Birmingham City University
Established	1992 - gained University Status 1971 - City of Birmingham Polytechnic
Type	Public
Chancellor	Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Chauhdry Rashid[1]
Vice-Chancellor	David Tidmarsh
Students	23,034[2]
Undergraduates	18,687[2]
Postgraduates	3,434[2]
Other students	913 FE[2]
Location	Birmingham, England, UK 52°31′2″N 1°53′53″W / 52.51722°N 1.89806°W / 52.51722; -1.89806Coordinates: 52°31′2″N 1°53′53″W / 52.51722°N 1.89806°W / 52.51722; -1.89806
Website	http://www.bcu.ac.uk/

Birmingham City University (formerly Birmingham Polytechnic and the University of Central England in Birmingham) is a University in the city of Birmingham, England. It is one of three Universities in the city, the other two being the University of Birmingham and Aston University. Established in 1971, it was designated as a polytechnic until 1992, when it gained university status.

Birmingham City University has eight campuses serving six faculties, and offers courses in art and design, the built environment, law, business, computing, English, healthcare, the performing arts, social sciences, and technology. The university is a designated Skillset Media Academy, is a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for health and social care, and is a member of the million+ group of New Universities.

[edit] History

[edit] Birmingham Polytechnic

Before it became a university, by statute on 6 March 1992, it was a polytechnic. The City of Birmingham Polytechnic was run by Birmingham City Council. Although Birmingham had first had a Polytechnic from 1843 to 1853, this one was created in 1971 from five different colleges^[3]—Birmingham College of Art (established in 1884), Birmingham College of Commerce (early 20th century), Birmingham School of Music (1886), North Birmingham Technical College (1966), and South Birmingham Technical College (1961).

In 1975, three more colleges were added: Anstey College of Physical Education (1897), Bordesley College of Education (1963), and City of Birmingham College of Education (1948). Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD) was established in 1988 from the merging of the polytechnic's Faculty of Art and Design with Bournville College of Art.

On 1 April 1989, the Education Reform Act made all polytechnics, including Birmingham Polytechnic, independent corporations with charitable status.

[edit] University status

The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 allowed all polytechnics to adopt the title of "university". The name University of Central England in Birmingham was approved by the Privy Council on 16 June 1992.

In 1995, two more colleges were absorbed—Birmingham and Solihull College of Nursing and Midwifery, and the West Midlands School of Radiography—and the Birmingham School of Jewellery opened. The Faculty of Engineering and Computer Technology provided the basis for the creation of the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) in 2000. The following year, the Faculty of Health incorporated The Defence School of Health Care Studies.

In August 2005, the University rebranded itself as UCE Birmingham for marketing and promotional purposes, though the original name remained for official use. This decision was reversed in March 2007, following the arrival of a new Vice-Chancellor, and the fuller title University of Central England in Birmingham was resurrected for all purposes.

[edit] Mapplethorpe controversy

In 1998, the University was involved in a controversy over the inclusion of books by Robert Mapplethorpe in its library.^[4]

[edit] Merger proposals

In November 2003, the University asked neighbouring Aston University to consider a merger. This was rejected by Aston University, as was a separate proposal to merge with the University of Birmingham.^[5]

[edit] Name change

In June 2007, it was announced that the University would be renamed,^[6] with three possible names being proposed; Birmingham City University, Birmingham Chamberlain University and Birmingham Metropolitan University.^[7] Staff and students (both current and alumni) were asked to complete a survey on what they wish the name to be changed to. On October 1, 2007, Vice Chancellor Prof David Tidmarsh unveiled the name change from UCE Birmingham to Birmingham City University.^[8] 48.2% of those who voted on the survey voted for the name to be changed to Birmingham City University.^[9] However 62.1% of the Staff at the then, UCE Birmingham, voted for the name to be changed to Birmingham Metropolitan University ^[10]

The proposed name change was met with mixed reaction from students and student union officials,^[11] arguing benefits and drawbacks. A common argument was this money should be spend on facilities and building repair work and some students felt ignored by the establishment. The rationale for the name change was a perceived confusion of the location of the University and to give a "shorter, more powerful name".^[12] The rebranding of the university cost £285,084^[13], which includes changing signage and stationery.^[14]

The new logo of the University is based on the tiger in the crest originally used by the University when it changed from being a Polytechnic.^[15] This crest itself originally came from the Birmingham College of Commerce, one of the original institutions which formed the Polytechnic. Birmingham-based BHMG Marketing designed the new logo.^[14] The logo originally had the word 'BIRMINGHAM' in capitals with 'City University' below but was revised in 2009 to the 'BIRMINGHAM CITY / University' version shown above.

