City University, London

City University London is a British university based at Northampton Square in Finsbury, London. Its official name is The City University. The University is famous for its excellent graduate employment records.

History
City University London was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute (named for the donor of its campus, the Marquess of Northampton), and admitted its first students two years later. It was constituted under the City of London Parochial Charities Act (1883). The Institute held classes in the evening. Funding to support the Institute's establishment came from charities, taxes and local rates. Charter departments were those of Mechanical Engineering and Metal Trades, Artistic Crafts, Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, Horology, Electro-Chemistry, and Domestic Economy and Women's Trades.

In 1900 the Institute began offering day classes in engineering. Nine years later students began to qualify for bachelor's degrees in the University of London and its faculty were made Recognised Teachers of that institution. Thereafter the Northampton Institute came to be known as the Northampton Engineering College.

There was a name change in 1957 to the Northampton College of Advanced Technology and the addition to its programmes in technical and vocational education of courses in mathematics, computer science, and the liberal arts. In 1966 the college received a Royal Charter and became known as The City University. The change in status was brought about following recommendations in the Robbins Report of 1963. This saw a number of Colleges of Advanced Technology gain full university status, becoming known as so-called "plate glass universities" because of their architectural design. St Bartholomew's College of Nursing and Midwifery and Charterhouse College of Radiography were incorporated into the university in 1995, and in 2001, the Inns of Court School of Law (founded 1852) merged with the University's Department of Law to form the Institute of Law, which changed its name in 2005 to the City Law School. The Inns of Court School of Law name will not be used from July 2008.

City University London today
The University offers traditional Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees as well as certificates and diplomas at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

The University's mission, as outlined in its Strategy, is to "provide rigorous research and education for the world of work".

The current Vice-Chancellor is Professor Malcolm Gillies. The Chancellor of the University is the Lord Mayor of London ex officio. For a number of years, students have taken part in the annual Lord Mayor's Show, representing the University in one of the country’s largest and liveliest parades.

Birth place of City Technology plc (a LSE listed spin-out of City University, London), the world’s leading manufacturer of fuel-cell gas sensors used in worker safety, automotive, medical and emissions monitoring applications. Part of Honeywell (USA) since March 2006.

Teaching and research ratings
City University gained 22nd place overall out of 122 Higher Education Institutions in the UK in The Guardian University Rankings 2006, a drop of 2 places on the 2005 standings. City was ranked fourth in the UK for its employment record by The Times Good University Guide in 2005.

In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, the Higher Education Funding Council for England rated 13 of City's research areas as being of "international" or "national excellence". These areas are applied mathematics, arts policy, business, computer science, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, information science, law, music, nursing, optometry, psychology and sociology.

Students and courses
The University has a strong focus on postgraduate education with just under half of students on postgraduate programmes. Nearly one third of undergraduates are aged 21 or older when they start their programme. There is a wide range of taught courses offered; some are quite specialised, designed to help students prepare for professional careers. More than two thirds of City’s programmes are recognised by the appropriate professional bodies such as the BCS, BPS, CILIP, Institute of Electrical Engineers etc. in recognition of the high standards of relevance to the professions. The University also has a specialist Online Careers Network where over 4,000 former students offer practical help to current students.

The City Law School offers courses for undergraduates, postgraduates and professional courses leading to qualification as a solicitor or barrister, as well as continuing professional development. Its Legal Practice Course is the only one in London to be rated 'Excellent' by the Law Society.

City is home to one of the world's leading centres for the education of journalists, its Department of Journalism. The department has been teaching journalism since 1976 and has nearly 4,000 alumni in over 80 countries. It has the UK's first chair in reporting, the Anthony Sampson professorship. It now runs MA courses in Creative Writing and Publishing.

