Plate glass university

Aplate glass universityorplateglass universityis one of a group of universities in theUnited Kingdomestablished or promoted to university status in the 1960s.^[1]The original plate glass universities were established following decisions by theUniversity Grants Committee(UGC) in the late 1950s and early 1960s, prior to theRobbins Reportin 1963.^[2]However, the term has since expanded to encompass the institutions that became universities as a result of Robbins' recommendations.^[1]

The termplateglasswas coined byMichael Belofffor a book he wrote about these universities,^[3]to reflect theirmodernarchitectural design which often contains wide expanses ofplate glassin steel or concrete frames. This contrasted with the (largelyVictorian)red brick universitiesand the very much olderancient universities.

I had at the start to decide upon a generic term for the new universities – they will not be new for ever. None of the various caps so far tried have fitted. "Greenfields" describes only a transient phase. "Whitebrick", "Whitestone", and "Pinktile" hardly conjure up the grey or biscuit concrete massiveness of most of their buildings, and certainly not the black towers of Essex. "Newbridge" is fine as far as the novelty goes, but where on earth are the bridges? Sir Edward Boyle more felicitously suggested "Shakespeare". But I have chosen to call them the Plateglass Universities. It is architecturally evocative; but more important, it is metaphorically accurate.^[3]

Beloff applied the term specifically to the new creations of the 1960s, not including the institutions promoted fromuniversity collegesorcolleges of advanced technology, or created by division of existing universities "as Durham shed Newcastle". All of the original plateglass universities were createdde novoas universities.^[4]

Beloff listed seven universities in his book.^[5][6]These were the seven universities approved by the UGC prior to the Robbins Report.^[2]

• University of East Anglia(1963)
• University of Essex(1964/5)
• University of Kent at Canterbury(now known as the University of Kent) (1965)
• University of Lancaster(now known as Lancaster University) (1964)
• University of Sussex(1961)
• University of Warwick(1965)
• University of York(1963)

Unlike previous universities in the United Kingdom which were usually named after the city they were located in (for example theUniversity of CambridgeinCambridge), several of the new universities were named after thecountyor wider area they served. The universities founded inColchesterandBrightonwere named after the counties they are located in (EssexandSussexrespectively), the university founded inCanterburyinitially used a name that combined the county name (Kent) with the city and the university (mostly) inCoventry,Warwickshirewas named after thecounty townofWarwick.^[a]The university inNorwich, which is in the county ofNorfolk, was instead named for the wider area ofEast Angliawhich also includesSuffolkandEssex. The universities built inLancashireandYorkshirewere located in the county towns ofLancasterandYorkrespectively. There were already universities within those counties (ManchesterandLiverpoolin Lancashire;Sheffield,LeedsandHullin Yorkshire).

Since the passage of theFurther and Higher Education Act 1992severalnew universitiesanduniversity collegeshave been created within the same city as a plate-glass university and have been named after the city:Brighton,Canterbury Christ Church,Coventry,Norwich University of the Arts,WrittleandYork St John.^[7]

Certain aspects of the design of these universities acknowledges the formation of the group; for example, at Sussex the first batches of student residences to be built were named after some of the other new universities, i.e. "Essex House", "Kent House", "Lancaster House", "Norwich House" (for UEA), and "York House".

Research at theDepartment for Educationin 2016 categorised universities into four age groups:ancient(pre-1800),red brick(1800–1960), plate glass (1960–1992), andpost-1992.^[8]

The institutions that gained university status in the 1960–1992 plate glass period are listed below. Almost all of these were promoted to university status, rather than created as universities like the institutions in Beloff's original list; ten were previouslycolleges of advanced technology(CATs).

(Dates refer to the granting of university status, not to founding of the institution.)

• Aston University(1966) – formerly Birmingham CAT^[9]
• University of Bath(1966) – formerly Bristol College of Science and Technology^[10]
• University of Bradford(1966) – formerly Bradford Institute of Technology^[11]
• Brunel University(1966) – formerly Brunel CAT; renamed "Brunel University London" in 2014
• University of Buckingham(1983) – formerly University College at Buckingham (from 1973)
• City University, London(1966) – formerly Northampton CAT; became a college of theUniversity of Londonand renamed "City, University of London" in 2016
• Heriot-Watt University(1966) – formerly School of Arts of Edinburgh
• Keele University(1962) – formerly North Staffordshire University College
• Loughborough University(1966) – formerly Loughborough CAT
• Newcastle University(1963) – formerly King's College,University of Durham
• Open University(1969) –de novocreation as a distance-learning university
• University of Salford(1967) – formerly Salford CAT
• University of Dundee(1969) – formerly Queen's College Dundee, part of theUniversity of St Andrews^[12]
• University of Stirling(1967) –de novocreation as a university
• University of Strathclyde(1964) – formerly theRoyal College of Science and Technology
• University of Surrey(1966) – formerly Battersea CAT
• New University of Ulster(1968) –de novocreation as a university; merged with the olderMagee University Collegein 1969; merged withUlster Polytechnicand renamed "University of Ulster" in 1984^[13][14]

The DfE study classified higher education institutions (HEIs) according to "the length of time an HEI had been established", without a detailed definition of how this was determined Keele might thus be considered "Red Brick" under this classification as it entered the university sector (as a university college) prior to 1960), as might Newcastle and Dundee, which were colleges of the universities ofDurhamandSt Andrewsrespectively. The definition might also include institutions and colleges of theUniversity of Londonthat became part of the university sector in that period but did not receive university status:

• Cranfield Institute of Technology(1969)^[15]– formerly the College of Aeronautics; granted university status and renamed "Cranfield University" in 1993^[16]
• London Business School(1965) – established 1964, joined University of London 1965^[17]
• Royal College of Art(1967)^[15]

The Scottish universities from the 1960s (Heriot-Watt, Stirling, Strathclyde, Dundee and the Open University in Scotland) are also known as "chartered universities" as they were established, and are governed, by their royal charters.^[18]

Malcolm Bradbury's 1975campus novelThe History Manis set in the fictional plate glass University of Watermouth.^[19][20]External scenes of thetelevision serieswere filmed at Lancaster University.^[21]

• Ancient universities
• Ancient universities of Scotland
• Armorial of UK universities
• List of universities in the UK
• Post-1992 university
• Red brick university

• Toynbee, Polly (2002-06-05)After the jubilation must come the reckoning,The Guardian
• Anti-ageism Laws Will Be Good for All,The Guardian(2003)
• Collini, Stefan (2003-11-06)HiEdBiz,London Review of Books, Vol. 25 No. 21, pp 3–9
• Sheffield University Library Collection