Anglia Ruskin University
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Image:Anglia Ruskin University.jpg
Anglia Ruskin University, formerly known as Anglia Polytechnic University, is a university in the United Kingdom, with campuses in Cambridge and Chelmsford.
It has its origins in a Cambridge Art School opened in 1858 by John Ruskin (the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology from 1960), and a further education college opened in Chelmsford in 1904 (the Essex Institute of Higher Education from 1984). They merged in 1989 as Anglia Higher Education College and this became a polytechnic in 1991 going by the name Anglia Polytechnic, which was then awarded university status in 1992.
It retained the word polytechnic in its title because of a pride in its history and inclusivity, although in 2000 there was some self-doubt about including the term polytechnic - it was the last university in the country to have done so. Wanting to keep the APU abbreviation, a suggestion put forward by the governors was 'Anglia Prior University' (after a former principal) - but shortly after the governors decided to keep polytechnic in the title. However, the University then considered another name change. From over two hundred suggestions and consultations with staff, students and local residents, communities and businesses, the University became Anglia Ruskin University, with the new name taking effect following the approval of the Privy Council on September 29 2005.
The university has an unusually large proportion of mature students. This has led to the university also having a higher than average number of graduates that go on to start their own businesses or be self-employed. Anglia Ruskin is also home to the Ultralab team, the innovating hot house transforming and reforming education through the use of new and emerging technologies in teaching and learning. Ultralab's globally respected team offers major expertise in e-learning through facilitated community online, e-assessment, mobile learning, action research, work-based learning, new software tools, digital creativity and strategic consultancy.
Ultralab has a vision to enhance participation and delight in learning with technology, guided by a shared set of learning concepts and values. Ultralab works with partners and is sponsored by governments, charities and companies. It is not-for-profit, but seek sponsorship to sustain and develop its research. The team has a proven track record inventing small and large-scale projects to explore ideas. It have been growing since 1988 and are based in Chelmsford and all over the UK, with strong international links, especially in New Zealand. In 2001 the Financial Times reported: "The lab is the jewel in the crown for APU".
Anglia Ruskin's Ultralab is also the innovator behind Ultraversity a ground breaking fully online undergraduate degree for those in fulltime employment. This action research based degree focusses on personal and workplace development
Trivia
- Alumni include Adam Ant and Pink Floyd members Syd Barrett and David Gilmour.
- Anglia Ruskin is partnered with Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia in a student exchange program. This allows credits earned at one university to count easily towards the other's degree programs. A similar system takes place with the University of New Brunswick, within the Dept.of History.
- Former lecturer Dr. Michael Bull is considered to be a leading expert on "the social impact of personal stereo devices" which has led to the nickname "Dr. iPod".
- Stephen Fry was given an honorary degree, about which he said (comparing to his degree from the University of Cambridge) "Here at Anglia Ruskin University they have the advantage of not having all that pressure and not being surrounded by idiots who think they are in Brideshead Revisited but still have all the same architecture and facilities".