University of Lincoln

The University of Lincoln developed out of several educational institutions in Hull, including Hull School of Art (1861), Hull Technical Institute (1893), the Roman Catholic teacher-training Endsleigh College (1905), Hull Central College of Commerce (1930), and Kingston upon Hull College of Education (1913).[11][12] These merged in 1976 into Hull College of Higher Education,[13] with a change of name to Humberside College of Higher Education in 1983, when it absorbed several courses in fishing, food and manufacturing based in Grimsby.[11]

In 1990 the college became Humberside Polytechnic. In 1992 it was one of many UK institutions to become full universities, as the University of Humberside.[11]

The University of Humberside developed a new campus to the south-west of Lincoln city centre, overlooking the Brayford Pool. It was renamed the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside in January 1996, entering its first 500 Lincoln students in September 1996.[14]

Looking towards the University of Lincoln across the Brayford Pool

With another change of name to the University of Lincoln in October 2001, the university moved its main campus from Hull to Lincoln in 2002.[15]

Queen Elizabeth II opened the university's main Lincoln campus, the first new city-centre campus built in the UK for several decades. Over £150 million has been invested at Brayford Pool, transforming a city-centre brownfield site, revitalising the area and attracting investment from the retail, leisure and property sectors. Economists estimate that the university has created at least 3,000 new jobs in Lincoln and generates more than £250 million a year for the local economy – doubling previous local economic growth rates.[16]

On 28 October 2004, the National Centre for Food Manufacturing at Holbeach was reopened by John Hayes, Member of Parliament for South Holland and the Deepings, after redevelopment as a specialist food-science technology park. The consolidation involved the University of Lincoln acquiring the Leicester-based De Montfort University's schools in Lincolnshire: the Lincoln School of Art and Design in uphill Lincoln, and the Lincolnshire School of Agriculture's sites at Riseholme, Caythorpe and Holbeach. Caythorpe was later closed and its activities moved to Riseholme. Courses held in Grimsby were also moved to Lincoln about that time.

Through the late 1990s, the university's sites in Hull were scaled down as the focus shifted towards Lincoln. In 2001 this process took a step further when it was decided to move the administrative headquarters and management to Lincoln and to sell the Cottingham Road campus in Hull, the former main campus, to its neighbour, the University of Hull. The site now houses the Hull York Medical School. Until 2012 the university maintained a smaller campus, the Derek Crothall Building, in Hull city centre. Another campus and student halls in Beverley Road, Hull, were also sold for redevelopment.

In 2012 all agricultural further education provisions were transferred from Riseholme College to Bishop Burton College. Bishop Burton College has now moved into a new, purpose built site at the Lincolnshire Showground with only limited use of the Riseholme Campus which has now mainly reverted back to the University of Lincoln from 2021 onwards. Development of the site has not been decided but the University has purchased the recently vacated Lawress Hall a former training, conferencing and wedding venue on an adjacent site which was formerly owned by the Government.

March 2021 saw the new Lincoln Medical School open in time for the 2021/2022 academic year. The building, on the Brayfood Pool campus, features lecture theatres, trainee observation theatres and a library dedicated to medical research, allied health care, pharmacy, chemistry and biology textbooks.[17] It is run as a partnership with the University of Nottingham Medical School.

The University of Lincoln is structured as a college-based system, with each college headed by a pro vice chancellor. There are four colleges of study, each comprising schools, institutes and research centres.

The School of Engineering became the first such school founded in the UK for over 20 years, opening in 2011 under lengthy collaboration with Siemens. The building, designed by London Architects Allies and Morrison, incorporates Siemens Industrial Turbo-machinery Lincoln as a co-located its product-training facility.[18]

The School of Mathematics and Physics opened on 1 September 2014 and was officially inaugurated on 1 September 2016 by Professor Efim Zelmanov. Since the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic year, it shares the new Sir Isaac Newton Building with the School of Computer Science and the School of Engineering.

The College of Arts undertakes research and has a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees available. The college accommodates Siren Radio, a community radio station based there, which broadcasts to the city of Lincoln on 107.3 FM and online.

The School of Film and Media has gained places in league tables for BA and MA Media Production degrees.[19] Lincoln Sound Theatre was opened in 2010 by the visiting Professor Trevor Dann.[20]

Lincoln has the UK's largest centre for conservation and restoration study. Lincoln Conservation, the university's conservation and material analysis consultancy, works with clients including the Historic Royal Palaces and the Victoria and Albert Museum.[21]

The College of Social Science includes the School of Health and Social Care, which moved into the Sarah Swift Building in July 2017. It teaches a variety of professionally accredited courses in nursing and social work.

The School of Psychology occupies the purpose-built Sarah Swift Building, also shared with the School of Health and Social Care. It has a range of dedicated facilities in these fields, including psychology laboratories and a mock hospital ward.

Lincoln International Business School (LIBS), based in the David Chiddick Building, offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral-level programmes. It is noted for a cross-functional approach to business education and diverse methods of delivery. It also offers distance learning and executive education aimed at working professionals.[22]

The founding Vice-Chancellor was Roger King. David Chiddick was Vice-Chancellor when the university was renamed the University of Lincoln. Chiddick's name is honoured in the David Chiddick Building. Vice-Chancellor Mary Stuart, appointed in 2009, has five deputy vice-chancellors.[23]

Victor Adebowale, Baron Adebowale, the second Chancellor since its title change in 2001, was installed in 2008. Previous chancellors included Harry Hooper and Dame Elizabeth Esteve-Coll.[24]

