University of Edinburgh
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| Latin: Universitas Academica Edinburgensis | |
| Established: | 1582 |
| Type: | Public |
| Endowment: | £216 million[1] |
| Chancellor: | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh |
| Rector: | Mark Ballard |
| Principal: | Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea |
| Staff: | 2752[2] |
| Students: | 24,220 (2007-08)[2] |
| Undergraduates: | 16,980[2] |
| Postgraduates: | 7,240[2] |
| Location: | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK 55°56′50.6″N 3°11′13.9″W / 55.947389°N 3.187194°W |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Affiliations: | Russell Group Coimbra Group LERU Universitas 21 EUA |
| Website: | http://www.ed.ac.uk |
The University of Edinburgh founded in 1582,[3] is an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. It is the sixth university to be established in the British Isles, making it one of the ancient universities of the United Kingdom. The university is amongst the largest and most prestigious in the world and currently ranks in the world top 25.[4][5][6][7][8]
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History
The founding of the University is attributed to Bishop Robert Reid of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney, who left the funds on his death in 1558 that ultimately provided the University's endowment. The University was established by a Royal Charter granted by James VI in 1582, becoming the fourth Scottish university at a time when more populous neighbour England had only two.
By the 18th century Edinburgh was a leading centre of the European Enlightenment (see Scottish Enlightenment) and became one of the continent's principal universities.
Students at the university are represented by Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA), which consists of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), founded in 1884 by Robert Fitzroy Bell, the Edinburgh University Union (EUU) which was founded in 1889. They are also represented by the Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) which was founded in 1866.
In 2002, the University was re-organised from its 9 faculties into three ‘Colleges’, and now comprises the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Science and Engineering (CSE), and Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (MVM). Within these Colleges are 21 ‘Schools’, which are of roughly equal sizes, generally significantly larger than the more-numerous departments they replaced.
Academic reputation
In the Third European Report on Science & Technology Indicators (2004), compiled by the European Commission,[9] the University of Edinburgh ranked as follows:
- 5th in Europe
- 3rd in the UK
- 1.35 score of citation impact (0.2 points below the leader, University of Cambridge)
The 2007 Times Higher Education Supplement [THES] World University Rankings ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[10]
- 23rd in the world
- 5th in the UK
- 5th in Europe overall
The THES also ranked world universities in broad subject areas in tables published in the THES itself, and available to subscribers via the THES website.[11] The University of Edinburgh was ranked:
- 28th in the world for arts and humanities
- 29th in the world for life sciences and biomedicine
- 47th in the world for social sciences
The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008 [ARWU] ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[12]
- 6th in the UK
- 13th in Europe
- 55th in the world
The Guardian University Guide 2008 ranked the University of Edinburgh as follows:[13]
- 7th in the UK overall
- 1st in the UK for computer science
- 1st in the UK for physics
- 2nd in the UK for medicine
- 2nd in the UK for veterinary science
The Times Good University Guide 2008[14] ranked the University of Edinburgh as the 13th best university in the UK. This represents a drop from previous rankings: 11th in 2007 and within the top ten in 2005 and 2006. However, Edinburgh University remains in the top five for entry standards, a testimony to its popularity and selectivity. In 2005, the university was the Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year.
In 2006 Newsweek ranked the University of Edinburgh 6th in the UK, 11th in Europe and 47th in the world.[15]
In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, an approximately 5 yearly audit of the research quality of British higher education establishments, the University of Edinburgh was placed 10th overall, a rise of 4 places from 14th in the 2001 RAE. [16] 63% of the University’s research activity was in the highest categories (4* and 3*), of which one third is recognised as “world-leading”. It was rated top in the UK for medical research submitted to the Hospital-based clinical subjects panel. [17]
The results for each of the 39 subject areas subjected for quality assessment can be retrieved at Guardian Education or the official RAE website.[18]
Rankings
| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Times Good University Guide | 18th[19] | 13th[20] | 11th[21] | 5th[22] | 13th | 14th[23] | 15th | 8th[24][25] | 6th | 6th | 8th= | 7th | 10th | 4th= | 5th= | 4th= | 6th= |
| Guardian University Guide | 9th[26] | 7th[26] | 10th | 10th[27] | 10th[28] | 15th[29] | 22nd[30] | ||||||||||
| Sunday Times University Guide | 15th[31] | 14th | 12th[32] | 12th | 12th[33] | 11th[33] | 16th[33] | 15th[33] | 11th=[33] | 11th[33] | 16th[33] | ||||||
| Daily Telegraph | 16th=[34] | 42nd | |||||||||||||||
| FT | 14th[35][36] | 15th[24] | 16th[37] | 11th[38] | 10th[39] | ||||||||||||
| The Independent / Complete | 21st[40] | 16th[40] |
Endowment
The university has the third largest financial endowment among UK universities at £216m and the third largest endowment per student, according to the Sutton Trust,[41] The university has an annual turnover of more than £400m.[42]
Affiliations
The University of Edinburgh is a member of the Russell Group of large, research-led British universities. It is also the only Scottish university, and (along with Oxford and Cambridge) one of the only British universities, to be a member both of the Coimbra Group and the LERU: two leading associations of European universities. The University is also a member of Universitas 21, an international association of research-led universities.
