Coventry University

Coventry Institution is a Coventry-based public research university. The Coventry School of Design, founded in 1843, is the University's forerunner. It was recognised as Lanchester Polytechnic from 1970 - 1987, then as Coventry Polytechnic until 1992, when the Further and Higher Education Act gave it university status. The name was changed to Coventry University.

The University of Coventry is the greater of the two universities of the city, the second being the University of Warwick. It is considered among the fastest-growing University in the UK, overall its sixth-largest university , and the fourth-largest outside London. There are two main campuses: Coventry's city center, where most of its operations are based, and one in Central London, where business and management courses are offered. Eleven research centers within the institution specialize in various topics ranging from agroecology and peace studies to the future of transportation.

History

The origin of the Coventry University is dated back to the Coventry School of Design, established in 1843. Later, the Coventry School of Art has renamed the Municipal Art School in the early twentieth century as part of the Education Act 1902. It was renamed the College of Art in the 1950s.

The development of a new school began in the late 1950s to meet the requirement for a high degree of technical instruction that the previous Coventry Technical College could not provide. Margaret Thatcher, the then-Education Secretary, named the college as such in February 1971. The name Lanchester contributed to the institution's obscurity, as evidenced by the that none of the contestants on BBC Radio 4's general knowledge show Brain of Britain could correctly identify its location.

In 2012, "Coventry University College" opened on the main university campus, giving qualifications to the degree level at a lesser cost than traditional university fees.

Campus

Coventry University is located in Coventry City Centre, on a 33-acre campus near Coventry Cathedral and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. It is housed in a mix of newly constructed, modified, and inherited structures from its predecessor organizations.

The £20 million libraries on the fringes of Coventry's campus opened in 2000. The library has a striking turreted facade and has received accolades for its interior design, which includes a light distribution system that maximizes natural light throughout the structure. It has over 2,000 print magazines, 350,000 monographs, and over 6,000 videotapes, audiotapes, and films and was officially launched by Princess Anne in September 2001.

On-campus, there are two converted buildings. The Coventry Business School is housed in a former car engine factory built-in 1910 next to the library and the School of Media and Performing Arts, now part of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and formerly part of the Coventry School of Art and Design is housed in a cinema built in 1880 on Jordan Well.

The 20-acre Coventry University Technology Park, owned by Coventry University Enterprises Limited, a commercial subsidiary of the University, is located to the south of the main campus. Several of the commercial subsidiary operations of the university provide business services to local and national organizations.

CU Coventry, a branch of Coventry University, opened on campus in 2012 and offered full-time and part-time professional courses in accounting, legal studies, and marketing. CU Coventry is a separate entity from the University, having its personnel and facilities, though the University validates and awards its programs. Because the institution's courses are flexible, tuition costs are frequently lower than the maximum £9,250 that UK universities can charge for full-time studies. Because many of the courses are offered part-time, lessons might be held at unusual times, such as evenings and weekends.

The University inaugurated CU Scarborough in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, in 2016 as part of a new £45 million development in the Weaponess area of the town. The University made a £12 million contribution to the project. Law, Science, and Engineering are among the subjects covered. A new sports and leisure town and University Technical College (UTC) for 14-18-year-olds are part of the property.

Coventry University's London campus was launched in 2010 as part of a growing trend among British universities to establish a campus in London with a primarily foreign student body to boost their international reputation. University House is located at 109-117 Middlesex Street in the City of London, over 100 miles southeast of Coventry.

Coventry University Wroclaw is a new campus that will open in September 2020 and provide English-taught courses in IT and cybersecurity, business, engineering, and hospitality and tourism. It will provide student exchange programs with Coventry University UK campuses as Poland's first foreign University. In the first year, the University expects to take 160 students.

Governance

The Chancellor, who is presently Margaret Casely-Hayford, is the formal leader of Coventry University. The Chancellor is appointed by the Board of Governors of the university and is backed by six Pro-Chancellors. The Chancellor and Pro-Chancellors have five-year terms; the Chancellor can serve an unlimited number of terms, but the Pro-Chancellors can only serve two. The Vice-Chancellor, assisted by four Deputy Vice-Chancellors and three Pro Vice-Chancellors, is in charge of the institution daily. Since March 2014, John Latham has held the office of Vice-Chancellor.

Latham is a past Chair of the University Alliance mission group Coventry is a part of.

