Liverpool Hope University - History

History

Two of the university's founding colleges, St. Katharine's (1844) and Notre Dame (1856) were established in the 19th century. These colleges were in Warrington and Liverpool City Centre respectively. They were supplemented on Merseyside when a second Catholic teacher education college, Christ's College, on a site adjacent to S. Katharine's, admitted its first students in 1964. (Christ's was the first Catholic co-educational teachers' training college in England.)

In 1980, these three colleges joined in an ecumenical federation under the holding title of Liverpool Institute of Higher Education (LIHE). Archbishop Derek Worlock and Bishop David Sheppard wrote of this as being "a sign of hope".

In 1995, a new Instrument and Articles of Government established a single, unified, ecumenical College, and a new name – Liverpool Hope – which better reflected its role and Mission. A company limited by guarantee and registered as a charity was formed.

Meanwhile, expansion followed in both the range of degrees and in student numbers. The status of a fully accredited institution of the University of Liverpool had been achieved in 1994. This gave full responsibility to the college for the quality and standards of its course provision and provided recognition of its academic standing.

In 1998, the Accreditation Agreement with the University of Liverpool was renewed for five years and extended to cover taught postgraduate awards. After extensive scrutiny by the Quality Assurance Agency in 2001 and 2002, Hope gained taught degree awarding powers in August 2002.

The application to become a university – submitted in September 2004 – was successful and the Privy Council approved the title "Liverpool Hope University" in July 2005, granting Hope full university status under the leadership of Professor Pillay, who is now the University's Vice-Chancellor. On 25 January 2006, Baroness Cox, Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, was installed as the university's Foundation Chancellor.