Colleges and Schools
College of Humanities and Social Science
- School of Arts, Culture and Environment
- School of Divinity
- School of Health in Social Science
- School of History, Classics and Archaeology
- School of Law (Edinburgh Law School)
- School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures
- University of Edinburgh Business School
- Moray House School of Education
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
- School of Social and Political Sciences
- The Office of Lifelong Learning
College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
- School of Biomedical Sciences
- School of Clinical Sciences and Community Health
- School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
College of Science and Engineering
- School of Biological Sciences
- School of Chemistry
- School of GeoSciences
- School of Engineering and Electronics
- School of Informatics
- School of Mathematics
- School of Physics and Astronomy
Locations
Edinburgh is considered by some as one of the greenest and most architecturally beautiful cities in Europe often referred to as the "Athens of the North". The University plays an integral role in the city, contributing to its vibrant atmosphere.
With the expansion in topics of study the university has expanded its campuses such that it now has seven main sites:
- The Central Area includes George Square, the Informatics Forum, The Dugald Stewart Building, Old College, the old Medical School buildings in Teviot Place, and surrounding streets in Edinburgh's Southside. It is the oldest region, occupied primarily by the college of humanities and social science, and the schools of informatics and law, as well as the main university library. The Appleton Tower is also used for teaching first year undergraduates in science and engineering. Meanwhile, Teviot Place continues to house pre-clinical medical courses and biomedical sciences despite relocation of the Medical School to Little France. Nearby are the main EUSA buildings of Potterrow, Teviot Row House and the Pleasance Societies Centre. Old residents of George Square include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A number of these buildings are used to host events during the Edinburgh International Festival every summer.
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at Summerhall, at the East end of The Meadows. This houses Veterinary Medicine. This department increasingly uses farm facilities and new buildings to the South of the city, near Penicuik.
- Moray House School of Education just off the Royal Mile, used to be the Moray House Institute for Education until this merged with the University in August 1998. The University has since extended Moray House's Holyrood site to include a redeveloped and extended major building housing Sports Science, Physical Education and Leisure Management facilities adjacent to its own Sports Institute in the Pleasance.
- Pollock Halls, adjoining Holyrood Park to the east, provides accommodation (mainly half board) for a minority of students in their first year. Two of the older houses in Pollock Halls were demolished in 2002 and a new building has been built in their place, leaving a total of ten buildings. Self-catered flats elsewhere account for the majority of university-provided accommodation. Most other students in the city live in private flats in the Marchmont, Newington, Bruntsfield, New Town and Leith areas, although some university-owned flats are also available there.
- New College, on the Mound, which houses the School of Divinity - parts of which are also used by the Church of Scotland.
- The King's Buildings campus, further south, houses most of the Science and Engineering schools including a Biology School that is a world leader in genetics. The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) and British Geological Survey (BGS) also have a presence on campus.
- The Chancellor's Building was opened on 12 August 2002 by The Duke of Edinburgh and houses the new £40 million Medical School at the New Royal Infirmary in Little France. It was a joint project between private finance, the local authorities and the University to create a large modern hospital, veterinary clinic and research institute and thus the University is currently (2003) in the process of moving its Veterinary and Medical Faculties there (and quite possibly also the School of Nursing). It has two large lecture theatres and a medical library. It is connected to the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by a series of corridors.