The School of Informatics at City is at the forefront of international excellence and leadership in education and research for the information and computing professions, offering undergraduate programmes such as Computer Science with Games Technology or Artificial Intelligence. Within the School is the Department of Information Science, which is established internationally as a pioneer and leader in the field of information science education, offering Postgraduate courses in Information Science and Management, and Information Systems and Technology. A growing area of interest in the Department is GeoInformatics. The giCentre coordinates this research and masters degrees in Geographic Information Systems and Geographic Information Management.

The University offers some programmes via flexible study where modules are studied mainly by distance learning. Such programmes are supported by an integrated e-learning system, which is available to everyone not just distance learners. E-learning at City has become part of mainstream teaching and learning, with 3,000 students across the University enrolled on e-supported modules. City has invested in a campus-wide infrastructure and established an E-Learning Unit.

Partnerships and links
The University has excellent links with businesses in the City of London. In September 2006, City joined the Willis Research Network (WRN), a major, long-term partnership between leading international scientific institutions (including the universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Durham and Imperial College London) and the global insurance broker, Willis Group Holdings. The purpose of the network is to evaluate the frequency, severity and impact of catastrophes such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and terrorism. City University has also joined forces with other universities such as Queen Mary and the Institute of Education (both part of the University of London) with which it jointly delivers several leading degree programmes.

Schools and academic departments

 * School of Arts, including the Department of Journalism
 * Cass Business School, London
 * School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
 * School of Allied Health Science
 * St Bartholomew School of Nursing & Midwifery
 * School of Informatics
 * City Law School, including Inns of Court School of Law
 * School of Social Sciences

Campus
The University has sites throughout London, with the main campus located at Northampton Square. Other academic sites are:
 * Cass Business School - The City of London and One Canada Square, Canary Wharf
 * Inns of Court School of Law - Holborn
 * Fight for Sight Optometry Clinic - Old Street area
 * Radiography - West Smithfield
 * St Bartholomew School of Nursing & Midwifery - Whitechapel & Smithfield, London

Apart from academic activities, the University's supporting departments are also contributing to the development of the institution's reputation as a provider of excellent courses and facilities. As such, the Property and Facilities department embarked on a major overhaul of university buildings across all sites:

2000–2002

 * Following a donation from the Sir John Cass's Foundation, a multi-million pound building, Bunhill Row, was built for the Cass Business School.
 * A new Research Centre for Energy and the Environment was completed in 2001/02. One of the very few of its type worldwide, the Centre boasts some of the most advanced engine research facilities in Europe.
 * Construction of the Fight for Sight Optometry Clinic - a new £5m facility dedicated to optometry teaching, clinical practice and research.

2004–2006

 * A £23m landmark building to house the School of Social Sciences and the Department of Language and Communication Science opened in 2004. The building uses the latest construction ideas for low-energy design and includes computing and experimental laboratories.
 * Accommodation at One Canada Square was acquired in 2006 for Cass Business School's Executive Education programme.
 * The reconstruction and redevelopment of the University's Grade II listed College Building (following a fire in 2001) was completed in July 2006. It houses a new high-tech Human Computer Interaction Design lab, supported by The Vodafone UK Foundation.
 * In 2006, the Department of Radiography gained a brand-new purpose-built clinical skills suite. The suite is equipped with some of the most up-to-date imaging and radiotherapy equipment available; the Department claims this to be the best-equipped radiography clinical skills suite in England

Academics

 * Roy Greenslade - Journalist
 * David Marks - Psychologist
 * Stewart Purvis - Broadcaster
 * David Willets - Conservative Member of Parliament for Havant; Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills

