TheUniversityofSheffieldisaleadingresearchuniversity,locatedinSheffieldinSouthYorkshire,England.Ranked40intheWorld'stop100Universitiesbyonestudyandconstantlyrankedamongstthetop20universitiesinBritainandEuropeaccordingtoTheGoodUniversityGuide.TheuniversityhasproducedfiveNobelPrizewinnerssofar.TheUniversityofSheffieldisoneoftheoriginal'redbrick'universities,amemberoftheRussellGroup.TheuniversityisrankedintheUK'sTop10andtheWorld'sTop100universitiesbytheShanghaiJiaoTong(SJTU)andTimesHigher(THE)WorldUniversityRankings,andthe2008RAEfound41submissionsoutof49ofSheffield'sresearchtobe"world-leading"or"internationallyexcellent"whichmadeSheffieldamongtheTopTenintheRusselGroup.
TheUniversityofSheffieldwasoriginallyformedbythemergerofthreecolleges.TheSheffieldSchoolofMedicinewasfoundedin1828,followedin1879bytheopeningofFirthCollegebyMarkFirth,asteelmanufacturer,toteachartsandsciencesubjects.FirthCollegethenhelpedtofundtheopeningoftheSheffieldTechnicalSchoolin1884toteachappliedscience,theonlymajorfacultytheexistingcollegesdidnotcover.Thethreeinstitutionsmergedin1897toformtheUniversityCollegeofSheffield.Sheffieldisoneofthesixredbrickuniversities.
ItwasoriginallyenvisagedthattheUniversityCollegewouldjoinManchester,LiverpoolandLeedsasthefourthmemberofthefederalVictoriaUniversity.
However,theVictoriaUniversitybegantosplit-upbeforethiscouldhappenandsotheUniversityCollegeofSheffieldreceiveditsownRoyalCharterin1905andbecametheUniversityofSheffield.
From200full-timestudentsin1905,theUniversitygrewslowlyuntilthe1950sand1960swhenitbegantoexpandrapidly.Manynewbuildings(includingthefamousArtsTower)werebuiltandstudentnumbersincreasedtotheirpresentlevelsofjustunder24,000.In1987theUniversitybegantocollaboratewithitsoncewould-bepartnersoftheVictoriaUniversitybyco-foundingtheNorthernConsortium;acoalitionfortheeducationandrecruitmentofinternationalstudents.
In1995,theUniversitytookovertheSheffieldandNorthTrentCollegeofNursingandMidwifery,whichgreatlyincreasedthesizeofthemedicalfaculty.In2005,theSouthYorkshireStrategicHealthAuthorityannouncedthatitwouldsplitthetrainingbetweenSheffieldandSheffieldHallamUniversity-however,theUniversitydecidedtopulloutofprovidingpreregistrationnursingandmidwiferytrainingdueto"costsandoperationaldifficulties".
Overtheyears,theUniversityhasbeenhometoanumberofnotablewritersandscholars,includingtheliterarycriticWilliamEmpson,whowasheadoftheDepartmentofEnglish;authorAngelaCarter;fiveNobelPrizewinners;andBernardCrick.
Therearetwoofficialhistoriesoftheuniversity:
TheUniversityisintheprocessofchangingitsstructure,fromtheexistingsevenfacultiesintofivenewfaculties:
ThereareseveralbodieswhichformthegovernanceoftheUniversity.
MembersoftheUEBare:
TheCourtisalargebodywhichfostersrelationsbetweentheUniversityandthecommunity,andincludeslaymembers.Ex-officiomembersoftheCourtincludealltheMPsofSheffield,theBishopsofSheffieldandHallam,andtheChiefConstableofSouthYorkshirePolice.ItalsoincludesrepresentativesofprofessionalbodiessuchastheArtsCouncil,RoyalSocietyandtheGeneralMedicalCouncil..
TheCouncilmanagestheUniversity'sbusinessside(financeandproperty)..
TheSenatemanagestheacademicsideoftheUniversity.ItisthehighestacademicauthorityoftheUniversity..TheMembersoftheSenateare:
Thebrand(encompassingthevisualidentity)iscentredonthethemeof"discovery",ledbytheLatinmottofromthecoatofarms"RerumCognoscereCausas"–"todiscoverthecausesofthings"(thesamemottoisusedbytheLondonSchoolofEconomics).
Thevisualidentityincludestwospecially-designedfonts,TUOSBlake(sans-serif)andTUOSStephenson(serif),andacarefully-placedfullstopaddedinthemostrecentrebrandingexercise.
Theidentityhasbeenappliedacrossprint,screenandotherareassuchassignage,vehicleliveryandmerchandising.TheprojectwaskeytotheUniversity'sMarketingDepartmentreceiving"HEISTMarketingTeamoftheYear,2005".
