56-614: The Museum of English Rural Life , also known as The MERL , is a museum, library and archive dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. The museum is run by the University of Reading , and is situated in Redlands Road to the rear of the institution's London Road Campus near to the centre of Reading in southern England. The location was formerly known as East Thorpe House and then St Andrew's Hall . It
112-430: A bat was found on the museum's premises. The museum named the bat MERLin and issued him a library card. To mark their 70th year, the museum worked with artists and writers from different communities on 51 Voices, enabling responses to objects connected to 1951 in the collections. The Museum houses designated collections of national importance that span the full range of objects, archives, photographs, film and books. It
168-573: A campus in Iskandar Puteri , Malaysia. The university has been arranged into 16 academic schools since 2016. The annual income of the institution for 2022–23 was £322 million of which £34 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £325.7 million. The university owes its first origins to the Schools of Art and Science established in Reading in 1860 and 1870. In 1892,
224-650: A cost of £30 million. The London Road site also plays host to the university graduation ceremonies twice a year, in the Great Hall. The Greenlands Campus , on the banks of the River Thames in Buckinghamshire. Once the home of William Henry Smith , son of the founder of WH Smith , and latterly the site of the Henley Management College , this campus became part of the university on 1 August 2008, with
280-410: A free advice service to students, and facilitates over 160 different activities for students to get involved in. The Students' Union building on Whiteknights Campus contains a 2500 capacity venue called 3sixty (recently renovated in 2018), with seven bars, and a number of retail outlets. The retail outlets include an Asian supermarket, a Starbucks and a hairdressers. Student accommodation is provided in
336-728: A location on Whiteknights Campus to a site nearer the town centre next to the London Road Campus. The Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology , the Cole Museum of Zoology , the University of Reading Herbarium and the Harris Garden are all on the Whiteknights Campus. The Department of Typography and Graphic Communication holds a number of lettering, printing and graphic design collections including those of Isotype, Ephemera, printing presses, Twentieth-century posters, non-Latin typefaces and
392-418: A number of halls of residence offering a mix of partially catered (19 meals per week) and self-catering accommodation, along with other self-catering accommodation. Following a major review the university is now proceeding with the integrated Halls and Catering Strategy, that will see several halls replaced as well as new ones created with social, catering & welfare facilities provided in hub areas. Most of
448-600: A setting for a rural collection in an urban environment. The Museum underwent a period of further redevelopment from 2013–2016, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Wellcome Trust , and the University of Reading. The Museum officially reopened on 22 October 2016 with ten new galleries, including a gallery dedicated to Ladybird Books artwork held by the University of Reading Special Collections. In February 2019,
504-556: A specialist library and houses other collections including the library of the Tools & Trades History Society . University of Reading The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire , England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading , a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 1926 by royal charter from King George V and
560-482: A year and advises on areas such as student entry, assessment and awards. Membership includes deans, heads and elected representatives of schools, as well as professional staff and students. The Senate in turn reports to the Council, which is the supreme governing body of the university, setting strategic direction, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and approving constitutional changes. The Council meets four times
616-459: A year and comprises a broad representation of lay members drawn from commercial, community and professional organisations. On 24 March 2016, it was announced that William Waldegrave was to be the new chancellor of Reading University. Lord Waldegrave is the fourth Conservative politician to be appointed chancellor of the university, following Austen Chamberlain , Sir Samuel Hoare and Lord Carrington . Waldegrave's predecessor, Sir John Madejski
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#1732852431912672-411: Is a faculty providing training and a range of support for doctoral researchers and related staff across the other four faculties. The university is nominally led by a chancellor , who is the titular head of the university and is normally a well-known public figure. The day-to-day chief executive role is the responsibility of the vice-chancellor , a full-time academic post. The senior management board of
728-466: Is a lead sponsor of UTC Reading , a new university technical college which opened in September 2013. In 2016, a move to reorganise the structure of Reading University provoked student protests. On 21 March 2016, staff announced a vote of no confidence in the vice chancellor Sir David Bell . Eighty-eight per cent of those who voted backed the no confidence motion. In 2019, The Guardian reported
784-539: Is also a supporter of, and contributor to, the Conservative Party. New students entering the university in 2020 had an average of 129 points (the equivalent of ABB at A Level). According to the 2023 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, approximately 13% of Reading's undergraduates come from independent schools. Departments in the university have been awarded the biannual Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education five times: in 1998, in