Alumni and faculty
There have been many notable alumni and faculty of the university, including economist Adam Smith, signatories to the US Declaration of Independence James Wilson and John Witherspoon, Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Lord Palmerston and Lord John Russell (the latter matriculated at Edinburgh, but did not graduate), inventor Alexander Graham Bell, naturalist Charles Darwin and biologist Ian Wilmut, writers Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson, cyclist Chris Hoy, philosopher David Hume, physicist James Clerk Maxwell, chemist and two-time recipient of Alexander von Humboldt research prize for senior scientists Narayan Hosmane, Dr. Valentin Fuster, the only cardiologist to receive all four major research awards from the world's four major cardiovascular organizations.[43], and mathematician and president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Sir Michael Atiyah.
At graduation ceremonies, the Vice-Chancellor caps graduates with the Geneva Bonnet, a hat which legend says was originally made from cloth taken from the breeches of John Knox or George Buchanan. The hat was last restored in 2000, when a note from 1849 was discovered in the fabric.[44][45] In 2006, a University emblem taken into space by Piers Sellers was incorporated into the Geneva Bonnet.[46]
Student organisations
Students' Association
The Edinburgh University Students' Association consists of the unions and the Student Representative Council. The Unions include Teviot Row House, Potterrow, Kings Buildings House, the Pleasance, and a number of shops, cafe's and refectories around the various campuses. Teviot Row House is said to be the oldest purpose built student union building in the world. The Student Representative Council represents students to the University and the outside world. It is also responsible for Edinburgh's 222 student societies. The Association has four sabbatical office bearers - a President and three Vice Presidents. Turnout in elections for these positions has, in recent years, been among the highest in the UK. The Association is affiliated to the National Union of Students.
Media
Newspapers:
- Student is a weekly Scottish newspaper produced by students at the University of Edinburgh. Founded in 1887 by author Robert Louis Stevenson, it is the oldest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. It has held the title of Best Student Newspaper in Scotland, awarded by the Herald Student Press Awards, for two years running, having won in 2006 and again in 2007.
- The Journal is a very recent addition to the student media scene at the university. It is an independent publication, established in 2007 by three students at the University of Edinburgh, and also distributes to the four other higher education institutions in the city - Heriot-Watt University, Napier University, Queen Margaret University and the Edinburgh College of Art. It is the largest such publication in Scotland, with a print run of 14,000 copies and is produced by students from across the city.
Student sport
Edinburgh University is one of Britain's most successful sporting universities. Student sport consists of 65 clubs from the traditional football and rugby to the more unconventional hot air ballooning and korfball. Run by the Edinburgh University Sports Union, these 65 clubs have seen Edinburgh rise to 4th place in the British Universities' Sports Association (BUSA) rankings in 2006-07. It continues to be the most successful Scottish University for sport.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the University of Edinburgh alumni and students secured four medals - three gold and a silver.[47] The three gold medals were won by the cyclist Chris Hoy and the silver was won by Katherine Grainger in female rowing.
Student activism
There are a number of campaigning societies at the university. The largest of these is environment and poverty campaigning group People & Planet, which is affiliated to the national People & Planet net.
Historical Links
- Dalhousie University, Canadian G-13 university, founded in 1818. In the early 19th century, George Ramsay, the ninth Earl of Dalhousie and Nova Scotia Lieutenant-Governor at the time, wanted to establish a Halifax college open to all, regardless of class or creed. The earl modeled the fledgling college after the University of Edinburgh, near his Scottish home [48] [49]. Endowment $364 million.
- McGill University, Canadian G-13 university, founded in 1821, has strong Edinburgh roots and links to the University of Edinburgh as McGill's first (and, for several years, its only) faculty, Medicine, was founded by four physicians/surgeons who had trained in Edinburgh [50][51]. Endowment $928 million.
- Queen's University, Canadian G-13 university founded in 1841, was modelled after the University of Edinburgh, and continues to display strong Scottish roots and traditions today. Endowment $660 million.
- The University of Pennsylvania, an American Ivy League university, has long-standing historical links with the University of Edinburgh, including modelling Penn's School of Medicine after Edinburgh's [52] [53] [54]. Endowment $6.6 billion.
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