De Montfort University

De Montfort University

File:De Montfort University logo.png
Type	Public
Established	1969 (as City of Leicester Polytechnic)
Endowment	£0.9 million
Chancellor	Baron Alli
Vice-Chancellor	Professor Philip Tasker
Students	23,900
Undergraduates	19,460
Postgraduates	3,670
Other students	770 FE
Location	Leicester , England
Affiliations	Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities Association of Commonwealth Universities
Website	http://www.dmu.ac.uk/

De Montfort University (DMU) is a British university situated in Leicester, England.

History

Origins

De Montfort University, which is named after Simon de Montfort who was Earl of Leicester in the 13th century, is one of two universities situated in the city of Leicester.

Prior to 1992, that which is now De Montfort University was known as Leicester Polytechnic. It had been created in 1969 through the amalgamation of Leicester College of Technology and Leicester College of Art. The Polytechnic was established as a corporation in 1989.

The plan was to make DMU a multi-campus Collegiate University of the entire East Midlands and as such the University swiftly acquired other campuses based in Bedford, Luton, Lincoln, Caythorpe and Milton Keynes. The Milton Keynes campus had actually been built in 1991 and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1992, prior to the official foundation of DMU as a New University. Departments at Milton Keynes included computing, built environment and business. DMU conducted a series of expansionist mergers with the Bedford College of Higher Education and with the Lincoln and Caythorpe Colleges in 1994 and then with the Charles Frears College of Nursing and Midwifery, based in Leicester, in 1995.

In the mid-1990s, DMU attracted students using a memorable TV and cinema advert that reputedly cost £500k featuring a killer whale chasing some seals on a beach. The tag line "Reserve your Seat of Learning Here" was read by Angus Deayton, implying that students should avoid letting life "chew them up" and improve their job prospects with a degree.

Today, De Montfort University has two campuses, Leicester City Campus and Charles Frears. The University has special arrangements with more than 80 universities and colleges in over 25 countries. It has approximately 20,500 students, 3,240 staff, and an annual turnover in the region of £132.5 million.

Restructuring

In 2001 the Board of Governors adopted a new strategy to do 'fewer things in fewer places' and reduce the number of outlying campuses. DMU consolidated around its Leicester campus, with its satellite sites closed, or transferred to other institutions.

• The former Lincolnshire College of Art and Design and the Lincolnshire College of Agriculture, based in Lincoln and Caythorpe respectively, were merged with the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside to form the new University of Lincoln in 2001.

• Following the relocation to Leicester of many of the courses offered in Milton Keynes, the Kents Hill campus was considered economically unviable and was closed in 2003. The premises were sold to the Open University, with part of the campus now housing Middleton Combined School.

• The last remaining campus at Bedford, housing the Faculty of Education and Contemporary Studies , was merged with the University of Luton to become the University of Bedfordshire in 2006.

Organisation

The Queen's Building houses the Faculty of Computing Sciences and Engineering.

Currently De Montfort University has five faculties and one Institute:

• The Faculty of Art and Design (descended via the former Leicester Polytechnic from the old Leicester College of Art)
• The Faculty of Computing Sciences and Engineering (descended via the former Leicester Polytechnic from the old Leicester College of Technology)
• The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (descended from the Charles Frears College of Nursing and Midwifery)
• The Faculty of Business and Law
• The Faculty of Humanities
• The Institute Of Creative Technologies (IOCT)

The University has one of the largest numbers of Teacher Fellows of any UK University, and was awarded Centre of Excellence status for its performance practice teaching and student support. This award has enabled further investment in research as well as the construction of a new building with state of the art performance studios, rehearsal areas and the latest technology.

In 2005/6, DMU was highly rated by both external examiners and the Quality Agency Audit (QAA) for its academic planning, staff training and the support given to students.