840-542: Is also the location of the University of Reading's special collections archive, housing hundreds of collections of rare books, manuscripts , typescripts and other objects of importance. The collections hold over 25,000 objects, almost all of which are on display, and which provide a material record of rural England covering 1750 to the present day. It cares for a collection of livestock portraiture, representations of rural life, agricultural hand tools, ploughs, farm machinery, sewing machines and other equipment. The museum has
896-462: Is an accredited museum and accredited archive as recognised by Arts Council England and the National Archives . The museum's site was originally occupied by a house known as East Thorpe, designed in 1880 by Alfred Waterhouse for Alfred Palmer (of the Reading biscuit manufacturers Huntley & Palmers ). Palmer was an important early benefactor of Reading University and in 1911 East Thorpe
952-491: Is labelled as 'internationally recognised', 78% as 'internationally excellent and 27% as 'world leading'. Its School of Agriculture Policy and Development was ranked top in the UK and 11th in the world, according to the QS classification of universities by subject. Reading has been highly ranked in meteorology and atmospheric science . In the 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects , it
1008-497: Is separated from the Royal Berkshire Hospital by Redlands Road, whilst the grade II* listed Albion Terrace is on the other side of London Road. The university run Museum of English Rural Life is located on Redlands Road just to the south of the campus. 51°27′00.07″N 0°57′41.87″W / 51.4500194°N 0.9616306°W / 51.4500194; -0.9616306 This article relating to education in
1064-497: Is the affiliated student organisation which represents the students' interests. The university also has a number of Junior Common Rooms that are linked to the Students' Union. The Students' Union has been the launchpad for many successful careers including Penny Mordaunt (Former MP for Portsmouth North), who was the 1994–5 president of the Students' Union. The Students' Union runs the student radio station. It broadcasts locally from
1120-469: Is the largest and includes Whiteknights Lake, conservation meadows and woodlands as well as most of the university's departments. Though within the Reading urban area, most of the campus actually falls within Wokingham District (parish of Earley ). The campus takes its name from the nickname of the 13th century knight John De Erleigh IV or the 'White Knight', and was landscaped in the 18th century by
1176-524: The College at Reading was founded as an extension college by Christ Church , a college of the University of Oxford . The first president was the geographer Sir Halford John Mackinder , and the college's first home was the old hospitium building behind Reading Town Hall . The Schools of Art and Science were transferred to the new college by Reading Town Council in the same year. The new college received its first treasury grant in 1901. Three years later it
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#17328524319121232-555: The English county of Berkshire . The site for the campus was given to the university in 1904 by the Palmer family, owners of Reading's Huntley & Palmers biscuit makers. It served as the university's main site until after the much larger Whiteknights Campus was acquired in 1947. The University Great Hall, which plays host to the university graduation ceremonies, is to be found at London Road. The University's war memorial , which takes
1288-649: The Henley Business School MBA . First announced in October 2012, it is the university's first overseas campus. The project was overseen by Tony Downes . Professor Wing Lam took over as Provost in May 2018 after the retirement of Tony Downes and restructured the campus to enable it to focus on core professional disciplines that were aligned with the region's need for talent. The former Bulmershe Court Campus in Woodley
1344-491: The Henley Management College to create the university's new Henley Business School , bringing together Henley College's expertise in MBAs with the university's existing Business School and ICMA Centre . The merger took formal effect on 1 August 2008, with the new business school split across the university's existing Whiteknights Campus and its new Greenlands Campus that formerly housed Henley Management College. A restructuring of
1400-513: The Marquis of Blandford . The main university library, in the middle of the campus, holds nearly a million books and subscribes to around 4,000 periodicals. The URS building, designed by Howell, Killick, Partridge & Amis in concrete brutalist style in the 1970s is Grade II listed. The Whiteknights campus was voted one of the best green spaces in the United Kingdom for the seventh year running in
1456-456: The 2017 Green Flag People's Choice awards . The smaller London Road Campus is the original university site and is closer to the town centre of Reading, sited across from the Royal Berkshire Hospital . The London Road site is home to The Institute of Education – a major provider of teacher training in the UK. The Institute moved to its new home in January 2012 after the campus was refurbished at
1512-543: The Cotton Club. The campus is currently undergoing a major renovation, preparatory to becoming the new home of the university's Institute of Education. This commenced in mid-2010 and is planned for completion in the summer of 2011, at an estimated cost of £ 30 million. The work is being partially funded by the sale of the adjoining site of Mansfield Hall , a former hall of residence, for demolition and replacement by private sector student accommodation. The London Road Campus
1568-618: The Humanities, Social Sciences and Law category, for work on Shakespeare ; in 2005, in the Environment category; in 2008, again in Humanities, Social Sciences and Law; in 2011, for "teaching and design applications in typography, through print and new technologies" in Typography & Graphic Communication; and in 2021, again in the category of Environment And Conservation, for "connecting communities with climate change" through "new modelling work on