[edit] Future developments

Previously, a sports centre was located behind The Coppice, a student accommodation block next to City North (Perry Barr) Campus, and included tennis courts, bowls, football and rugby pitches, running track and a social club. The University announced a £7 million sports complex would be built on the site, formerly the Ansells Sports Club, with construction to start in mid 2008 for completion in 2009.^[16]

The University is planning a new "flagship" campus in Birmingham City Centre, next to the existing facilities at Millennium Point. The City Centre campus will be a £150 million development as part of Birmingham's Eastside development, and will include "35,000 and 45,000 square metres of accommodation" and be the new home for media, arts and engineering learning.^[17]

Existing facilities at the Gosta Green and Bournville Campuses will be moved to the new facilities as the University seeks to reduce the number of campuses it occupies. Margaret Street was also intended to be closed, but now could be retained,^[18] along with Vittoria Street and City North Campus.

A major reorganisation of the faculties was to be in place for the new term in September 2008.

[edit] Campuses

Baker building, City North Campus, showing the new name/logo

Dawson building (left) and tree-lined avenue through City North Campus

Steps up to front entrance of William Kenrick library, City North Campus

Bar 42, the Student Union bar at City North Campus

Seacole Building, Faculty of Health at City South Campus

Hamstead campus halls of residence, the campus includes a Grade II listed Hall built in 1881

Inside view of Vittoria Street, School of Jewellery in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter

BIAD Fine Art Department on Margaret Street, formerly the Birmingham School of Art

Throughout its history the university has been spread across a number of different sites in Birmingham. As of 2008, the university is at the following campuses:

• The main university campus, known as City North Campus, located in Perry Barr, Birmingham. This campus includes the School of English and the Birmingham School of Media;
• Gosta Green, the main home of the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD);
• Margaret Street, home of the School of Fine Art, formerly home of the Birmingham School of Art;
• Birmingham Conservatoire, based in Birmingham city centre;
• Vittoria Street in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, home to the School of Jewellery (BIAD);
• Bournville, home to the Bournville Centre for Visual Arts (BIAD);
• City South Campus, home to both the University's NHS-supported healthcare training faculty—along with the Defence School of Health Care, part of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) located at Selly Oak Hospital—and a moderate amount of student accommodation;
• Millennium Point, home of the Technology Innovation Centre;
• Hamstead Campus,^[19] a student village near to City North. A purely residential campus, located in Handsworth Wood;
• New Technology Institute, a business and I.T. training centre at Birmingham city centre;
• Moor Lane, a venue for sports, business training and conferences near to City North Campus;
• The Coppice and Oscott Gardens, residential campuses located adjacent to City North Campus.

[edit] Faculties

The University re-organised around six faculties in September 2008. The faculties are:

• Faculty of Health, one of the largest faculties within the university with nearly 7,000 full and part-time students studying each year and one of the UK's largest higher education centres for health and social care. The faculty includes the Defence School of Health Care which is part of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM).^[20]
• Birmingham City University Business School, a major centre for business, computing and management education. With over 4,000 students studying on full- and part-time courses, it is one of the largest business schools in the UK.^[21]
• Faculty of Performance, Media and English—this new faculty includes
  • Birmingham Conservatoire, an international conservatoire and junior school and a major concert venue for many of Birmingham’s principal concert promoters and organisations, hosting over 300 events annually;^[22]
  • The Birmingham School of Acting, which merged with the university in 2005 following a period of collaboration;^[23]
  • The School of English, home to the National Academy of Writing;^[24]
  • The Birmingham School of Media.
• Faculty of Technology, Innovation and Development which includes the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC), a national centre of excellence for learning, innovation and technology transfer.^[25]
• Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD), one of the largest faculties of art and design education in the United Kingdom. BIAD provides education for nearly 4,000 students on five major campuses located in the centre and to the north and south of the centre of Birmingham.^[26] BIAD comprises the School of Architecture, the School of Art, the School of Fashion, Textiles & Three-Dimensional Design, and the School of Visual Communication, and was home to the Department of Media and Communication until 2008.
• Faculty of Education, Law and Social Sciences, including elements of the former faculties of LHDS and Education. The latter provides courses for intending teachers, serving teachers or those simply interested in education issues covering the entire range of school phases from infant to continuing education, at every study level from full-time undergraduate to postgraduate level and PhD.^[27]

Former faculties include:

• Built Environment—closed in 2005. Course provision moved to BIAD and LHDS.
• Computing Information Systems—closed in 2005. Computing courses moved to the Business School.
• Law, Humanities, Development and Society (LHDS) offered courses in law, social studies, English (literature, language and cultural studies) and property, construction and planning. Closed in 2008.

