Canterbury Christ Church University

Canterbury Christ Church University is a British New University based in Kent.

History
Christ Church College was founded in 1962 by the Church of England. It was established to meet the needs of church schools at a time of teacher shortage. Classes were originally held in the Priory, adjacent to St Martin's Church, a unique building which had been the private home of a recent Bishop of Dover.

The campus for Christ Church College was constructed on North Holmes Road, Canterbury, on land which had once been used for orchards and domestic buildings of the adjacent St Augustine's Abbey, part of Canterbury's World Heritage Site.

In the early 1970s, the first degree programme, the Bachelor of Education, was established. In 1977 the College began to offer joint honours degrees in other subjects. In the late 1980s the College was substantially enlarged by the addition of Health Studies. In 1995, the College was awarded the power by the Privy Council to grant its own degrees for taught courses, which entitled the change of name to Canterbury Christ Church University College.

The award of University title in 2005 recognised both the successful delivery of high quality degree programmes and the achievements of students and staff, who underwent the same processes and assessments as those at other universities.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was subsequently appointed, by virtue of office, as Canterbury Christ Church University's Chancellor, the honorary head of the institution. The inauguration of the University and the installation of Dr Rowan Williams as Chancellor took place in a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral in December 2005.

More recently the University has attracted publicity due to its controversial policy to forbid civil partnership ceremonies to take place at its properties. This decision by the University's governing body has now since been reversed.

Faculties
Teaching and research work is grouped within the four faculties
 * Arts and Humanities
 * Business and Sciences
 * Education
 * Health and Social Care

Each faculty is led by a Pro-Vice Chancellor (Dean of Faculty), who reports directly to the Vice Chancellor

The University is well-known as one of the UK’s top providers of Teacher Education in the University sector and recent external assessments of teaching and learning activities resulted in fifteen subjects being awarded a rating equivalent to 'excellent'. It is also well known as a significant provider of education and training in Health and Social Care and has a growing profile in relation to research and development. The extensive combined honours undergraduate programmes in the Faculties of Arts and Humanities and Business and Science allow flexibility of study and there is a broad range of postgraduate level studies and continuing professional development.

The University has a long and successful tradition of opening up higher education to those groups which have traditionally been under represented. Many courses are flexible and part-time enabling people to take up higher education whatever their circumstances. Many of the students are mature, returning to study after some time or are already working.

Campuses
As well as the original Canterbury site on North Holmes Road,a few minutes walk to the city centre, the University has three other significant sites in the city - Augustine House, Hall Place Enterprise Centre and The Sidney Cooper Gallery and Grapevine Gallery. It also has a further three campuses in Kent - at Broadstairs, Tunbridge Wells and Chatham, where their facility is part of the Universities at Medway partnership.

The main campus contains 6 main student buildings: Fynden, Thorne, Davidson, Lang & Temple. These are considered amounst the best accommodation the university offers due to its proximity to the lecture buildings.

In 2000, Canterbury Christ Church acquired the lease of the Sidney Cooper Centre in Canterbury city centre, originally established as an art school by the renowned cattle painter Thomas Sidney Cooper in 1868. Canterbury Christ Church art students moved into the building in December 2002, taking it back to its original use as an art school. In 2004, the refurbished gallery space opened to the public. The gallery exhibits Canterbury Christ Church staff and student work, as well as work by local, national and international artists. The Grapevine Gallery and cafe opened to the public in September 2006, selling affordable artwork by students and staff, as well as providing internet cafe facilities.

In 2003-2004, two major buildings were acquired in Canterbury – the large office block formerly known as Clarkson House will undergo a £30m pound face-lift over several years. Renamed Augustine House, it will provide a new Library and Learning Centre and an integrated service for student support and guidance, to be completed in 2009.

Hall Place, a 16th century building in Harbledown, has been renovated and renamed Hall Place Enterprise Centre. It is home to the Centre for Enterprise and Business Development, the gateway for business support and access to academic resources and training programmes for small businesses.

Developments in Folkestone
In February 2004, Canterbury Christ Church opened The Sidney de Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health in Folkestone as part of the town’s new Creative Quarter. The Centre, which is the first higher education venture in Folkestone, researches the link between arts and health. The Folkestone People’s History Centre was opened in November 2005. The Centre is a joint initiative between Canterbury Christ Church, the Folkestone Creative Foundation, local Folkestone historians and historical societies, archaeological services, Kent County Council Arts and Libraries and the Local Education Authority. The Centre will make history accessible and meaningful to the people of Folkestone and its environs and provide a base for strong academic research.

The University has three campuses across Kent, located in Chatham, Broadstairs and Tunbridge Wells.

Chatham Campus opened in October 2004 as part of the Universities at Medway partnership, which includes the three universities of Canterbury Christ Church, Kent and Greenwich and Mid Kent College. Comprehensive programmes in health, education and policing are offered at the Chatham Campus. The Campus has been equipped with a mixture of teaching space, specialist facilities and staff accommodation. It houses lecture theatres, seminar rooms, an open access learning centre, computer laboratories and a full skills laboratory floor with x-ray suite, occupational therapy facilities, two hospital wards, a paediatric and midwifery suite and an operating theatre.

Students and staff also have access to the new Learning Resources Centre, which has been created in the former Drill Hall and is used by all students from the Universities at Medway partnership.

The Broadstairs Campus opened in October 2000. Students study subjects as diverse as commercial music, digital media, business, police studies, computing, child and youth studies and early years and nursing.

The wide range of teaching and learning facilities are in three purpose-built buildings including areas with acoustic and sound isolation specifications and a simulated hospital ward. Digital media students benefit from digital video and sound production facilities, editing suites, specialised computer animation resources, web and multimedia authoring systems. Music students utilise the campus’s 24 track recording studio, music computing suite and performance facilities.

The campus has very strong links with local schools, colleges and business. It works closely with Kent Police in the delivery of probationary training for all newly appointed Kent Police Officers.

The University acquired the Salomons Centre from the NHS in 1995. The Centre, just outside Tunbridge Wells, is housed in a substantial mansion, set in parkland.

Salomons has retained and built on its strong links with the Health Service, local authorities, businesses and schools and offers an extensive range of programmes, consultancy and research.

The Centre for Leadership and Management Development provides post graduate Certificate/Diploma/Masters in leadership and management development as well as bespoke programmes in this field. It is also contracted by external organisations for consultancy work.

The Centre for Applied Social and Psychological Development offers a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a Post Graduate Certificate in Primary Care Mental Health. It also provides training for local NHS Trusts.

The Centre for Careers and Personal Development provides a qualification in Careers Guidance and Masters in Careers, Education, Development and Guidance. It also produces career guidance material.

The Centre for Education Leadership and School Improvement (CELSI) and the Quality in Study Support Unit (QISS) provide a Masters in School Leadership and a Masters in Leadership and Management for Learning. The teams are developing study support schemes for disaffected pupils and a method to assure the quality of study support.

Notable alumni

 * Jon Holmes, writer and presenter
 * Kate Blewett, producer and director
 * Geraldine McCaughrean, children's author
 * The Most Reverend Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone
 * Drew Stearne, TV producer and presenter
 * Ryan Walter, Music Producer and Artist
 * James Camp, Editor