1624-526: The Reading Student Village (renamed Benyon) are leased back to the university from UPP . The cost of leasing back the Student Village to the university, according to the university accounts, was £1.3 million in 2002–03 and £1.5 million for 2003–04. In 2011 the management of the mature and international halls, Hillside and Martindale, was taken over by the "Estates management team", as
1680-620: The Senate voted to close the Department of Physics, a move confirmed by the council on 20 November. Other departments closed in recent years include Music, Sociology, Geology, and Mechanical Engineering. The university council decided in March 2009 to close the School of Health and Social Care, a school whose courses have consistently been oversubscribed. In January 2008, the university announced its merger with
1736-533: The Whiteknights campus in university retail outlets and over an internet live stream on a full-time basis. The station was formed in 1997 and started broadcasting in 2001 on 1287AM and transferred to solely online in 2007. It also publishes the Spark , a newspaper aimed at the student population of the university, which is published fortnightly during term-time only and student television station RU:ON. The union provides
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1792-560: The Whiteknights site. The university also announced its intention to site some functions on the London Road site, and proposed a complete withdrawal from Bulmershe Court by 2012, which was accomplished. Reading University maintains four museums, the main campus library, a range of inter-departmental libraries, and a botanical garden . The largest and best known of these museums is the Museum of English Rural Life , which has recently relocated from
1848-399: The archive of partners Banks and Miles. The University Library at Whiteknights makes available over 1 million physical resources, as well as a range of electronic online resources, from 14,000 square metres of space across seven floors. The secondary site library at the university's Bulmershe campus closed in 2011 and its operative collections were transferred. There is also a library in
1904-497: The charter was officially granted on 17 March 1926. With the charter, the college became the University of Reading, the only new university to be created in the United Kingdom between the two world wars. It was added to the Combined English Universities constituency in 1928 in time for the 1929 general election. In 1947, the university purchased Whiteknights Park , which was to become its principal campus. In 1984,
1960-542: The form of a clock tower , is situated near the Great Hall. While most departments of the university have now relocated to the university's other campuses, London Road is still home to several university departments and facilities. These include the School of Continuing Education, the School of Health & Social Care, Estates Management, the University Archive Service, the Innovation Centre @ Reading and
2016-439: The halls of residence lie close to the northern campus periphery and in residential areas close by. Wantage Hall is the second oldest purpose-built hall in England outside of Oxford and Cambridge, opening a year after Hulme Hall at the University of Manchester , and is built in the style of an 'Oxbridge' college. St. Andrews Hall closed in 2001 and is now the home of the Museum of English Rural Life . St. George's Hall and
2072-458: The interaction between the Earth’s climate and local weather systems, enabling the development of risk assessment, community preparedness and action to tackle climate change." Reading was ranked 35th in the UK amongst multi-faculty institutions for the quality (GPA) of its research and 28th for its Research Power in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework . In total, 98% of the university's research
2128-569: The merger of that college with the university's Business School to form the Henley Business School . The school's MBA and corporate learning offerings will be based at Greenlands, with undergraduate and other postgraduate courses being based at Whiteknights. An Asian campus at Iskandar , Malaysia was formally opened in February 2016. It offers a range of professional programmes at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels including
2184-530: The nearby villages of Arborfield , Sonning and Shinfield . These support a mixed farming system including dairy cows, ewes and beef animals, and host research centres of which the flagship is the Centre for Dairy Research. As part of the proposed Whiteknights Development Plan in Autumn 2007, the university proposed spending up to £250 million on its estates over 30 years, principally to focus academic activities onto
2240-501: The public in 1955. St Andrew's Hall closed as a hall of residence in 2001. The site was then redeveloped for the use of the museum, with the cost of £ 11m being shared by the university, the Heritage Lottery Fund and public donations. The redeveloped museum opened in 2005 and retains the original East Thorpe building, with the addition of an adjoining new building. The two contrasting buildings overlook restored gardens, providing
2296-523: The refurbishment programme. Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Science Faculty of Life Sciences Faculty of Science Henley Business School is a highly selective, top-ranking business school, among only 58 institutions worldwide to be granted Triple accreditation by the three largest and most influential business school accreditation associations: EQUIS , AMBA and the AACSB. It includes several academic areas: The university-wide Graduate School
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2352-450: The university has been beset by controversy, with the closure of departments and job losses among staff. The university lost 7.7% of its HEFCE funding in fiscal year 2010–2011. In 2016 a move to reorganise the structure of Reading University provoked protests. The Gyosei International College in the U.K. was established on property acquired from the University of Reading in 1989. The college, later renamed Witan International College,
