University College London

University College London, commonly known as UCL, is one of the colleges that make up the University of London.

History

Jeremy Bentham

The philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) is considered to be the spiritual father of UCL, as he played a major role in the development of the college. Whilst he is often credited with founding the college, Jeremy Bentham played no part in the establishment of the institution.

Related Topics:
Jeremy Bentham - 1748 - 1832

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jeremy Bentham was a strong advocate for making higher education more widely available, and is often linked with the University's early adoption of a policy of making all courses available to anyone (who could pay the fees) regardless of sex, religion or political beliefs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A further reason for Jeremy Bentham's fame within UCL is due to the fact that his body is on display to the public. Jeremy Bentham specified in his will that he wanted his body to be preserved as a lasting memorial, and this instruction was duly carried out. This 'Auto-Icon' has become famous. Unfortunately, when it came to preserving his head, the process went disastrously wrong and left the head badly disfigured. A wax head was made to replace it, but for many years the real head sat between his legs. However, this head was frequently stolen and subjected to many student pranks, with students from rival King's College London often the culprits. The head is said to have at one time been found in a luggage locker at Aberdeen station, and to have been used as a football by students in the Quad. These events led to the head being removed from display and placed instead in the College vaults, where it remains to this day.

Related Topics:
King's College London - Aberdeen

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other rumours surrounding the Auto-Icon are that the box containing his remains is wheeled into senior college meetings, and that he is then listed in minutes as 'present but not voting'. He is also said to have a vote on the council, but only when the vote is split, and that he always votes in favour of the motion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When the Upper Refectory was refurbished in 2003, the room became renamed the Jeremy Bentham Room (sometimes abbreviated JBR) in tribute to the man.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Founding and Development

UCL was founded in 1826 under the name "University of London" as an alternative to the strictly religious universities of Oxford and Cambridge. However it was not until 1836, when the University of London was established, that the college was legally recognised and granted the power to award degrees of the University of London. Its legal status as a university-level institution thus postdates that of Durham (founded 1832); however because it was actually founded in 1826 it is often claimed to be the third oldest university in England, after Oxford and Cambridge. It has also been said that, since the charter of King's College London (granted in 1829) predates that of UCL by five years, UCL should not even be regarded as the oldest college in the University of London.

Related Topics:
1826 - Oxford - Cambridge - 1836 - University of London - Degrees - University - Durham - 1832 - King's College London - 1829

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The college was the first UK higher education institution to accept students of any race or religious or political belief. It was possibly the first to accept women on equal terms with men (the University of Bristol also makes this claim - as both were admitting students to University of London degrees at the time, it is quite possible that this was a simultaneous action), the first in England to establish a student union (although men and women had separate unions until 1945), and the first to have professorships in chemical engineering, chemistry, Egyptology, electrical engineering, English, French, geography, German, Italian, papyrology, phonetics, psychology, and zoology.

Related Topics:
University of Bristol - Student union - Professorship - Chemical engineering - Chemistry - Egyptology - Electrical engineering - English - French - Geography - German - Italian - Papyrology - Phonetics - Psychology - Zoology

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1907 the University of London was reconstituted and many of the colleges, including UCL, lost their separate legal existence. This continued until 1977 when a new charter restored UCL's independence. In 1985 the main Gower Street building was finally finished - 158 years after the foundations were laid.

Related Topics:
1907 - 1977 - 1985

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1973, UCL became the first international link to the ARPANET, the precursor of

Related Topics:
1973 - ARPANET

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

today's internet.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In August 1998 the medical school at UCL merged with The Royal Free Hospital Medical School to create the new Royal Free and University College Medical School.

Related Topics:
August - 1998 - The Royal Free

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Even today UCL retains its strict secular position, and unlike most other UK universities has no Christian chaplaincy or Muslim prayer rooms. Due to this policy UCL has also been known as "the godless institution of Gower Street".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

UCL Union repeats this policy, and is also constitutionally forbidden from being tied to a political party. Candidates for positions cannot campaign on party tickets, to which many might attribute the repeated descriptions of UCL as relatively 'apolitical', especially in contrast to nearby institutions like LSE. But we might equally pin this on social/cultural tendencies within the student body and university administration.

Related Topics:
UCL Union - LSE

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The UCL Library is famous in its own right, its collection including a first edition of Newton's Principia.

Related Topics:
Newton's - Principia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In October 2002, a plan to merge UCL with Imperial College London was announced by the universities. The merger was widely seen as a de facto takeover of UCL by Imperial College and was opposed by both staff and UCL Union, the students' union; but what particularly angered many staff and students was the perceived lack of consultation before the proposal was made. At an Emergency meeting organised by University College London Union to discuss the merger and the union´s stance on it, the then provost Sir Derek Roberts stormed out of the Bloomsbury theatre, refusing to listen to a speaker who opposed the merger. He himself had just finished delivering a speech in favour. One month later after a vigorous campaign the merger was called off.

Related Topics:
2002 - Imperial College London - UCL Union

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On 1 August 2003, Professor Malcolm Grant took the role of President and Provost (the principal of UCL), taking over from Sir Derek Roberts, who had been called out of retirement as a caretaker provost for the college.

Related Topics:
1 August - 2003 - Provost

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shortly after his inauguration, UCL began the 'Campaign for UCL' initiative, in 2004. It aimed to raise £300m from alumni and friends. This kind of explicit campaigning is traditionally unusual for UK universities, and is similar to US university funding. UCL had a financial endowment in the top ten among UK universities at £81m, according to the Sutton Trust (2002).

Related Topics:
Financial endowment - 2002

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

UCL was named University of the Year 2005 by The Times.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Famous Alumni

See also List of UCL Alumni

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

UCL alumni include legions of the "Great and Good", ranging from Mahatma Gandhi to the members of Coldplay. An historical bent towards the arts has tended to mean a higher output of authors, including Robert Browning and Raymond Briggs, than scientists and engineers, although it still has its fair share, such as Francis Crick, John Ambrose Fleming and perhaps most notably Alexander Graham Bell. Politicians figure highly in the lists, notably both the first prime minister of Japan, Hirobumi Ito and the current prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Related Topics:
Mahatma Gandhi - Coldplay - Robert Browning - Raymond Briggs - Francis Crick - John Ambrose Fleming - Alexander Graham Bell - Hirobumi Ito - Junichiro Koizumi

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~