc and PhD degrees there, and has since published over 400 papers in international journals. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal...
in the school of physics is a Fellow of the Royal Society. Professor Richard Overy
Richard Overy
Richard Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich. In 2007 as The Times editor of Complete History of the World he chose the 50 key dates of world history....
, fellow of the British Academy and distinguished Historian specialising in the Third Reich.
Notable alumni
Exeter has a large number of well-known alumni. Both Princess Anne'sAnne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
children Peter Phillips
Peter Mark Andrew Phillips
Peter Mark Andrew Phillips is the only son of Princess Anne, The Princess Royal and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. He is the eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh....
and Zara Phillips
Zara Phillips
Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, MBE is the second child and only daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips and is 13th in the line of succession to the throne...
attended the University in the late 1990s. J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
, the author of the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
books read French and Classics in the mid 80's. Robert Bolt
Robert Bolt
Robert Oxton Bolt, CBE was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar winning screenwriter.-Career:He was born in Sale, Cheshire. At Manchester Grammar School his affinity for Sir Thomas More first developed. He attended the University of Manchester, and, after war service, the University of...
, playwright and two-time Oscar and BAFTA winning screenwriter (Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (film)
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...
, Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago
-Original creation:*Doctor Zhivago, by Boris Pasternak, published in 1957**Yuri Andreyevich Zhivago, a fictional character and the main protagonist of the book Doctor Zhivago-Adaptations:There are several adaptations based on the Doctor Zhivago book:...
, A Man For All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt. An early form of the play had been written for BBC Radio in 1954, and a one-hour live television version starring Bernard Hepton was produced in 1957 by the BBC, but after Bolt's success with The Flowering Cherry, he reworked it for the stage.It was...
) also attended Exeter. Jonathon Band
Jonathon Band
Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, GCB, DL, ADC , from 2006 to 2009, was the First Sea Lord of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy. Before serving as First Sea Lord he was Commander-in-Chief Fleet...
, the First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
read Economics in the 70s. Fiona Shackleton
Fiona Shackleton
Fiona Shackleton, Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia LVO is an English solicitor, who has represented members of the British Royal Family and celebrities, including Sir Paul McCartney and The Duke of York...
, the divorce case lawyer, read law in the 1970s. Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
, lead singer of Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, read English and Fine Arts at the University of Exeter. Frank Gardner
Frank Gardner (journalist)
Frank Rolleston Gardner OBE is an English journalist and correspondent. He is currently the BBC's Security Correspondent. He was appointed an OBE in 2005 for his services to journalism.-Background:...
, the BBC's security correspondent, shot in Riyadh by jihadist radicals but continuing his work, and especially respected for his Middle East expertise, graduated in Arabic in the 1980s. Prof. Abdulaziz N. Al-Mani, winner of the 'Arab Nobel Prize', the 2009 King Faisal Prize, in the category of Arabic Literature, and now emeritus professor of Arabic literature at King Saud University, obtained his doctorate in Arabic literature from Exeter in 1976. Writer and broadcaster John O'Farrell
John O'Farrell
John O'Farrell is a British author, broadcaster and comedy scriptwriter.-Early life:O’Farrell grew up in Maidenhead, Berkshire the youngest of three children, attending Courthouse Primary School and then Desborough Comprehensive...
studied English and Drama in the early 1980s and children's author Steve Voake
Steve Voake
Steve Voake is a successful English children's author from Midsomer Norton, Somerset, whose books have sold all over the world.In 2003 he was head teacher of a primary school in Kilmersdon, Somerset, when the BBC reported that he was being hailed as the next J. K. Rowling...
obtained a PGCE at Exeter University. Chris Johnson LLB, of Team GB Clay Shooting, also attended the University, from 2006 to 2009. Felix Barrett, founder and artistic director of Punchdrunk Theatre studied drama from 1997 to 2000. The mathematical physicist Professor Sir Michael Berry completed a BSc in Physics at Exeter in 1962 and is now known for, amongst other things, the Berry Phase and receiving an Ig Nobel Prize
Ig Nobel Prize
The Ig Nobel Prizes are an American parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. The stated aim of the prizes is to "first make people laugh, and then make them think"...
for levitating a frog.
Singer Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
read politics at Exeter and was a RAG Safer Sex Ball Co-ordinator.
See also
- Academic dress of the University of ExeterAcademic dress of the University of Exeter-Official Dress:*The Chancellor’s Robe is black silk with MA style sleeves and embroidery of gold lace, worn with a cap adorned with a gold tassel and gold edging....
- University of Exeter Halls of ResidenceUniversity of Exeter Halls of ResidenceIn 2011 the Halls of Residence for the University of Exeter in the city of Exeter, Devon, England, have just over 5,000 student residential places, including 3,426 in self-catering purpose-built flats and houses and 1,656 in catered accommodation....
External links
- University of Exeter
- Exeter Uni
- University of Exeter Film footage from 1926 Australian Prime Minister cuts first sod of soil on the site of new building
- Film footage of The Queen unveiling Foundation Stone of new Exeter University in 1957