Arts, science and academia

 * L. Bruce Archer - British mechanical engineer and Professor of Design Research at the Royal College of Art
 * John Brignell - former professor of Industrial Instrumentation, science author, BS
 * Andrea Christofidou - senior lecturer of philosophy, University of Oxford, B.Sc.
 * Julia Gomelskaya - Ukrainian music composer, MA
 * Steven Haberman - professor of Actuarial science at City University, PhD, DSc
 * Muhammad Iqbal - Indian Muslim poet, philosopher, and politician, whose poetry in Persian and Urdu is regarded as among the greatest in modern times, ICSL
 * Rhodri Marsden - Journalist, musician and blogger; columnist for The Independent
 * John Loder - sound engineer, record producer and founder of Southern Studios, as well as a former member of EXIT
 * Robin Milner - Computer Scientist and recipient of the 1991 ACM Turing Award
 * Ebrahim Moosa - Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Director of the Center for Study of Muslim Networks at Duke University
 * John Palmer - instrumental and electroacustic music composer, PhD
 * Jeanette Purcell - Chief Executive for the Association of MBAs (AMBA)
 * Ziauddin Sardar - Academic and scholar of Islamic issues, Commissioner of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights

Government, politics and society

 * Clement Attlee - Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, ICSL
 * Herbert Henry Asquith - Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916, ICSL
 * Tony Blair - Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007, ICSL
 * Roderic Bowen - Welsh Liberal Party politician, ICSL
 * Jody Dunn - Liberal Democrat politician, and a barrister specialising in family law
 * Major General J.B. Dutton - Commandant General of the Royal Marines, Commander UK Amphibious Forces
 * Chloe Fox - Australian politician, Labor MPfor the South Australian electoral district of Bright, MA
 * Mahatma Gandhi - Political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement, ICSL
 * James Hart - Commissioner of the City of London Police
 * David Heath - Politician and Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Somerton and Frome
 * Muhammad Ali Jinnah - founder of Pakistan, first Governor-General of Pakistan, ICSL
 * Syed Kamall - Conservative Party politician and Member of the European Parliament for the London European Parliament constituency
 * Tae-Shin Kwon - Vice Minister at the South Korean Ministry of Finance and Economy
 * Liu Mingkang - Chinese Politician and Businessman, current Chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, former Vice-Governor of the China Development Bank
 * Jawaharlal Nehru - First Prime Minister of the Republic of India, ICSL
 * HRH Princess Alexandra de Scheel - member of the House of Reuss
 * Margaret Thatcher - First (and only) female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ICSL
 * Ivy Williams - First woman to be called to the English bar, ICSL
 * Hasan Sharif - Son of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif

Business and finance

 * Ralph Arditti - Managing Director, Sanayi Yatirimlari Veticaret A.S. (Turkey), MSc/MBA, '70
 * Brendan Barber - General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, BA
 * Apurv Bagri - Managing Director of the Metdist Group of companies in the international non-ferrous trade and industry
 * Richard Caruso - Chairman of Integra Life Sciences Corporation (New Jersey)
 * William Castell - Chairman of the Wellcome Trust and a Director of General Electric and BP, former CEO of Amersham plc until it was acquired by GE when he became CEO of GE Healthcare and a Vice-Chairman of GE, BA
 * Peter Cullum - British entrepreneur, founder of the Towergate Partnership, the largest independently owned insurance intermediary in Europe, 2005 UK Entrepreneur of the Year recipient
 * David Essex - Chairman of Bemrose Group
 * James J. Greco - CEO of Bruegger's Enterprises Inc., parent company of Bruegger's Bagel Bakeries, MA
 * Ruby Hammer - Co-owner of Ruby and Millie Cosmetics
 * Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou - Founder of easyGroup, MSc
 * Penny Klein - Co-owner of Heidi Klein swimwear
 * Bob Kelly - CEO of Bank of New York Mellon, former CFO of Mellon Financial Corporation and Wachovia Corporation
 * Muhtar Kent - President and COO of Coca-Cola International and Executive Vice President of The Coca-Cola Company
 * Phillip Monks - CEO, Europe Arab Bank plc
 * Dick Olver - Chairman of BAE Systems, member of the Board of Directors at Reuters
 * Andrew Pople - CEO, Kessler Financial Services International (KFSI) & Vice-Chairman, The Kessler Group
 * Syed Ali Raza - President and Chairman of the National Bank of Pakistan, MSc
 * Kiran Rao - Senior Vice President, Marketing and Pricing Policies, Airbus
 * Nick Roditi - Former legendary Hedge Fund Manager of George Soros' reputed Quantum Fund
 * Carol Sergeant - Chief Risk Director, Lloyds TSB Group Plc
 * Mark Turrell - CEO and co-founder of Imaginatik
 * Gareth Wong - Founder and CEO, GamBond, Gaming Money Summit and CXO Network Europe
 * David Woodward - CEO, Aabar Petroleum Investments Company (Aabar), former President of BP Azerbaijan
 * Robin Easton - CFO, Blue Nile, a leading online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, MBA
 * Atedo N. A. Peterside - Founder of IBTC Chartered Bank Plc (“IBTC”) and CEO of IBTC  since inception in 1989. Formerly, Chairman of the Committee on Corporate Governance of  Public Companies in Nigeria, BSc