Academic profile

Over its four faculties, Coventry provides more than 130 undergraduate degrees and 100 postgraduate degrees and foundation degrees, and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs). In 2019/20, the University had 38,430 students, with 31,645 undergraduates and 6,785 postgraduates. Part-time students accounted for 15% of undergraduates and 39% of postgraduates in 2013-14. The dropout rate for first-year undergraduates is 8.9%, with 97 percent of students coming from public schools. The institution employs more than 1,800 academics and is fourth-largest employer of the Coventry.

Following the United Kingdom government's decision in 2010 to raise the maximum limit, universities can charge UK and EU students; tuition fees for undergraduate students at the university range from £7,500 to £9,000 depending on the degree program. Despite a countrywide decline, the institution attributed the increase in applications received in 2012 to the flexible tuition system.

Finances

Coventry University had a total income of £220.43 million and a total expenditure of £199.71 million in the financial year ended 31 July 2013. Tuition fees and contracts brought in £136.53 million, funding body grants brought in £45.18 million, research grants and contracts brought in £8.82 million, investment and endowment income brought in £1.96 million, and other revenue brought in £27.92 million. Coventry University was declared to be an exempt charity by the Charity Act of 1960. Six owned subsidiaries of the institution handle the commercial activity.

Rankings

Coventry is ranked 13th in 2019 The Guardian University league tables, in 2019 ranked 44th in The Times and Sunday Times University Guide, and in 2020 it was ranked 53rd in The Complete University Guide nationally. In the 2020 QS World University Rankings, Coventry is placed in the rank band of the top 531-540 universities globally.

In The Complete University Guide 2020, Food Science is ranked 7^th followed by Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism (13th), and Drama, Dance, and Cinematics (14th).

Awards

The Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in the 'Engineering and Technology' category was awarded to Department of Industrial Design of the University in 2007 for "educating tomorrow's world leaders in automobile design." The same prize was given to Coventry's Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering in 2020, collaborating with Unipart Manufacturing Group.

The BA Theatre and Professional Practice Degree at Coventry University have won several significant international prizes for its 'Immersive Telepresence in Theatre' project, which was carried out in collaboration with Tampere University's Theatre Arts Degree. The project uses telepresence technologies to allow student performers to rehearse and perform remotely, won Gold in the Arts and Humanities category at the 2016 Reimagine Education Awards and double Golds in the Arts and Humanities and Hybrid Learning categories at 2018/19 Reimagine Education Awards. It also received a high honor in the 2018 Times Higher Education Awards. The project has worked with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Purdue University in the United States, and the New World Symphony in Miami and Tampere in Finland on a live motion-capture performance.

In the Times Higher Education Awards 2011, Coventry was named 'Entrepreneurial University of the Year.' In the Queen's Awards history, the University is one of only a handful of higher education institutions to be honored. Coventry University has been praised in the International Trade category in the awards' 50th anniversary year, honoring its 'continuous achievement' since 2009.

Student Life

Accommodation

The institution and commercial companies both provide housing for students. Priory Hall, Singer Hall, Quadrant Hall, and 72a Margaret Road are all owned by Coventry, and several houses in the Earlsdon neighborhood. It also oversees Apollo House, Lynden House, Radford Road, and Pillar Box, the last of which is only for postgraduate students. The University's housing can accommodate 3,579 students in total.

Students Union

Coventry University Students' Union (CUSU) is a registered charity representing and campaigns for Coventry University students. CUSU owns and operates a nightclub on Far Gosford Street that debuted in November 2012 amid protests from a competitor nightclub.

Coventry University plays the University of Warwick in a series of formal and casual varsity matches in various sports each year. Team Phoenix, Coventry University's sports team, competes in five sports. Coventry's Phoenix Racing team competes in Formula Student, finishing 42nd out of 102 teams in 2012 and winning an award for the best fuel-efficient car in 2011.

Alumni

Notable students of Coventry University include-

• Neil Carson- CEO of Johnson Matthey plc.
• Nick Buckles- CEO of security firm G4S.
• John Iley- Aerodynamicist.
• David Yelland- writer and journalist.
• David Borrow- politician and MP for South Ribble (1997-2010).
• Tobi Brown (TBJZL)- YouTuber and co-founding member of the Sidemen.
• Andrea McLean- Television presenter.
• Adaora Onyechere- Nigerian TV/radio presenter, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and author.
• Emma McGann- Singer-songwriter and live-streamer.
• John Kettley- meteorologist.
• Simon Hayhoe- educationalist and author.