University of Stirling

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**University of Stirling**
Image:Stiru crest.jpg
Motto	Innovation and Excellence
Established	1967
Type	Public
Chancellor	Dame Diana Rigg
Principal	Professor Christine Hallett
Chairman of the Court	Dr Doris Littlejohn CBE
Students	9,000
Undergraduates	7,000
Postgraduates	2,000
Location	Stirling, Scotland
Int. students	19%
Affiliations	Association of Commonwealth Universities, Plate glass university
Website	www.stir.ac.uk

The University of Stirling is a campus university created in 1967, and located on the outskirts of Stirling in central Scotland.

1 Campus
2 Organization
3 Teaching
4 Research
5 Sport centres and departments
6 Student representation
7 The Highland and Western Isles campuses
8 Other functions
9 Ratings
10 Notable faculty and alumni
- 10.1 Faculty
- 10.2 Alumni
11 References
12 External links

[edit] Campus

The campus is around 3 miles (5km) from the centre of Stirling, but is much closer to the town of Bridge of Allan. It was formerly the estate of the 18th century Airthrey Castle, which building the university retains as a conference centre. It is regularly described as one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, and nestles at the foot of the Ochil Hills in 300 acres (1.2 km²) of grounds centred around the Airthrey Loch. The loch serves as a venue for boating and fishing activities, and portions are sequestered for academic research into marine life and aquaculture.

When the university opened in 1967, there were 160 students. In 2006, the University caters for nearly 9,000 students, around a third of whom live on-campus. It is also home to the MacRobert Arts Centre which is a small theatre and cinema complex, located on the main campus. The Centre is open both to members of the University community and to the general public.

The university is also home to the Scottish Institute of Sport.

Looking out over Airthrey Loch on the main campus of The University of Stirling

[edit] Organization

The University is organised academically into 19 departments and has established itself as a major research-led institution with a fine reputation for learning and teaching.

[edit] Teaching

From its inception, Stirling has offered modular degree programmes allowing flexibility and choice. Stirling was the first United Kingdom university to introduce the system of two semesters rather than having three terms. The first semester lasts from mid-September to Christmas and the second from mid-February to the end of May. Programmes are also offered in the evening and during the summer through the Summer Academic Programme.

There are now over 250 courses (including combination courses) at undergraduate degree level.

The University has always been highly rated for teaching. Excellent teaching ratings for economics, sociology, religious studies, business studies, psychology and English language show Stirling's strength in the arts and social sciences. Among the sciences, environmental science also achieved high ratings, its success reflected in the recently completed School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, with substantially refurbished facilities for both teaching and research. All but one of the subjects assessed for teaching quality were rated at least "highly satisfactory" by The Times Higher Education Supplement.

[edit] Research

Stirling University's range of specialist research centres include:

Scottish Network for Economic Methodology
Institute of Aquaculture
Centre for Environmental History and Policy
Stirling Media Research Institute
Social Work Research Centre
Centre for Social Research on Dementia
Scottish Addiction Studies
Scottish Network for Chronic Pain Research Centre
Scottish Centre for Information on Language, Teaching and Research
Centre for Lifelong Learning
Institute for Retail Studies

In the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), Stirling witnessed a dramatic upturn in its research performance, with more than half of the University’s research-active academics now working in subjects in the highly rated category of "5" (which indicates that the majority of the research in these areas is deemed to attain levels of at least national excellence, with a high proportion meeting international standards of excellence). The "5"-rated subjects include: accountancy, finance and law; aquaculture; film and media studies; English studies; French; history; psychology; philosophy; social work; religious studies. Other subject areas were also highly rated: biological sciences; business and management; economics; education; German; sports studies.

The University's funding for research following the 2001 RAE increased more than any other pre-1992 university in Scotland, and was amongst the largest increases in the UK. The University has a developing track record in externally funded research, attracting grants and awards from bodies such as the Research Councils, central and local government, the European Union, and charitable sources. It conducts high quality research ranging from basic through strategic to applied, making a vital contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of Scotland and beyond.

[edit] Sport centres and departments

The University has extensive sports facilities and is one of only sixteen universities in the country with 5-star sports facilities (Sunday Times, 2003). It boasts its own golf course, and a host of other sporting facilities are located in and around the University. The Gannochy Sports Centre on the University campus is recognised as a tennis centre of excellence, and also has an indoor swimming pool, badminton and squash courts, sports halls and playing fields available for student, staff and public use. The campus has been selected as the headquarters for the Scottish Institute of Sport and a new 50-metre pool has been created as part of the National Swimming Academy.

[edit] Student representation

The students of the University are represented by Stirling University Students' Association (S.U.S.A.) which was named "Best Students' Union in Scotland" by the Bar Entertainment and Dance Association in 2003. The Association is based on-campus in the Robbins Centre. It is responsible for providing services to students and representing students to organisations including the University itself. On its premises in the Robbins it runs several venues: Studio, Glow and Long-Bar.

Stirling University also has student-run media services. Brig has been the campus newspaper since 1969. Air3 1350 was the first campus radio station in Scotland and is still broadcasting. AirTV (formerly Videoworks) is a television station for the students which films, edits and writes all of its content in-house.

[edit] The Highland and Western Isles campuses

As well as the main campus in Stirling, the University also has campuses in Inverness (Highland) and Stornoway (Western Isles) which specialise in Nursing and Midwifery. The Highland site is on the outskirts of Inverness and within the grounds of the Raigmore Hospital (NHS) Trust. The site has purpose-built teaching accommodation and student flats. The Highland Health Sciences Library is also on this campus, and caters for both the students and staff of the University as well as the NHS employees of Highland Health Board and its associated Trusts.

The Western Isles campus is located in Stornoway and the teaching accommodation is an integral part of the recently built Lewis Hospital. This is a small campus site which also has student accommodation within the environs of the Lewis Hospital.

[edit] Other functions

The 9th Assembly of the Conference of European Churches was held at the University of Stirling in 1986, with delegates from almost every country in Europe.

[edit] Ratings

Ranked 1st in UK for widening access to Higher Education, teaching and research standards, and low non-completion rates (Times Higher Education Supplement, 2002)
In 2006, The Times University Ranking tables placed the university thirty-seventh in a list of 109 UK universities.<ref name="times-uni-list">O'Leary, John. Good University Guide 2007 (HTML). Times Online. The Times. Retrieved on 6 September, 2006.</ref>
Ranked in Top 20 in UK for the following subjects: "Education" (#6), "Philosophy" (#14), "Communications and Media Studies" (#14), and "Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, Sport and Tourism" (#15).<ref name="times-uni-list" />
One of only 16 universities in the UK with 5 star sports facilities (Sunday Times, 2003)
Ranked 1st in Scotland for the Best Students' Union in Scotland award (Bar Entertainment and Dance Association, 2003)
Ranked 23rd in the UK for awarding firsts and upper seconds (Times Higher Education Supplement, 2003)
Ranked one of the highest in the UK for graduate employment i.e. graduates are far more likely to end up employed than those from most other universities (Times Higher Education Supplement", 2006)