Information about University Of Wales, Bangor

Bangor University Prifysgol Bangor
Motto	Gorau Dawn Deall (The Best Gift is Understanding)
Established	1884
Type	Public
Chancellor	HRH the Prince of Wales
President	Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, AM
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Merfyn Jones
Students	12,670 [1]
Undergraduates	8,225 <ref name="HESA" />
Postgraduates	1,835 <ref name="HESA" />
Other students	2,615 FE<ref name="HESA" />
Location	Bangor, Wales, UK
Address	Bangor University Bangor Gwynedd LL57 2DG
Colours
Affiliations	University of Wales
Website	[1]

Bangor University (Welsh: Prifysgol Bangor) is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in north Wales.

The university occupies a substantial proportion of the city and also has some departments in Wrexham. One of the university's key selling-points is its location between Snowdonia and the island of Anglesey.

Naming

Until 1 September 2007 the university was part of the federal University of Wales, and was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales (UCNW, Coleg Prifysgol Gogledd Cymru in Welsh). It later became University College, Bangor (UCB, Coleg y Brifysgol, Bangor)—not to be confused with the University College of Bangor, which is a campus of the University of Maine at Augusta. From 1995 until 31 August 2007 the university was known as the University of Wales, Bangor (UWB) and Prifysgol Cymru, Bangor (PCB).

The change of name to "Bangor University" was instigated by the university following the decision of the University of Wales to change from a federal university to a confederal, non-membership organisation, and the granting of degree awarding powers to UWB itself. However, the university has decided to not take advantage of these powers and will continue to award degrees in the name of the University of Wales for now. [2]

History

The university was founded as the University College of North Wales in October 1884 as the result of a campaign for better higher education provision in Wales, and it was incorporated by charter a year later.

The university was originally based in an old coaching inn called the Penrhyn Arms (which housed its 58 students and 12 teaching staff), but in 1911 it moved to a much larger new building which is now the old part of the Main Arts Building (M) (see image below). This building was designed by Henry Hare and opened by King Edward VII.

Its students received degrees from the University of London until 1893 when UWB became a founding constituent institution of the federal University of Wales.

In 1898, the red-bricked Rathbone Accommodation Halls were built. They are named after Lady Rathbone, one of the early patrons of the University.

In 1967, UWB was the venue for the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's lectures in Transcendental Meditation, at which The Beatles learnt of the death of their manager, Brian Epstein.

In 1996, Coleg Normal was merged with the university, which now has over 9000 students, as well as a franchise cooperation with Athens Metropolitan College located in Athens, Greece.

In 2007, the university became a separate institution, although with degrees still being validated by the University of Wales.

The Principals (now Vice Chancellors)

The university has had a total of 6 principals/vice chancellors and they are as follows:

• Harry Reichel - Principal 1884-1927
• David Emrys Evans - Principal 1927-1958
• Sir Charles Evans - Principal 1958-1984
• Eric Sunderland - Principal (vice chancellor) 1984-1995
• Professor Roy Evans - Vice chancellor 1995-2004
• Professor Merfyn Jones