SheffieldwastheSundayTimesUniversityoftheYearin2001andhasconsistentlyappearedasoneoftheirtop-20institutions.JustthreeuniversitiesnationallyhavemorethanSheffield's30top-ratedsubjectsforteachingexcellenceandonlyfivehaveagreaternumberthanthe35subjectareasatSheffielddeemedtohaveconductedworld-classresearchinthemostrecentratings.
TheUniversityofSheffieldisrated8thintheUK,18thinEuropeand69thintheworldinanannualacademicrankingofthetop500universitiesworldwidepublishedinAugust2005.ShanghaiJiaoTongUniversityevaluatedtheuniversitiesusingseveralresearchperformanceindicators,includingthenumberofhighlycitedresearchers,academicperformance,articlesintheperiodicalsScienceandNature,andthenumberofNobelprize-winners.Aseparateranking,publishedintheUSbyNewsweekmagazine,andreleasedinAugust2006,rankedSheffield9thintheUK,18thinEuropeand70thintheworldinalistoftheGlobalTop100Universities.TheUniversityisrated12thintheUK,22ndinEuropeand68thintheworldintheTimesHigherEducationSupplement'sNovember2007rankingofthetop100universitiesintheworld.
TheUniversityofSheffieldisnotacampusuniversity,thoughmostofitsbuildingsareclosetogether.ThecentreoftheUniversity'spresenceliesonemiletothewestofSheffieldcitycentre,wherethereisamile-longcollectionofbuildingsbelongingalmostentirelytotheUniversity.ThisareaincludestheSheffieldStudents'Union(housednextdoortoUniversityHouse),theOctagonCentre,FirthCourt,theGeographyandPlanningbuilding,theAlfredDennyBuilding(housingnaturalsciencesandincludingasmallmuseum),theDaintonandRichardRobertsBuildings(chemistry)andtheHicksBuilding(mathematicsandphysics).TheGradeII*-listedlibraryandArtsTowerarealsolocatedthere.TheArtsTowerhousesoneofEurope'sfewsurvivingexamplesofaPaternosterlift.Aconcourseunderthemainroad(theA57)allowsstudentstoeasilymovebetweenthesebuildings.TheInformationCommonsisamongstthenewestbuilding,addedin2007.TheInformationCommonsisanewlibrary,coffeeshopandcafe,withadigitalandcomputerinfrastructure,loungeareasandflexiblelearningspace.
TotheeastliesStGeorge'sCampus,namedafterStGeorge'sChurch(nowalecturetheatreandpostgraduateresidence).ThecampusiscentredonMappinStreet,hometoanumberofUniversitybuildings,includingtheFacultyofEngineering(partlyhousedintheGradeII-listedMappinBuilding)andtheUniversityofSheffieldSchoolofManagementandDepartmentofComputerScience.TheUniversityalsomaintainstheTurnerMuseumofGlassinthisarea.TheUniversityhasrecentlyacquiredthelistedoldVictorianJessopHospitalforWomenbuildingsandHSEBuilding.BothbuildingsarecurrentlybeingrefurbishedtohousetheDepartmentsofModernLanguages,HistoryandEnglish,thusfullyjoiningtheWestandSt.George'scampuses.TheLawSchoolmovedfromtheCrookesmoorBuildingtoBartoloméHouseinearly2008.
FurtherwestliesWestonPark,theWestonParkMuseum,theHaroldCantorGallery,sportsfacilitiesintheCrookesmoorareaandmedicine,intheRoyalHallamshireHospital(althoughtaughtinthecity'sextensiveteachinghospitalsundertheSheffieldTeachingHospitalsNHSFoundationTrust,andthroughoutSouthYorkshireandNorthEastLincolnshire).
FurtherweststilllietheUniversityhallsofresidence.ThesecompriseTaptonHallofResidence,(tobedemolishedsummer2010)TheEndcliffeStudentVillage(comprisingofseveralnewblocksofapartments,theestablishedHalifaxandStephensonHallofResidence,(althoughmuchoftheHalifaxHallhasbeenconvertedtoconferencingrooms,)EndcliffeValeFlats,CrescentFlats,CreweFlats,newlycreatedBurbage,Stanage,Howden,Froggatt,Millstone,Yarncliffe,Birchen,Curbar,Cratcliffe,LawrencefieldandDerwent,aswellasUniversityownedprivatehouses).Anewstudentvillagewascompletedforthe2009/10academicyearcomprisingof1200bedsonthesiteoftheformerRanmoorHallsofResidence,knownastheRanmoorVillage.
TheManverscampus,atWath-on-DearnebetweenRotherhamandBarnsley,iswherethemajorityofnursingistaught.
TheUniversityofSheffieldhasbeendescribedbyTheTimesasoneofthepowerhousesofBritishhighereducation.TheUniversityisamemberoftheRussellGroup,theEuropeanUniversityAssociation,theWorldwideUniversitiesNetworkandtheWhiteRoseUniversityConsortium.
