THE UNIVERSITY of Chester has launched a calendar of events to mark its 175th anniversary as one of the oldest higher education establishments in the country.
Pre-dating all but Oxford, Cambridge, London and Durham, The University of Chester was founded by 19th Prime Minister William Gladstone and the Earl of Derby in 1839 and was the first higher education establishment to be purpose built for the training of teachers.
Today, the University of Chester is one of the leading providers of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Care education and is currently home to over 17,000 students, many from overseas.
This academic year, a programme of events are planned that will reach beyond the campus grounds and into the surrounding community as the University asks the question ‘What does Chester mean to you?’
Artist and curator Mike Chavez-Dawson has been commissioned by the University to work with students on a range of arts projects and the 175 Choir, formed especially to coincide with the anniversary, is open to both students and the public and will perform throughout the academic year.
Neil Grant, head of art and design at Kingsway campus, home to the Faculty of Arts and Media, said: “The year ahead is full of exciting activities and events for staff, students and the wider community, culminating in grand finale events in June 2015. I look ahead to 2014/15 and what promises to be a truly memorable year both for the institution and for all of those who contribute to its success.”
The celebratory events were launched in September with the unveiling of an anniversary quilt, a collaborative creation by staff and alumnae who volunteered to get together and create a lasting legacy to the achievements of the college/university and its students. Read more about the unveiling here.
When the University began its first academic year in 1839, Queen Victoria had been crowned only two years before, tea arrived from India for the first time, and the daguerreotype (an early type of photograph) was invented by Louis Daguerre.
During the following 18 decades the institution has benefited from the Education Act, electricity, heating, ready meals, the internet and advances in equality – all things that were completely foreign to the first students of 1839.
Over those decades the University of Chester has developed its provision of courses to include BA and BSc programmes, a dedicated nursing and midwifery school – known today as the Faculty of Health and Social Care – and forged strong relationships with the University of Liverpool.
Anyone wanting to get involved in the celebrations can find full details on the University’s public events page.
Chester Record 