Famous alumni and staff

• Lord Richard Attenborough - actor is an honorary fellow.
• Frances Barber - the film and stage actor, is a graduate and honorary fellow, and has conducted acting workshops at UWB.
• Danny Boyle - the film director and producer of various cult films, including Trainspotting, studied his B.A. at UWB in the English department.
• Professor Samuel L. Braunstein - a well-known quantum physicist, worked there, researching subjects such as quantum computation and quantum teleportation, from 1997 until he moved to the University of York in the summer of 2004.
• Tony Conran - poet and translator. Was Reader in English and Tutor until 1983. Conran has a large number of books in print and has been a published poet since the 1950s. Edited and translated the standard text of Welsh poetry in translation, 'Welsh Verse' (1967/1986).
• Professor Sir Gordon Conway FRS - the United Kingdom's Department of International Development's first chief scientific adviser and Professor of international development at Imperial College, London, previously President of the Rockefeller FoundationUSA, current president of the Royal Geographical Society, and Vice Chancellor of the University of Sussex. Studied zoology (graduated 1959) ^[2]
• Professor David Crystal OBE- a well-known linguist and author, is an honorary professor of Linguistics (and part-time lecturer) at UWB.
• A.H. Dodd - historian
• Bill Fay - singer/musician and recording artist. Studied Electronics in 1960s.
• Tony Gillam - musician and writer. Studied English and French.
• Tim Haines - the producer of the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs studied at UWB.
• Mark Hughes- Football manager, (formerly of Wales and now of Blackburn Rovers) is an honorary fellow.
• Glenys Kinnock - politician, is an honorary fellow
• William Mathias - composer, was professor of music
• Britton Spio-Garbrah - Ghanaian diplomat and educationist and father of Ghanaian politician and CEO of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization Ekwow Spio-Garbrah
• Sir John Meurig Thomas - chemist
• Sir John Morris-Jones - pioneering Welsh grammarian, editor, poet and literary critic
• Professor Ron Pethig - Carried out significant research in developing improved methods of cancer detection and treatment.
• Professor Kennedy Orton - Physical Organic Chemist, leading ground-breaking work and making the Bangor Chemistry Department one of the most important in the UK in the years after the 1st World War (Chem. Soc. Reviews (1998) 27, 355 - 366). The main lecture theatre in the Chemistry Department at Bangor is now named after him.
• Derek Ratcliffe - botanist, zoologist and nature conservationist, did his PhD at Bangor.
• John Sessions - actor, studied English (original name John Marshall)
• Professor Mark Baird - Professor of Organic Chemistry who has written many papers and research documents
• R.S. Thomas - poet
• Professor Derick Thomson - Scottish Gaelic poet, publisher, academic and writer. Studied Celtic.
• Carol Vorderman - TV presenter is an honorary fellow (though she did not study at Bangor)
• Sir Ifor Williams - renowned historian of Welsh literature and editor of a number of medieval Welsh texts, most notably the poetry of Taliesin and Aneirin and the Four Branches of the Mabinogi.
• Philip Pullman - author is an honorary fellow (though he did not study at Bangor)
• Roger Whittaker - musician, studied Marine Biology
• Professor Stefan Rahmstorf - Professor of Physics of the Oceans at Potsdam University and winner of the $ 1 million Centennial Fellowship Award of the US-based James S. McDonnell foundation.^[3]

Departments

Bangor University has a long tradition of academic excellence which continues to this day. Over half of the academic departments at Bangor received an 'Excellent' rating for the quality of teaching, and the University's performance in the latest Research Assessment Exercise confirms their status as a world-class research institution. This is further highlighted by their recent success in doubling the number of research contracts won, bringing Bangor's research contract income to £20M.

As of 2007 following a reshuffle in August 2006, the University is broken down into 6 colleges. These are then broken down into schools and research institutes. One of the departments that closed as a result was Mathematics. Ironically the The Guardian league table placed Bangor fifth in the UK for maths despite no longer admitting students [3].

College of Arts and Humanities:

School of English.

School of Welsh.

School of History, Welsh History and Archaeology.

School of Linguistics and English Language.

School of Modern Languages.

School of Music.

School of Theology and Religious Studies.

NIECI (National Institute for Excellence in the Creative Industries)

ELCOS (English Language Centre for Overseas Students)

WISCA (Welsh Institute for Social and Cultural Affairs)

College of Business, Social Sciences and Law:

Bangor Business School.

School of Law.

School of Social Sciences.

College of Education and Lifelong Learning:

School of Education.

School of Lifelong Learning.

College of Natural Sciences:

School of the Environment and Natural Resources.

School of Biological Sciences.

School of Ocean Sciences (has a half share of the RV Prince Madog, with VT Ocean Sciences).

Welsh Institute of Natural Resources.

College of Health and Behavioural Sciences:

School of Healthcare Sciences.

School of Psychology.

School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences.

Institute of Medical and Social Care Research.

College of Physical and Applied Sciences

School of Chemistry.

School of Computer Science.

School of Electronic Engineering.

Halls of residence

Accommodation is guaranteed for all single, undergraduate first year students at Bangor. There are over 2,000 rooms available in halls of residence, and all of the accommodation is within easy walking distance of the University, and includes some 800 en-suite study rooms.

There are also a number of older halls buildings owned by the university that are no longer used and have become dilapidated due to maintenance costs.