2408-442: The university has debts of £300 million, as well as having an operating deficit of over £40 million for the past two years. In 2021, the university declared, in a statement reply to the student's union, that it would not refund tuition fees for its students. The university maintains over 1.6 square kilometres (395 acres) of grounds, in four distinct campuses: Whiteknights Campus , at 1.3 square kilometres (321 acres),
2464-443: The university is headed by the vice-chancellor, assisted by a deputy-vice-chancellor, three pro-vice-chancellors, four deans and five heads of directorate. It is responsible for the day-to-day management of the university and meets fortnightly throughout most of the year. The senior management board reports to the university's Senate, the main academic administrative body. The senate has around 100 members and meets at least four times
2520-604: The university started a merger with Bulmershe College of Higher Education, which was completed in 1989. In October 2006, the Senior Management Board proposed the closure of its Physics Department to future undergraduate application. This was ascribed to financial reasons and lack of alternative ideas and caused considerable controversy, not least a debate in Parliament over the closure which prompted heated discussion of higher education issues in general. On 10 October,
2576-518: The university was announced in September 2009, which would bring together all the academic schools into three faculties, these being the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social sciences, and Henley Business School. The move was predicted to result in the loss of some jobs, especially in the film, theatre and television department, which has since moved into a brand new £ 11.5 million building on Whiteknights Campus. In late 2009 it
2632-469: The university was in "a financial and governance crisis" after recently reporting itself to regulators over a £121 million loan. The university is sole trustee of the charitable National Institute for Research in Dairying trust, and after selling trust land had then borrowed the £121 million proceeds from the trust, despite the potential conflict of interest in the decision making. Including this loan,
2688-502: The university's Meteorology department. The library underwent refurbishment costing £40 million starting in 2016 and was re-opened in autumn 2019. The redevelopment aimed to improve the energy efficiency of the building with the installation of new windows, cladding and roofing. New lifts, additional study seating capacity, a larger Library cafe with an outside seating area, more toilets (including disabled and gender-neutral provision) and card-access security barriers were also part of
2744-488: Was Bulmershe Hall in 2012, the sale of which was finalised in 2014. In the same year the new Kendrick Halls were opened on the ground of halls which had not been in use for many years. These are not managed by the university. London Road Campus London Road Campus of the University of Reading is the original campus of that university. It is on the London Road , immediately to the south of Reading town centre in
2800-574: Was acquired by the University of Reading in 2004. Witan College closed in 2008. In 2009 the university partnered with the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology to offer Chinese students courses taught by the department of chemistry. In 2015 this was expanded to form the NUIST Reading Academy which currently offers six degree programs and enrolls nearly 400 students annually. Reading University Students' Union (RUSU)
2856-436: Was announced that the London Road Campus was to undergo a £ 30 million renovation, preparatory to becoming the new home of the university's Institute of Education. The Institute moved to its new home in January 2012. The refurbishment was partially funded by the sale of the adjoining site of Mansfield Hall , a former hall of residence, for demolition and replacement by private sector student accommodation. The university
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#17328524319122912-480: Was extended to become St Andrew's Hall, a hall of residence for women attending the university. The museum itself was founded in 1951, growing out of the university's long academic connections with agriculture. The founding objects of the museum came from the collections of H. J. Massingham and Lavinia Smith . It originally occupied premises on the University of Reading's main Whiteknights Campus , opening to
2968-461: Was given a site, now the university's London Road Campus , by the Palmer family (connected with the firm of Huntley & Palmers ). The same family supported the opening of Wantage Hall in 1908 and of the Research Institute in Dairying in 1912. The college first applied for a royal charter in 1920 but was unsuccessful at that time. However a second petition, in 1925, was successful, and
3024-522: Was ranked 5th in the world for atmospheric science. It was ranked 15th in the world for Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences by U.S. News & World Report in 2024 and 13th among global universities in atmospheric science in the 2024 SCImago Institutions Rankings . It was ranked 2nd in the world in meteorology and atmospheric sciences by the Center for World University Rankings in 2017 (the most recent year subject rankings were published). In recent years
3080-444: Was the only university to receive such a charter between the two world wars . The university is usually categorised as a red brick university , reflecting its original foundation in the 19th century. Reading has four major campuses. In the United Kingdom, the campuses on London Road and Whiteknights are based in the town of Reading itself, and Greenlands is based on the banks of the River Thames in Buckinghamshire. It also has
3136-447: Was the site of the former Bulmershe Teaching College, which merged with The University of Reading in 1989. The campus was sold in January 2014 as the university decided to concentrate its activity on its three other campuses. It had previously moved all teaching and research at Bulmershe either to Whiteknights or to London Road, and closed the student accommodation. The university also owns 8.5 square kilometres (2,100 acres) of farmland in
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