L'université Plymouth University (document en anglais)

Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 32,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students (including the Open University). It has almost 3,000 staff making it one of the largest employers in the south west. The main campus is in the Devon city of Plymouth, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges all over South West England.

Whilst the University has been known as Plymouth University since June 2011 as a result of a rebrand, the formal name and legal title of the University remains University of Plymouth.

History

The University was originally a Polytechnic College, with its constituent bodies being Plymouth Polytechnic, Rolle College, the Exeter College of Art and Design (which were, before April 1989, run by Devon County Council) and Seale-Hayne College (which before April 1989 was an independent charity). It was renamed Polytechnic South West in 1989 and remained as this until gaining university status in 1992 along with the other polytechnics. The new university absorbed the Plymouth School of Maritime Studies and Tavistock College.

In 2006 part of the remains of the World War II Portland Square air-raid shelter were rediscovered on the Plymouth campus. On the night of 22 April 1941, during the Blitz, a bomb fell here killing over 70 civilians, including a mother and her six children. The bomb blast was so violent that human remains were found in the tops of trees. Only three people escaped alive, all children.

The University's first Vice Chancellor was Professor John Bull. He was succeeded by Professor Roland Levinsky who was VC until his death on 1 January 2007, when he walked into live electrical cables brought down during a storm. He was temporarily replaced by Professor Mark Cleary (now VC of the University of Bradford), and then by Professor Steve Newstead. Professor Wendy Purcell became VC on 1 December 2007.

The University was selected by the Royal Statistical Society in October 2008 to be the home of its Centre for Statistical Education. It also runs courses in maritime business, marine engineering, marine biology, and Earth, ocean & environmental sciences.

Campus

When university status was gained in 1992, the university was based in various locations. Under Vice-Chancellor Levinsky the university began a policy of centralising its campus activities in Plymouth.

The Exmouth campus - Rolle College - housed the Faculty of Education and relocated to the new Rolle Building in August 2008. The decision was unpopular with students and the town ofExmouth itself, there were several protest marches and a campaign to keep the campus open. Recently completed developments include Portland Square, a library extension, refurbished and new laboratory and teaching facilities in many of the campus buildings, halls of residence near the Business School and a new £16 million Peninsula Medical School headquarters at Derriford, in the north of the city. A new maritime centre is being constructed behind the Babbage Building to house civil engineering, coastal engineering and marine sciences.

An exception to the trend of centralising activities are the University's extensive activities in education for the health professions. In addition many of its students are taught at

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