The main types of accommodation are:

• Catered accommodation
• Self-Catered accommodation
• En-suite accommodation
• Shared-facilities accommodation

There are 4 residential sites in current use:

Normal Site

The Normal Site is situated on the shores of the Menai Strait next to the School of Education and School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences and the closest residences to the School of Ocean Sciences in Menai Bridge.

St. Mary's Site

Originally a convent, St Mary's Site has had a long and interesting past. Before 1976 it was not part of the university but was then incorporated into the university. Originally it was a college for women teachers. Since then, the site has been expanded and at one point even accommodated nearly 2000 students. Although in recent years the site has been falling into a state of disrepair (Barlows block was finally closed around 2003 due to asbestos issues) the Main block now accommodates over fifty students and there is accommodation for several families also on site. In 1997, Bryn Eithin was built and added an extra 96 rooms to the site. Situated just a few metres further up the hill, it is made up of three blocks and has fantastic views over the whole of Bangor and Snowdonia. Bryn Eithin, although managed by the university halls team, is in fact owned by a housing association and is leased to the university until 2027. Bryn Eithin is reliant on St. Mary's site for its services. Post and laundrette services are all located on the site just over the road. However, St. Mary's site is for sale and is due to be closed in the near future. Plans for Bryn Eithin when that does happen have not yet been released but it is believed that they will become either postgraduate accommodation or family accommodation. St. Mary's site is situated near the top of Lôn Pobty, overlooking the centre of Bangor, and very close to the Science Departments and School of Informatics. St. Mary's is also ideally situated for Bangor High Street's shops and nightlife.

College Road Site

The College Road Site is located a stone's throw from the original Top College building in Upper Bangor, and departments such as Psychology, Music and the School of Business and Regional Development. This site also has two accommodation halls - the Welsh speaking John Morris Jones, and the English speaking Rathbone halls. Neuadd John Morris Jones started its life in 1974 and has, along with its equivalent Neuadd Pantycelyn in Aberystwyth, became a hub of Welsh identity and Nationalism. It is also the main focal point of Welsh language activities of the University and is an integral part of UMCB, which is the Welsh Student Union, part of the main Student Union body. The hall itself is affectionately known as 'JMJ' to all its current students and alumni. John Morris Jones was named after the first professor of Welsh at the University.

Ffriddoedd Site

The largest accommodation site is the Friddoedd Site in Upper Bangor about 10 minutes walk from Top College, the Science Site and city centre. This site includes a coffee shop, laundrette, bar and 6 en-suite buildings (Bryn Dinas, Cefn y Coed, Elidir, Y Borth, Tegfan and Y Glyder) all constructed in the mid 1990s. It also houses the Maes Glas sports hall, which received National Lottery grant funding and is open to the community and students.

Neuadd Reichel opened in 1942 and was named after Sir Harry Rudolf Reichel, first principal of the university. A large extension was completed in 1950. Plas Gwyn opened during the early 1960s and Neuadd Emrys Evans opened in 1966 with Llys Tryfan which was demolished over the summer of 2007 to make way for new halls to be built in the summer holidays of 2008. These older halls have shared bathroom and kitchen facilities.

New University halls are currently being constructed on the Ffriddeodd site in two phases. Phase One began in October 2006, and when completed will be two new buildings constructed on what used to be the playing fields. Phase Two will see the demolition of the 1960s structures, and further new buildings erected in their place. Residents' main objections regard the height of the structures following the previous building project in the mid 1990s which included Bryn Dinas, a 7 storey building which can be seen from several miles in all directions and was found to be sinking into the ground due to poor foundations.

The new halls were named in July 2007 following a competition run by the University's Estates & Facilities department. The winner was Thomas Hecht (an Undergraduate in Electronic Engineering) and theme of water was chosen. The names chosen were: Crafnant (Llyn Crafnant), Llanddwyn (Ynys Llanddwyn), Glaslyn, Gwynant (Llyn Gwynant), Idwal (Llyn Idwal), Braint (Afon Braint), Alaw (Welsh - translates as water lily), Peris, Enlli (Ynys Enlli), Aberffraw

Private halls

A private hall of residence called 'Neuadd Willis' (named after a well liked and respected architect) has been built (2006), incorporating the old listed British Hotel with a new build extension to the rear. This project is run by Watkin Jones (a local building firm) and Carlton North Wales Ltd and is not a University owned or managed hall. Local residents have mixed feelings about such developments, some feel it will ease pressure on the housing stock in the city, whilst others fear that it will create too much of a concentration of students in a given area.