Media and entertainment

 * Kemal Ahmed - Journalist; editor, The Observer
 * Samira Ahmed - Channel 4 Newsreader, covered the O.J. Simpson murder case for the BBC, MA
 * Catherine Bennett (journalist) - Journalist for The Guardian, BA
 * Richard Benson - Writer, The Farm
 * Jeremiah Birnbaum - American singer/songwriter and band member of The Ramblers, MA
 * Joanna Blythman - Non-fiction writer, Britain’s leading investigative food journalist
 * Ellie Crisell - BBC Presenter, MA
 * Imogen Edwards-Jones - Novelist
 * Michael Fish - BBC Weather weatherman
 * Adam Fleming - CBBC reporter
 * Alex Graham - Chairman of PACT
 * Gillian Joseph - Sky News Presenter
 * Kirsty Lang - BBC Presenter and journalist, MA
 * William Lewis (journalist) - Journalist and editor of the Daily Telegraph
 * Donal MacIntyre - Investigative journalist
 * Sharon Maguire - Writer and Director, directed Bridget Jones's Diary, BA '89
 * Rhodri Marsden - Journalist, musician and blogger; columnist for The Independent
 * Sharon Mascall - Journalist, broadcaster and writer; lecturer at the University of South Australia, MA
 * Dermot Murnaghan - Presenter on BBC Breakfast, MA
 * Tiff Needell - Grand Prix driver, Presenter of Fifth Gear on Five, BS
 * Bridgid Nzekwu - Channel 4 Newsreader
 * Justine Picardie - Novelist
 * Raj Persaud - British consultant psychiatrist, broadcaster, and author on psychiatry, MSc
 * Ben Preston - The Times Journalist and editor
 * Linda Papadopoulos - Well known psychologist, appearing occasionally on TV, Phd
 * Richard Preston - Novelist
 * Sophie Raworth - Newsreader, presenter on BBC One O'Clock News
 * Joel Rubin - World-renown klezmer clarinetist
 * Ian Saville - British magician, PhD
 * Barbara Serra - News presenter for Al Jazeera from London, MA
 * Grub Smith - Television presenter and journalist for FHM, BA
 * Abi Titmuss - English television personality, glamour model and occasional actress
 * Laura Topham - Evening Standard Columnist
 * Jo Whiley - BBC Disc jockey
 * Gary Younge - Guardian Columnist
 * Richard Lipscombe - Bucks County Council Economic Development

Trivia

 * The Department of Civil Engineering is home to one of only a few geotechnical centrifuges operating in England. It is a centre for world class research in geotechnics.
 * In 1908 the University's swimming pool was used for the Olympic Games.
 * The University's Cass Business School is considered to be an institution of international repute and standing for their undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
 * Each letter of City's logotype tells a story:
 * the classical letter C is carved in granite on the cornerstone of a venerable City-based financial institution
 * the neon letter I denotes a lively Clerkenwell restaurant
 * the cast metal letter T graces the shop front of a traditional, high street business
 * the stainless steel letter Y represents the headquarters of a London-based multinational corporation.