InthelatestroundofTeachingQualityAssessments(TQA1993-2001)SheffieldrankedthirdintheUKforthehighestnumberof"Excellent"ratedsubjectareas.Nearly75%ofallteachingsubjectsachieveda24/24(Excellent)score.
TheUniversityofSheffieldisrated8thintheUK,24thinEuropeand77thintheworldinanannualacademicrankingofthetop500universitiesworldwidepublishedinAugust2008.Aseparateranking,publishedintheUSbyNewsweekmagazine,andreleasedinAugust2006,rankedSheffield9thintheUK,18thinEuropeand70thintheworldinalistoftheGlobalTop100Universities.
TheUniversityhaswonQueen'sAnniversaryPrizesin1998,2000,2002and2007.ItwasalsonamedtheSundayTimesUniversityoftheYearin2001.
Inthe2007NationalStudentSurvey,fiveoftheUniversityofSheffield'sdepartmentsreachedthetopofthetableforoverallstudentsatisfactionamongtheUKuniversities."Dentistry,ElectronicandElectricalEngineering,Philosophy,EastAsianStudiesandcoursesinModernLanguagesandModernLanguageswithInterpretingreturnedthehighestsatisfactionscoresintheUK".
MajorresearchpartnersandclientsincludeBoeing,RollsRoyce,Unilever,Boots,AstraZeneca,GSK,ICI,andSlazenger,aswellasUKandoverseasgovernmentagenciesandcharitablefoundations.Asanexample,theDepartmentofArchitecture,undertheguidanceofProfessorJeremyTill,arecurrentlyinvolvedinaresearchprojectwithdevelopmentanddisasterreliefcharityArticle25toinvestigatethepossibilitiesofbuildingsustainablyinaridregions.
FormanyyearstheUniversityhasbeenengagedintheologicalpublishingthroughSheffieldAcademicPressandJSOTPress.
TheUniversityofSheffieldisalsoapartnerorganisationinHigherFutures,acollaborativeassociationofinstitutionssetupunderthegovernment'sLifelongLearningNetworksinitiative,toco-ordinatevocationalandwork-basededucation.
TheUniversity'sresearchareas,groupsandinstitutesinclude(intopicalphabeticalorder):
TheUniversityofSheffield's25,000studentsarrivemostlyfromtheUK,butincludemorethan3,700internationalstudentsfrom120differentcountries.TheUniversityemploysnearly6,000people,includingalmost1,400academicstaff.
TheUniversityofSheffieldUnionofStudentswasfoundedin1906.Ithastwobars(BarOne–whichhasabook-ablefunctionroomwithitsownbar,TheRaynorLounge–andTheInterval);threeclubvenues(Fusion,FoundryandOctagon);oneoff-campuspublichouse(TheFoxandDuckinBroomhill);andcoffeeshops,restaurants,shops,asupermarket,thecinemaFilmUnit,afullyfunctioningandstudentruntheatrecompany(suTCo),astudentradiostationcalledForgeRadio,itsownnewspaper,TheForgePress,andabouttwohundredstudentsocietiesandmanysportsteams.
TheUnionisoneofthebestinthecountry.Ithostsavarietyofadviceandsupportservices.Real-timeinformationcanbefoundbyfollowing@SSiDSheffieldor@sheffielduniononTwitter.
Theannual"VarsityChallenge"takesplacebetweenteamsfromtheUniversityanditsrivalSheffieldHallamUniversityinover30events.
Aswellasragweek,UniversityofSheffieldstudentsusedtoraisefundsbytakingpartinthePyjamaJumppubcrawl,cross-dressedonlyinnightwearinmid-winter:themenoftendressedinnightiesorindragfeaturingmini-skirtsandfishnettights,andthewomeninpyjamas.Thiseventwasbannedin1997followingthehospitalisationofseveralstudents..AnotherragtraditionisSpiderwalk,afiftymiletrekthroughthecityandthePeakDistrict,thefirsthalfthroughthenight,othersocietiesrunfund-raisingactivitiesthroughthenightwhilethewalkisonsuchasa24-hourrole-playingevent.Sheffield'sstudentsarealsoveryactivewhenitcomestovolunteeringforgoodcauses.TheUnion's"SheffieldVolunteering"schemeisoneofthecountriesmostactiveandwell-recognisedstudentvolunteeringschemesandhaswonvariousnationalacclaimsovertheyears.
TheUniversityhas26varsitysports(sportscontestedinvarsity).TheUniversitysportscoloursareblackandgold.
Male
Female
Mixed
TheUniversity'sFacultyofPureSciencemayboastanassociationwithfiveNobelPrizes,twofortheDepartmentofMolecularBiologyandBiotechnology: