Cardiff University

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{{Infobox_University |name = Cardiff University |native_name = Prifysgol Caerdydd |latin_name = |image = Image:Cardiff university logo.gif |motto = |established = 1883 |type = Public |endowment = |staff = |faculty = |president = Neil Kinnock |principal = |rector = |chancellor = |vice_chancellor = Dr David Grant |dean = |head_label = |head = |students = 21,500 |undergrad = 16,500 |postgrad = 5,000 |doctoral = |city = Cardiff |state = South Glamorgan, |country = UK |campus = Urban |free_label = |free = |colors = |colours = |mascot = |affiliations = Russell Group, EUA |website = www.cardiff.ac.uk }}

Cardiff University (Welsh: Prifysgol Caerdydd) is a university in Cardiff. It is a member of the Russell Group of Universities and was shortlisted for the Sunday Times University of the Year award in 2003.

1 History
2 Facilities
3 Students
- 3.1 Alumni
4 External links

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History

The Aberdare Report of 1881 recommended the foundation of university colleges in north and south Wales to complement the already established University College, Wales (now the University of Wales, Aberystwyth) in Aberystwyth. Following a public appeal that raised £37,000, the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire opened on October 24 1883 and was incorporated by Royal Charter the following year. The only college in Wales with its own degree awarding powers at this time was St David's University College. As such, Cardiff entered students for the examinations of the University of London until, in 1893, it became one of the founding institutions of the University of Wales and began awarding their degrees.

In 1885, Aberdare Hall opened as the first hall of residence, allowing women access to the university. This moved to its current site in 1895, but remains a single-sex hall. 1904 saw the appointment of the first female professor in the UK, Millicent McKenzie.

Work began on the Main Building in Cardiff's Civic Centre in 1903 and this opened in 1909. Money ran short for this project, however, and although the side-wings were completed in the 1960s, the planned Great Hall has never been built. In 1931, the School of Medicine, which had been founded as part of the College in 1893 when the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology were founded, was split off to form the University of Wales College of Medicine. In 1972, the College was renamed University College, Cardiff.

In 1988, financial problems caused University College, Cardiff and the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology to merge, forming the University of Wales College, Cardiff. Following changes to the constitution of the University of Wales in 1996, this became the University of Wales, Cardiff.

In 1997, the College was granted full independent degree awarding-powers by the Privy Council (though, as a member of the University of Wales it could not begin using them) and in 1999 the public name of the university was changed to Cardiff University. Some considered this part of an effort at Cardiff to set itself apart from the other colleges of the University of Wales, none of which are members of the Russell Group.

In 2002, ideas were floated to re-merge Cardiff with the University of Wales College of Medicine following the publication of the Welsh Assembly Government's review of higher education in Wales. This merger became effective on August 1, 2004, on which date Cardiff University ceased to be a constituent institution of the University of Wales and became an independent "link institution" affiliated to the federal University. The process of the merger was completed on December 1, 2004 when the Act of Parliament transferring UWCM's assets to Cardiff University received Royal Assent. On December 17 it was announced that the Privy Council had given approval to the new Supplemental Charter and had granted university status to Cardiff, legally changing the name of the institution to Cardiff University. Cardiff currently still awards University of Wales degrees but for students admitted from 2005 these are planned to be replaced by Cardiff degrees except for medicine, dentistry and other health-related areas, which will begin to admit students for Cardiff degrees from 2006.

In 2005, The Wales College of Medicine, which is part of the University, launched the North Wales Clinical School in Wrexham in collaboration with the North East Wales Institute in Wrexham and the University of Wales, Bangor and with the National Health Service in Wales. This has been funded with £12.5 Million from the Welsh Assembly and will lead to the tripling of the number of trainee doctors in clinical training in Wales over a four year period.

The University is currently exploring closer links with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama which is also based in Cardiff. It has been rumoured that this could lead to an eventual merger, as this is very similar to the wording used prior to the merger with UWCM.

The university has a rivalry with nearby Swansea University, against whom every year they have a varsity match.

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Facilities

There are a number or halls of residence. The largest, Llys Talybont, is next to Bute Park north of the main university buildings. The second largest, University Hall, is in Penylan in north Cardiff, with 750 residents, a bar, a gym, a squash court and tennis courts.

Other halls include Aberconway Hall, Aberdare Hall, Allensbank House, Brecknock/Carmarthen House, Cartwright Court, Colum Hall, Gordon Hall, Neuadd Meirionnydd, Roy Jenkins Hall, Senghennydd Court, Senghennydd Hall and Victoria Hall.

There are sporting facilities and sports teams in the BUSA university league, including men's and women's hockey.

The Cardiff University Students' Union building is over the main railway going north from Cardiff to the Valleys, next door to the Cathays train station. It has shops, a nightclub and the studios of Xpress Radio (which is piped throughout the union) and gair rhydd (Welsh: 'Free Word'), the student newspaper.

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