University of Bristol

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The University of Bristol was founded in 1876; it was initially known as University College, Bristol. It was the first UK university to admit women on the same basis as men. The university is one of the largest employers in the area. It is a member of the Russell Group of Universities.

The tower of the university's Wills Memorial Building is a Bristol landmark and a symbol of the university

The university offers a diverse range of courses, but is most well known for its Medicine, Law and Engineering faculties. In 2001 Bristol University had the highest intake ratio of any British university with 11 applications to every place; the final intake of 2001 had an average A-Level score of 28.6 points.

The university has been regarded as being elitist, taking nearly half of its students from non-state schools. The university is trying to shake off this image, but despite having one of the highest application-to-place ratios is failing to make any significant progress.

In late February and early March 2003 the university became embroiled in a row about its admission policies, with some private schools threatening a boycott based on their claims that, in an effort to improve equality of access, the university is discriminating against their students.

In recent years, vice-chancellor Eric Thomas has advocated shifting the university's emphasis from undergraduate teaching and towards research. The university has an reputation for excellence in science and technology, but also in many areas of the humanities and social sciences.

Table of contents

1 History
2 Factoids
3 Student alumni

3.1 Academia
3.2 Authors
3.3 Business
3.4 Journalism
3.5 Politics
3.6 Science
3.7 TV

4 Staff alumni
5 Related topics
6 External links

6.8 2003 Admissions policy dispute

History

The University College of Bristol opened, in 1876, as a college of the University of London. In 1893 University College merged with the Bristol Medical School, and in 1909 the college merged with the Merchant Venturers' Technical College to become the University of Bristol. At this point the university was granted a Royal Charter.

Between 1905 and 1930 during the years of the University's birth a large amount of support, both financial and political, came from the influential Bristol families of Fry and Wills. The first Chancellor of the University was Henry Overton Wills, whose death in 1911 prompted the construction of the Wills Memorial Building by his sons, George and Harry.

Factoids

From 1929 to 1965 Sir Winston Churchill was the Chancellor of the university.

On 12 March 2004 The Right Honourable the Baroness Hale of Richmond (aka Brenda Hale) was installed as the University's seventh Chancellor, succeeding Sir Jeremy Morse who retired at the end of 2003.

Among university properties is the student hall of residence Goldney Hall, which is a popular location for filming with the Chronicles of Narnia, the House of Eliott and Berkeley Square being filmed there. The University also owns the Victoria Rooms, an impressive public hall with an imposing corner site.

As a result of the 2004 AGM the University Union voted to disaffiliate from the NUS, subject to a student referendum, which resulted in the union remaining affiliated.

Students gaining first degrees from Bristol are in the select group of British students who do not wear mortarboards at graduation. This is because, at an early graduation ceremony, the male graduands all threw their headgear at the female graduands by way of 'protest' at coeducation. Subsequently mortarboards were not worn for receiving first degrees.

The University is the home to the country's oldest drama department, opened in 1946.