University of Wales
Encyclopedia
The University of Wales (Prifysgol Cymru in Welsh
) was a confederal university
founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales
, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was announced that the University would be effectively abolished: Newport
and Glyndŵr University are to become independent universities, while Swansea Metropolitan University will merged with Trinity Saint David
At the time of its announced closure, the Chancellor of the University of Wales was HRH the Prince of Wales
and the Pro-Chancellor was the Archbishop of Wales
, Dr. Barry Morgan. Professor Marc Clement was President and the Vice-Chancellor was Professor Medwin Hughes.
) and University College South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University
) which were founded following the Aberdare Report in 1881. Prior to the foundation of the federal University, these three colleges had prepared students for the examinations of the University of London
. A fourth college, Swansea (now Swansea University
), was added in 1920 and in 1931 the Welsh School of Medicine was established in Cardiff. In 1967 the Welsh College of Advanced Technology entered the federal University as the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST), also in Cardiff. In 1971 St David's College (now part of the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David), Wales' oldest degree-awarding institution, suspended its own degree-awarding powers and entered the University of Wales. A financial crisis in the late eighties caused UWIST and University College Cardiff to merge in 1988, forming the University of Wales College of Cardiff (UWCC). In 1992 the University lost its position as the only university in Wales when the Polytechnic of Wales became the University of Glamorgan
.
The University was composed of colleges until 1996, when the University was reorganised with a two-tier structure of member institutions in order to absorb the Cardiff Institute of Higher Education (which became the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC)) and the Gwent College of Higher Education (which became University of Wales College, Newport (UWCN)). The existing colleges became constituent institutions and the two new member institutions became university colleges. In 2003, both of these colleges became full constituent institutions and in 2004 UWCN received permission from the Privy Council
to change its name to the University of Wales, Newport.
Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) merged on August 1, 2004. The merged institution, known as Cardiff University, ceased to be a constituent institution and became a new category of 'Affiliated/Linked Institutions'. While the new institution continues to award University of Wales degrees in medicine and related subjects, students joining Cardiff from 2005 to study other subjects are awarded Cardiff University degrees.
At the same time, the University admitted four new institutions. Thus, North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI), Swansea Institute of Higher Education and Trinity College, Carmarthen (who were all previously Associated Institutions) along with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
(which was previously a Validated Institution) were admitted as full members of the University on July 27, 2004.
The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama subsequently left the University in January 2007. More changes followed in September 2007 when the University changed from a federal structure to a confederation of independent institutions, allowing those individual institutions which had gained the status of universities in their own right to use the title of university - these institutions are Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Glyndwr University (formerly the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education), Swansea Metropolitan University and Swansea University.
In November 2008, Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea Universities decided to exercise their right to register students to study for their own awarded degrees.
In February 2011, plans were announced to transform the University of Wales into a new super university by merging the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Swansea Metropolitan University and Trinity Saint David. However, in June 2011, a report commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government said the University had become too reliant on income from validating degrees awarded by overseas colleges. It recommended that the University should “change radically”, and that if the planned merger does not go ahead then it should either be reduced to a service provider for the rest of the Welsh higher education sector, or wound down completely. In the same month, the University was advised by the Quality Assurance Agency to review its partnerships with foreign colleges following an investigation by BBC Wales which suggested shortcomings in its system of validation. In response to this the University has decided to halt its programme of external degree validation.
An investigation by the BBC in October 2011 found that its validation program was being used to fraudulently offer degrees, to allow students to get visas to work in the U.K., leading the university to withdraw validation on all external degrees. The universities affiliated with it called for it to be scrapped as an institution, The University of Wales was formally merged into Trinity Saint David at the end of October 2011.
(The University of Wales Dictionary), which has the same status for Welsh as the OED
does for English, was completed in 2002, eighty-two years after it had been started. The University of Wales Press
was founded in 1922 and published around seventy books a year in both English and Welsh. The University also had a study and conference centre at Gregynog, near Newtown. Both the press and the study and conference centre have been transferred to Trinity Saint David.
In September 2007, three universities applied for a change to their Royal Charters to give them the power to award their own degrees, instead of University of Wales degrees. Aberystwyth University, Bangor University
, and Swansea University
now all award their own degrees.
The University of Wales, Trinity Saint David already has its own degree awarding powers, which were put into abeyance when it joined the University of Wales in 1971. From then on, UWTSD awarded Wales degrees, but its own Licences and Diplomas. Now that the University of Wales has been merged into Trinity Saint David, the institution recommenced its degree awarding powers.
(which was also a former member). Cardiff awarded its own degrees to students admitted since 2005, except in Medicine and related subjects which continued to be awarded University of Wales degrees until 2011.
attended Bangor University
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
) was a confederal 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...
founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was announced that the University would be effectively abolished: Newport
University of Wales, Newport
The University of Wales, Newport is a university based in Newport, South Wales. The university has two campuses; Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city and a £35 million campus on the banks of the River Usk in Newport city centre opened in 2011...
and Glyndŵr University are to become independent universities, while Swansea Metropolitan University will merged with Trinity Saint David
At the time of its announced closure, the Chancellor of the University of Wales was HRH the Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and the Pro-Chancellor was the Archbishop of Wales
Archbishop of Wales
The post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
, Dr. Barry Morgan. Professor Marc Clement was President and the Vice-Chancellor was Professor Medwin Hughes.
