Brunel University Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Brunel University is one of the new British universities, having been founded within the last half century.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Halls of residence 3 External links |
History of Brunel University
Originally Acton Technical College, based in Acton on the outskirts of London, it was decided in 1957 that the college should split into two sections – Acton Technical College continued to cater to technicians and craftsmen, whereas Brunel College of Technology (named for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the British engineer) was dedicated to the education of technologists.
In 1961 it was awarded the status of College of Advanced Technology, and it was decided that Brunel College should expand at another site in order to accommodate the extra buildings that would be needed.
Uxbridge, Middlesex was chosen to house the new buildings, and work hadn’t even started before the Ministry of Education had officially changed the College’s status. From April 1 1962 it was officially named Brunel College of Advanced Technology – it was only the 10th Advanced Technology College in the country, and the last to be awarded this title.
The first buildings were due to be finished in 1967. However, in 1963 it was decided that the College should become a technological University, and after the many hurdles and pitfalls had been overcome the University Charter was awarded on the June 9 1966. Uxbridge was now a campus of Brunel University.
The University continued to use both campuses until 1971, when it was eventually able to evacuate the Acton site, and for the next nine years used only the Uxbridge campus.
In 1980 the University acquired Shoreditch College of Education, located in Runnymede since 1951. This became Brunel's second campus, and is still a part of the University, although as of the academic year 2004/05, it will no longer be home to the renowned department of Design, now only including houses of residences. It wasn’t until 1995 that the University expanded again, integrating the West London Institute of Education, giving campuses in Osterley and Twickenham.
This increased the number of courses that Brunel University was able to offer – traditionally the strengths of the College / University had been engineering, science, technology and social sciences. With the addition of the West London Institute, departments such as arts, humanities, geography, earth science, health and sports science were available to the students, which now numbered over 12,000.
Many of the halls of residence around the Uxbridge campus are named after bridges that Isambard Kingdom Brunel either built or helped to design. Other halls are named either directly after him, or after other notable scientists.
Halls of residence
There are existing plans to merge all the campuses into Uxbridge, and building work has already started to enlarge the library, as well as to construct more halls of residence for the swell of extra students.