Carlton North Wales and Watkin Jones is currently in the middle of building another Halls of Residence. This is to be on the site of the old cinema. Plans for this build incorporated a main office from which both sites could be run.

Students' Union

The Students' Union is situated on Deiniol Road at one end of College Park below the Main Arts building. The Refectory and Curved Lounge were built in 1964 and the main administrative building was added in 1969. The buildings were renovated in 1997 to create an 1100-capacity nightclub, Amser/Time, where the previous refectory space was. In 2004, the student-only venue located in the main admin building, Main Bar, was renovated to become the 700-capacity Academi. The overall complex also consists of two catering venues, Student Services department and the Students' Union offices. The Union buildings are in some need of development and the University's current Estates Strategy has earmarked the site for demolition and rebuilding by 2010.

The Union's day-to-day operations are run by an elected Executive Committee of which five are full-time paid officers and 10 are voluntary student officers. Policy of the Union is decided by a Council which is made up of 15 independent councillors, heads of standing committees, course reps, and JCR Heads. Council meets roughly once a month and takes reports from standing committees, votes on policy motions and approves changes to the Union's constitution.

All Bangor University students automatically become members of the Students' Union, which as well as having an entertainment function, has a dedicated Student Advice and Representation Centre and officers have seats on all major University committees.

The current president of the Students' Union is Sam Burnett, who took on the role in 2006, and was re-elected in March 2007.

Student radio

Storm 87.7 FM
Broadcast area	Bangor
First air date	2001
Frequency	87.7 MHz
Format	Bangor's Student Sound
Owner	Bangor University Students' Union

Storm FM is the official student radio station for Bangor University and is one of only three student radio stations in the UK to have a long term FM license. The station is broadcast on 87.7FM from a low powered FM transmitter based on the Ffriddoedd Site. Storm is run on a voluntary basis by around 90 students at the university.

History

Storm FM was set up in October 2001 by the then president of the Students' Union, Niall Duffy. The first show was broadcast at 13:00 on March 19, 2003 and presented by staff members, Simon Owen and Malcolm Hanks, and the launch party was then hosted by student Laura Kennedy.

In 2005, two presenters received nominations at the Student Radio Awards; Emma Gascoigne for Best Female, and Spencer George for Best Newcomer. The station was also nominated for Best Station Sound at the Student Radio Awards 2004.

Following a number of disputes, and considerable time off-air, the 2006/07 academic year saw a totally re-branded Storm FM relocate to a brand new studio in the Bangor Students Union, directly under the control of the station members. Until that point, broadcasts were made from the University's Media Centre in upper Bangor.

Former station manager, Spencer George and former assistant manager Tom Giddings were both awarded lifetime membership of the Students Union for their services to Storm and their work in relocating the studio.

In October 2007, Storm FM received two nominations at the Student Radio Awards for Best Live Event/Outside Broadcast and Best Marketing/Branding.

Executive

Storm FM's executive is made up of a station manager, an assistant manager, a secretary, a treasurer, a programme controller, a head of music, a head of production, a head of marketing, a head Of IT, a Welsh language officer and an events organiser. The current station manager is Mike Walsh.

Further reading

• The University College of North Wales - Foundations 1884-1927, J Gwynn Williams, University of Wales Press 1985, ISBN 0708308937
• Architectural History & Guide (University College of North Wales, Bangor), M L Clarke, Online (Bangor Civic Society)

See also

• Bangor, Wales
• University of Wales
• List of universities in Wales
• List of universities in the United Kingdom
• Higher education
• student accommodation

References

External links

• The University of Wales, Bangor (official WWW site)
• UWBSU (student's union WWW Site)
• Croeso-Welcome Bangor (official halls of residence WWW Site)
• Learncymraeg.org (Welsh for Adults Centre within the University)
• Storm 87.7 FM - Bangor's Student Sound (student radio WWW site)
• Open Directory Project: University of Wales, Bangor (directory of UWB-related links)

•  • [ e] University of Wales
Accredited institutions	Aberystwyth • Bangor • Lampeter • Newport • NEWI • Swansea • SIHE • Trinity • UWIC
Affiliated institutions	Cardiff
Properties	Gregynog

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