History
The University of Wales was founded in Wales in 1893 as a federal university with three foundation colleges: University College Wales (now Aberystwyth University), which had been founded in 1872 and University College North Wales (now Bangor UniversityBangor University
Bangor University is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales-United Kingdom.It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales...
) and University College South Wales and Monmouthshire (now Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
) which were founded following the Aberdare Report in 1881. Prior to the foundation of the federal University, these three colleges had prepared students for the examinations 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...
. A fourth college, Swansea (now Swansea University
Swansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
), was added in 1920 and in 1931 the Welsh School of Medicine was established in Cardiff. In 1967 the Welsh College of Advanced Technology entered the federal University as the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST), also in Cardiff. In 1971 St David's College (now part of the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David), Wales' oldest degree-awarding institution, suspended its own degree-awarding powers and entered the University of Wales. A financial crisis in the late eighties caused UWIST and University College Cardiff to merge in 1988, forming the University of Wales College of Cardiff (UWCC). In 1992 the University lost its position as the only university in Wales when the Polytechnic of Wales became the University of Glamorgan
University of Glamorgan
The University of Glamorgan is a university based in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales with campuses in Treforest, Glyntaff, Merthyr Tydfil, Tyn y Wern and Cardiff...
.
The University was composed of colleges until 1996, when the University was reorganised with a two-tier structure of member institutions in order to absorb the Cardiff Institute of Higher Education (which became the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC)) and the Gwent College of Higher Education (which became University of Wales College, Newport (UWCN)). The existing colleges became constituent institutions and the two new member institutions became university colleges. In 2003, both of these colleges became full constituent institutions and in 2004 UWCN received permission from the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
to change its name to the University of Wales, Newport.
Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) merged on August 1, 2004. The merged institution, known as Cardiff University, ceased to be a constituent institution and became a new category of 'Affiliated/Linked Institutions'. While the new institution continues to award University of Wales degrees in medicine and related subjects, students joining Cardiff from 2005 to study other subjects are awarded Cardiff University degrees.
At the same time, the University admitted four new institutions. Thus, North East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI), Swansea Institute of Higher Education and Trinity College, Carmarthen (who were all previously Associated Institutions) along with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is a conservatoire within the University of Glamorgan Group located in Cardiff, Wales....
(which was previously a Validated Institution) were admitted as full members of the University on July 27, 2004.
The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama subsequently left the University in January 2007. More changes followed in September 2007 when the University changed from a federal structure to a confederation of independent institutions, allowing those individual institutions which had gained the status of universities in their own right to use the title of university - these institutions are Aberystwyth University, Bangor University, Glyndwr University (formerly the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education), Swansea Metropolitan University and Swansea University.
In November 2008, Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea Universities decided to exercise their right to register students to study for their own awarded degrees.
In February 2011, plans were announced to transform the University of Wales into a new super university by merging the University of Wales Institute Cardiff, Swansea Metropolitan University and Trinity Saint David. However, in June 2011, a report commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government said the University had become too reliant on income from validating degrees awarded by overseas colleges. It recommended that the University should “change radically”, and that if the planned merger does not go ahead then it should either be reduced to a service provider for the rest of the Welsh higher education sector, or wound down completely. In the same month, the University was advised by the Quality Assurance Agency to review its partnerships with foreign colleges following an investigation by BBC Wales which suggested shortcomings in its system of validation. In response to this the University has decided to halt its programme of external degree validation.
An investigation by the BBC in October 2011 found that its validation program was being used to fraudulently offer degrees, to allow students to get visas to work in the U.K., leading the university to withdraw validation on all external degrees. The universities affiliated with it called for it to be scrapped as an institution, The University of Wales was formally merged into Trinity Saint David at the end of October 2011.
Central services
The administrative office of the University of Wales was located in Cardiff's Civic Centre. Outside its work with the accredited institutions in Wales, the University also formerly validated schemes of study at some 130 centres in the UK and across the world. It ran a highly rated research centre, the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (incorporating the Welsh Dictionary Unit), which is adjacent to the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The first edition of Geiriadur Prifysgol CymruGeiriadur Prifysgol Cymru
Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru is the principal historical dictionary of the Welsh language, enjoying a similar status to that of the Oxford English Dictionary in the English language....
(The University of Wales Dictionary), which has the same status for Welsh as the OED
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
does for English, was completed in 2002, eighty-two years after it had been started. The University of Wales Press
University of Wales Press
The University of Wales Press was founded in 1922 as a central service of the University of Wales. It publishes academic journals and around sixty books a year in the English and Welsh languages, based around a core of six subjects: History; Political Philosophy and Religious Studies;Welsh and...
was founded in 1922 and published around seventy books a year in both English and Welsh. The University also had a study and conference centre at Gregynog, near Newtown. Both the press and the study and conference centre have been transferred to Trinity Saint David.