The University also runs its own award schemes to promote and disseminate good teaching practice, an approach which was highly praised by the QAA. Its Curriculum Innovation Awards recognise the contributions of teams to programme design and delivery while the Vice Chancellors’ Distinguished Teaching Awards are voted for by students.

The University has responded to changing patterns of student study by providing facilities to assist with their preferred learning times and styles, this includes flexible study options through the University’s 24-hour library services and the development of distance learning and E-learning systems.

The Faculty of Art and Design boasts the only University courses in the world to specialise in lingerie, underwear, body-wear, swimwear and performance sportswear, these courses beginning immediately after the Second World War. The Faculty also offers the only UK University courses in Footwear Design, courses in Product Design and courses in Fine Art and Architecture which have been researched, studied and taught in Leicester continuously for over 100 years.

The Faculty of Computing Sciences and Engineering offers courses across a range of animation, electronic games, information technology, robotics, telecommunications and video production.

The Faculty of Health and Life Sciences consists of four interconnected schools: Allied Health Sciences, Applied Social Sciences, Nursing and Midwifery and the Leicester School of Pharmacy. These interrelate so as to allow collaboration across subject boundaries in teaching, consultancy and research. Between them, the Schools cover Biomedical Science; Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy; Community Studies; Criminal Justice; Counselling and Psychotherapy; Criminology; Environmental Awareness; Management; Protection and Technology; Forensic Science; Health and Community Studies; Midwifery; Nursing; Pharmacy; Psychology; and Speech and Language Therapy.

The Faculty of Business and Law incorporates the Leicester Business School and the De Montfort Law School. The Business School is one of the top schools in the country according to the results of the 2007 National Student Survey.

The Faculty of Humanities offers English, History and Politics degree courses and courses in Arts Management, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Education, Film, Globalisation, International Relations, Media and Music (including Technology and Innovation).

The Institute Of Creative Technologies (IOCT), which opened at DMU in 2006, undertakes interdisciplinary research in emerging areas at the intersection of Science, the Digital Arts and the Humanities.

Research

De Montfort University’s research achieved a higher proportion of top grades than any other post-1992 university in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2001).

Research underpins every area of the University, its projects cross many disciplines, with local, national and international impact. Research groups are advancing knowledge, assisting businesses and ensuring its students benefit from a learning environment that is enriched by innovation and research excellence.

Pharmacy course controversy

On 20 April 2006, The Times Higher Education Supplement reported that first year pharmacy students in 2004 who underperformed in examinations were allowed to progress to the next year of the MPharm course at De Montfort University School of Pharmacy avoiding resits, despite concern from lecturers and external examiners. This followed from the release of documents of meeting minutes, in a ruling under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the University "has been caught lowering a pass mark to 26 per cent to prevent widespread failure of students, ... the proof that up to 14 per cent was arbitrarily added to the scores of trainee pharmacists to save the university's reputation has renewed concerns over the dumbing down of degrees in the move toward mass higher education."

Subsequently, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain put the pharmacy course on a probationary status and required the University to implement a five-point action plan. The School remains one of only 23 in the UK that the Society accredits for offering recognised degrees in pharmacy.

Notable alumni

• JS Clayden, Singer for Pitchshifter/owner of PSI Records
• Charles Dance, Actor.
• Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards, International Ski Jumper.
• Alun Evans, Journalist, Football Association of Wales CEO and senior lecturer.
• Andy Gotts, Photographer.
• MJ Hibbett, Singer-songwriter.
• Geordan Murphy, Professional Rugby Union Player with Leicester Tigers and Ireland.
• Nicola Pellow, Web browser designer.
• Andrew John Reed, MP for Loughborough.
• Janet Reger, Iconic Lingerie Designer.
• Debbie Sell, Speech therapist.
• David Shrigley, Artist.
• Ken Shuttleworth, Architect.
• Angela Smith, MP for Basildon.
• Simon Wells, Film Director
• Simba Makoni, Zimbabwean Politician

External links

• De Montfort University – Official website
• De Montfort Students' Union – Official website