Anglia Ruskin University - History

History

Anglia Ruskin University has its origins in the Cambridge School of Art in 1858 by John Ruskin: William John Beamont was also involved in the founding. The original location was near to Sidney Sussex College, however it subsequently moved to its present location near Mill Road, Cambridge. In 1960 this became the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT). In 1989 CCAT merged with the Essex Institute of Higher Education to form the Anglia Higher Education College. The merged college became a polytechnic in 1991, using the name Anglia Polytechnic, and was then awarded university status in 1992.

Initially Anglia Polytechnic University (APU), it retained the word 'polytechnic' in its title because "the term 'polytechnic' still had value to students and their potential employers, symbolising as it did the sort of education that they were known for – equipping students with effective practical skills for the world of work" although in 2000 there was some self-doubt about including the term 'polytechnic' – it was the last university in the country to have done so. Wanting to keep the 'APU' abbreviation, a suggestion put forward by the governors was 'Anglia Prior University' (after a former Chancellor), but the Governors decided to keep 'polytechnic' in the title.

The University eventually reconsidered a name change, because "Nowadays, few remember the old polytechnics and technical colleges, and there was no longer any value to students or faculty in retaining the word 'polytechnic' in the title. Indeed, it was sometimes seen as a hindrance, especially in non-vocational subject areas." From over two hundred suggestions and consultations with staff, students and local residents, communities and businesses, the University chose Anglia Ruskin University (thus incorporating into the title the surname of John Ruskin, who founded the Cambridge School of Art in 1858, which eventually became the university), with the new name taking effect following the approval of the Privy Council on 29 September 2005.

Past lecturers include Odile Crick, wife of Francis Crick; she created the simple iconic image of DNA as two intertwined ribbons linked by ten rungs per turn of the double helix that appeared in the article in Nature announcing the discovery of its structure. Author Tom Sharpe was a lecturer in History at CCAT between 1963 and 1972 and Anne Campbell, the Labour MP for Cambridge from 1992 to 2005, was formerly a lecturer in Statistics at CCAT.

The Chelmsford Central campus closed at the end of the 2007/8 academic year, with all facilities moving to the new buildings at the Rivermead campus in the town. Certain facilities had started to move at the end of the 2005/6 academic year when the site was sold to a private developer (with an agreement that the University could still use the site until 2008), and a brief period of demolition work was carried out in early 2007. No further demolition works took place until the beginning of 2010, when most of the ageing buildings on the site were demolished. Three buildings were saved - the East building (built 1931), the Frederick Chancellor building (built 1902), and the Grade 2-listed Anne Knight building (built in the mid-19th century), which was used by Quakers. The East and Frederick Chancellor buildings fall under a conservation area, meaning they cannot be demolished without planning permission, as they are historically important due to their uses in the early days of higher education in Essex. The site is currently vacant due to the recession halting development which had been planned for many years; however, new plans have been released by Genesis Housing, who currently own the site.