[edit] Reputation

The university is one of seventeen Skillset Media Academies in the United Kingdom (the only such Academy in the Midlands), a status awarded to recognise "centres of excellence in television and interactive media".^[28] This stems from its courses at the TIC and the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design,^[29] which is the largest such Institute outside London.^[30] With regard to post-production, the university also has Avid Mentor status,^[31] and is the Midlands' accredited training centre for Apple Inc.'s Final Cut editing software.^[32]

The Birmingham School of Media in which the Media and Communication course is taught, is top to offer both theory and production based teaching in the UK^[33], ranked 11th on the Guardian University Guide 2010 ^[34]

For health and social care, Birmingham City University was awarded national recognition as a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.^[30] The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, in its institutional audit and major review of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions, gave the university excellent outcomes.^[35] The university's Faculty of Health has an on-site virtual operating suite, the first at a university in England.^[36] In the Smithers-Robinson League Table, for initial teacher training, Birmingham City University and three other institutions are consistently ranked top ten.^[35] Ofsted inspection scores for teacher education courses are frequently among the best.^[30]

For 2009, The Guardian University Guide ranked the university fifty-sixth in the UK,^[37] The Times Good University Guide ranked it seventy-first,^[38] and The Complete University Guide ranked it sixty-ninth.^[39]

[edit] Research

The university has five Centres of Research Excellence which are the main focus of its research activity.^[40] Following the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise conducted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Birmingham Post reported that more than 70 per cent of research work submitted by Birmingham City University—including in business and management studies, education, English, social work and social policy, and town and country planning—was "officially recognised as of an international standard", and 15 per cent of that work was "rated as world leading". Its art and design submission was among the ten highest ranked in the country, and Birmingham Conservatoire was rated one of the top three conservatoires, and the best outside London.^[41] The university was ranked sixty-third based on average assessment scores.^[42][43]

[edit] University league tables

This section requires expansion.

• Birmingham City University (BCU) is ranked 77th out of 114 higher education institutions in The Times Good University Guide 2010.
• In The Guardian University Guide, BCU was ranked 63th of 117 universities in 2010

[edit] Students

The Students' Union of Birmingham City University, located at City North Campus, is affiliated with the National Union of Students.

[edit] Media groups

Student media comprises a magazine, Spaghetti Junction (also known as SJ magazine), and a television station, Tiger TV. The Students' Union also has close ties with the student and community radio station Scratch Radio,^[62] which is housed in the main Students' Union building.

[edit] Societies

A list of Student societies at Birmingham City Students' Union^[63]:

[edit] Notable alumni

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

Notable graduates of the University and its predecessor institutions working in broadcasting include children's television presenter Kirsten O'Brien, sports TV presenter Mary Rhodes, radio and TV presenters Zoë Ball, Claire Checketts, Sean O'Neill, Margherita Taylor and Phil Upton,^[64] radio producer Shantel Kadir, television and film editors Chris Jarrett, Andrea Rodway and Eddy Durnan, production managers Lisa Hole and Siobhan Regan, TV directors Julia Davies (for the BBC) and Evelyn Iwato, and TV producers Ash James and Adam Tyers and Kash Prateek 105.7 Smooth Radio. Several work in broadcast journalism, such as BSkyB newsreader Marverine Cole,^[65] multimedia journalist Stacey Spencer and BBC newsreader Charlie Stayt. Art and design alumni include fashion photographer Kirsty Hamilton, Tribune cartoonist Alex Hughes,^[66] fashion designer Betty Jackson,^[67] artist Rob Pepper, graphic designer Daniel Blyden, and web designer Adam Stewart.

Graduates in the performing arts include musician Nick Duffy, singer-songwriter Stephen Duffy, actor Jimi Mistry (of the Birmingham School of Acting), comedian Frank Skinner,^[68] singer and The X Factor contestant Rhydian Roberts,^[69] and bass guitarist John Taylor, founder of Duran Duran. Other individuals to have studied at what is now Birmingham City University include novelist Jim Crace,^[70] nurse-author Bethann Siviter, scientist Kevin Warwick,^[71] and politicians Khalid Mahmood (MP for Perry Barr) and Lynne Jones (MP for Selly Oak). The university has produced various public relations and music industries professionals, including Stephen Pink and Samantha Thodhlana.

[edit] Notable staff

Current and former staff of the University and its former entities include:

• Chris Baines
• Anthony Mellors
• Roy Priest, former member of Sweet Jesus
• Paul Bradshaw^[72]
• Kat Unsworth
• Ashley Keeler

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Birmingham City University – Official website
• Photos from Birmingham City University
• Birmingham City University YouTube Channel
• Google Map showing locations of all campus and accommodation buildings