The University of Glasgow (Scottish Gaelic: Oilthigh Ghlaschu, Latin: Universitas Glasguensis) (abbreviated as Glas. in post-nominals) is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland’s four ancient universities. It was founded in 1451. Along with the University of Edinburgh, the University was part of the Scottish Enlightenment during the 18th century. It is currently a member of Universitas 21, the international network of research universities and the Russell Group.
In common with universities of the pre-modern era, Glasgow originally educated students primarily from wealthy backgrounds, however it became a pioneer in British higher education in the 19th century by also providing for the needs of students from the growing urban and commercial middle class. Glasgow University served all of these students by preparing them for professions: the law, medicine, civil service, teaching, and the church. It also trained smaller but growing numbers for careers in science and engineering. The annual income of the institution for 2016–17 was £607.5 million of which £179.8 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £565.9 million.[1]
Originally located in the city’s High Street, since 1870 the main University campus has been located at Gilmorehill in the West End of the city. Additionally, a number of university buildings are located elsewhere, such as the Veterinary School in Bearsden, and the Crichton Campus in Dumfries.
Alumni or former staff of the University include a founding father of the United States, philosopher Francis Hutcheson, engineer James Watt, philosopher and economist Adam Smith, physicist Lord Kelvin, surgeon Joseph Lister, seven Nobel laureates, and three British Prime Ministers.
The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451 by a charter or papal bull from Pope Nicholas V, at the suggestion of King James II, giving Bishop William Turnbull, a graduate of the University of St Andrews, permission to add a University to the city’s Cathedral.[7] It is the second-oldest university in Scotland after St Andrews and the fourth-oldest in the English-speaking world. The universities of St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen were ecclesiastical foundations, while Edinburgh was a civic foundation. As one of the ancient universities of the United Kingdom, Glasgow University is one of only eight institutions to award undergraduate master’s degrees in certain disciplines.
The University has been without its original Bull since the mid-sixteenth century. In 1560, during the political unrest accompanying the Scottish Reformation, the then chancellor, Archbishop James Beaton, a supporter of the Marian cause, fled to France. He took with him, for safe-keeping, many of the archives and valuables of the Cathedral and the University, including the Mace and the Bull. Although the Mace was sent back in 1590, the archives were not.
Teaching at the University began in the chapterhouse of Glasgow Cathedral, subsequently moving to nearby Rottenrow, in a building known as the “Auld Pedagogy”. The University was given 13 acres (5.3 ha) of land belonging to the Black Friars (Dominicans) on High Street by Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1563. By the late 17th century, the University building centred on two courtyards surrounded by walled gardens, with a clock tower, which was one of the notable features of Glasgow’s skyline, and a chapel adapted from the church of the former Dominican (Blackfriars) friary.
In 1973, Delphine Parrott became its first woman professor, as Gardiner Professor of Immunology.
In October 2014, the university court voted for the University to become the first academic institution in Europe to divest from the fossil fuel industry.
The University is currently spread over a number of different campuses. The main one is the Gilmorehill campus, in Hillhead. As well as this there is the Garscube Estate in Bearsden, housing the Veterinary School, Observatory, Ship model basin and much of the University’s sports facilities, the Dental School in the city centre, the section of mental health and well being at Gartnavel Royal Hospital on Great Western Road, the Teaching and Learning Centre at the South Glasgow University Hospital, and the Crichton campus in Dumfries (operated jointly by the University of Glasgow, the University of the West of Scotland and the Open University). The University has also established joint departments with the Glasgow School of Art and in naval architecture with the University of Strathclyde.
There are several officers of the university. The role of each involves management of the operations of Glasgow.
Day-to-day management of the University is undertaken by the University Principal (who is also Vice-Chancellor). The current principal is Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli who replaced Sir Muir Russell in October 2009.
There are also several Vice-Principals, each with a specific remit. They, along with the Clerk of Senate, play a major role in the day-to-day management of the University.
There are also a number of committees of both the Court and Senate that make important decisions and investigate matters referred to them. As well as these bodies there is a General Council made up of the university graduates that is involved in the running of the University. The graduates also elect the Chancellor of the University. A largely honorific post, the current Chancellor is Professor Sir Kenneth Calman, former Chief Medical Officer and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Durham.
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