Former accredited institutions
| College | Established | Undergraduate students | Postgraduate students | Location | Vice-Chancellor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth University | 1872 | 8,450 | 2,570 | Aberystwyth Aberystwyth Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol.... |
Professor April McMahon |
| Bangor University Bangor University Bangor University is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales-United Kingdom.It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales... |
1884 | 9,500 | Bangor Bangor, Wales Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of... |
Professor Merfyn Jones Merfyn Jones Merfyn Jones CBE is a historian, broadcaster, governor of the BBC and former vice-chancellor of Bangor University.He grew up and still lives in Gwynedd, Wales.... |
|
| Glyndŵr University | 2008 | 6,000 | Wrexham Wrexham Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England... |
Professor Michael Scott Michael Scott (academic) Michael Scott is a British academic and university administrator. A Professor of English literature, he is currently Vice-Chancellor of Glyndŵr University in Wrexham, Wales.... |
|
| University of Wales, Newport University of Wales, Newport The University of Wales, Newport is a university based in Newport, South Wales. The university has two campuses; Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city and a £35 million campus on the banks of the River Usk in Newport city centre opened in 2011... |
1841 | 7,525 | 1,850 | Newport Newport Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent... |
Dr Peter Noyes Peter Noyes Dr Peter Noyes is the Vice-Chancellor of University of Wales, Newport in Newport, South Wales, UK.Noyes has a degree in social psychology from Loughborough University and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of London... |
| University of Wales Institute, Cardiff University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Cardiff Metropolitan University is a university situated in Cardiff. It operates from three campuses: Llandaff on Western Avenue, Cyncoed, and Howard Gardens in the City Centre. The university serves over 12,000 students... |
1865 | 9,275 | Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... |
Professor Antony J Chapman | |
| Swansea Metropolitan University | 2008 | Swansea Swansea Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands... |
Professor David Warner David Warner David Warner may refer to:* Dave Warner, or David Robert Warner, Australian author, rock musician and screenwriter* David Warner , British actor* David Warner , Australian cricketer* David Bruce Warner, South African alpine skier... |
||
| University of Wales, Trinity Saint David | 2010 | Lampeter Lampeter Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom... and Carmarthen Carmarthen Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648.... |
Dr Medwin Hughes | ||
In September 2007, three universities applied for a change to their Royal Charters to give them the power to award their own degrees, instead of University of Wales degrees. Aberystwyth University, Bangor University
Bangor University
Bangor University is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales-United Kingdom.It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales...
, and Swansea University
Swansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
now all award their own degrees.
The University of Wales, Trinity Saint David already has its own degree awarding powers, which were put into abeyance when it joined the University of Wales in 1971. From then on, UWTSD awarded Wales degrees, but its own Licences and Diplomas. Now that the University of Wales has been merged into Trinity Saint David, the institution recommenced its degree awarding powers.
Former affiliated institutions
Cardiff was once a full member of the University but has now left (though it retained some ties). When Cardiff left, it merged with the University of Wales College of MedicineUniversity of Wales College of Medicine
The University of Wales College of Medicine was a medical school based in the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, that formed a part of the University of Wales...
(which was also a former member). Cardiff awarded its own degrees to students admitted since 2005, except in Medicine and related subjects which continued to be awarded University of Wales degrees until 2011.
Former validated institutions
A number of institutions were not accredited by the University, but had some of their courses validated by them. In the light of publicity and questioning of the quality of these external courses , the university merged with Trinity Saint David, and only validates courses that the university fully designs and controls. Existing students at validated institutions are able to continue their courses until 2012, but from then operators will need to make other arrangements for the validation of their courses.Former members
- Royal Welsh College of Music & DramaRoyal Welsh College of Music & DramaThe Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is a conservatoire within the University of Glamorgan Group located in Cardiff, Wales....
- University of Wales College of MedicineUniversity of Wales College of MedicineThe University of Wales College of Medicine was a medical school based in the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, that formed a part of the University of Wales...
(now merged with Cardiff UniversityCardiff UniversityCardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
)
Fictional alumni
The main character of Helen Fielding's bestseller, Bridget JonesBridget Jones
Bridget Jones is a franchise based on the fictional character with the same name. English writer Helen Fielding started her Bridget Jones's Diary column in The Independent in 1995, chronicling the life of Bridget Jones as a thirtysomething single woman in London as she tries to make sense of life...
attended Bangor University
Bangor University
Bangor University is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales-United Kingdom.It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales...
See also
- Academic dress of the University of WalesAcademic dress of the University of WalesThe academic dress of the former University of Wales was designed for the first graduations in 1893, and has as its main identifying feature a faculty colour scheme involving 'shot silks'.- Gowns :...
- List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945)
External links
- Accredited Institutions
- Affiliated institutions