The university was ranked 43rd in the UK by The Times, 42nd by Complete, and 17th by The Guardian in 2020 rankings, its highest to date. In 2017, it ranked 8th in Agriculture and Forestry and 2nd in Business and Economics in The Complete University Guide rankings.[32] More than half its submitted research was rated as internationally excellent or world-leading in the UK's last nationwide assessment of university research standards, the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014). It was awarded gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2017).[33]

In 2020, the university was named Modern University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University 2021, as the highest-ranked multi-faculty modern university in the UK, climbing to 45th (out of 135), its highest ever position in the guide. In the same year it was named one of the world's greatest young universities in The Times Higher Education Young University Rankings, placed 14th in the UK for overall student satisfaction of the 129 mainstream universities in the National Student Survey 2020, and given a five-star rating in the QS Stars rating of global universities.[34]

The University of Lincoln's official logo from 2001 to 2012 was the head of Minerva, an Ancient Roman goddess of wisdom and knowledge. From July 2012 this was changed to incorporate the university's coat of arms,[35][36] which features swans, fleur de lys and textbooks.

Library, University of Lincoln

The university has three libraries: the main University Library, a Library at the Holbeach Campus which is part of the National Centre for Food Manufacturing, and the Biomedical and Health Sciences Library at the Lincoln Medical School.

The University Library occupies the Great Central Warehouse (GCW) building, a renovated industrial railway-goods warehouse. It opened in December 2004 on the Brayford campus. In total it houses over 300,000 books, journals and other reference materials.

The Great Central Warehouse building was built in 1907 by the Great Central Railway. It spent the second half of the 20th century as a builder's warehouse, before falling into disrepair in 1998. It was converted into a library by the university's in-house team of architects and was formally opened in 2004 by the chief executive of the UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. In 2005, the conversion won gold and silver for conservation and regeneration at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Regional Awards in Leicester.[37] It has also gained awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).[38]

Built in 1874 by the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway, the Engine Shed was the one surviving four-track, dead-end railway building in Lincolnshire. It opened as a refitted entertainment venue in September 2006 as the region's largest live music venue.[39] It consists of the Engine Shed, the Platform and Tower Bar, which combined can accommodate up to 2,000 people. In 2014 the university transferred control of The Engine Shed to the Students' Union.[40]

Lincoln Performing Arts Centre

The Lincoln Performing Arts Centre (LPAC) holds a 450-seat multi-purpose auditorium designed for live arts performances, conferences and film screenings. Its events are designed to complement, rather than compete with those of neighbouring venues.

The Lincoln Science and Innovation Park is a large redevelopment south of the main university campus. It will comprise university facilities, including laboratories, and space for industry partners to add new offices and research facilities.

The Science and Innovation Park is being developed in partnership with the Lincolnshire Co-operative.

Facilities include a double sports hall, four squash courts, synthetic pitches, a fitness suite, a dance studio, eight badminton and short tennis courts, two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, two netball courts, two five-a-side football pitches and a seven-a-side football pitch. It also holds the School of Sport And Exercise Science, the majority of whose facilities are located in the building.

The University of Lincoln Students' Union dates back to the university's formation. It was reconstituted in 2007 as a company limited by guarantee, and registered as a charity, introducing a more conventional governance structure for students' unions. It supports and represents the students of the university; sabbatical officers are elected by the student body and supported by the staff. A number of sports teams operate in the national BUCS' leagues, competing nationally against other institutions.

The Students' Union was awarded NUS (National Union of Students) Higher Education Students' Union of the Year 2014/15 at an annual awards ceremony.[42]

In 2014, ownership of the on-campus pub The Shed was transferred to the Students' Union after its acquisition from Greene King. It was later renamed The Swan.[40] In 2015, the Students' Union was awarded Best Bar None Gold and named second in the Best Bar None Safest Venue category.[43]

In 2016, after a student referendum,[44] the Students' Union voted to disaffiliate from the NUS, due to dissatisfaction after the controversial 2016 NUS Conference.[45] The decision was taken to formally leave the NUS in December, but a second referendum was held after approaches from students who opposed the first vote. The re-run had 1,302 students voting to remain part of the NUS and 437 backing disaffiliation.[46]

The issue arose again in 2019,[47] after consultations with students at All Student Member meetings in 2018 and 2019. However, the backlash across the student body caused a referendum to be held to leave the NUS. This proposed disaffiliation from the NUS on 1 January 2020:[48] a total of 2614 (15.7%) of students voted, with 996 to remain, 1,539 to leave and 79 abstaining.

Lincoln offers many accommodation options for students. The university owns and operates the Student Village, including the Lincoln Courts and Cygnet Wharf; a waterfront complex situated on the Brayford Pool Campus. In Lincoln Courts, there are 17 blocks of self-catering apartments, each apartment housing five to eight students, and Cygnet Wharf, three buildings with flats of 10–12 residents. The site has a range of facilities, with a total of 1,037+ bedrooms available including apartments specifically designed for students with disabilities.

Furthermore, there is a range of other University-owned and private off-campus student accommodation in Lincoln.

• Jane Chapman – Professor of Communications[49]
• Carenza Lewis – Professor for the Public Understanding of Research
• Stephen McKay – Professor of Social Research

• Gordon Baldwin – potter
• David Firth – animator and visual artist[50]
• Jonathan Foyle – architectural historian
• Andrea Jenkyns – MP for Morley and Outwood
• Tom Marshall – artist and photo coloriser
• Paul Noble – visual artist
• Vicki Phillips – educator and director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation[51]
• Chris Rankin – film actor
• Thomas Ridgewell – YouTube video creator
• Jayne Sharp – broadcaster
• Martin Vickers – MP for Cleethorpes[52]
• Juan Watterson – MHK for Rushen[53] and Speaker of the House of Keys
• Dan Wood – broadcaster
• Paul Staines – political blogger for the Guido Fawkes website