University of Leicester

The University was founded as Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland University College in 1921. The site for the University was donated by a local businessman, Thomas Fielding Johnson, in order to create a living memorial for all local people who made sacrifices during the First World War. This is reflected in the University's motto Ut vitam habeant – 'so that they may have life'. Students were first admitted to the college in 1921, sitting examinations for external degrees awarded of the University of London. In 1927 the institution became University College, Leicester; 30 years later the college was granted its Royal Charter. This gave it the status of a University with the right to award its own degrees.Our very compact campus contains a wide range of twentieth century architecture, though the oldest building dates from 1837. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. The central building, now known as the Fielding Johnson Building, houses the University's administration offices and Leicester Law School. This was formerly the Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic Asylum. Adjacent to the Fielding Johnson Building are the Astley Clarke Building and the Danielle Brown Sports Centre. The skyline of Leicester University is punctuated by three distinctive, towering buildings from the 1960s: the Engineering Building, the Attenborough Tower and the Charles Wilson Building. The University's Engineering Building was the first major building by important British architect Sir James Stirling. It comprises workshops and laboratories at ground level, and a tower containing offices and lecture theatres. It was completed in 1963 and is notable for the way in which its external form reflects its internal functions. The 18-storey Attenborough Tower, housing several departments within the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, has one of the very few remaining paternosters in the UK. The Ken Edwards Building, built in 1995, lies adjacent to the Fielding Johnson Building. Built in 1957, the Percy Gee Building is home to Leicester University's Students' Union. The David Wilson Library was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in December 2008, following an extensive refurbishment.During the First World War, our buildings were used as a military hospital.College House was the childhood home of David and Richard Attenborough.The Adrian Building was where genetic fingerprinting was discovered by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys in 1984.Completed in 2016, the George Davies Centre is our hub of medical education and research. University RecordsIt’s time for a strategy that’s a decade ahead of the rest to create another 100 years of lasting change. In our centenary year, we’re proud and excited to unveil a strategy that’s not designed to just exist in ink and gather dust, but to become the global transformation that every one of our Citizens wants to see. Whilst others may take a strategy and read-it, file-it, and forgot-about-it, we’re wholly different. We are the university that turns words into action and action into change. That’s why in this strategy, you’ll find a roadmap that invites you to go beyond the page to make real world change that really matters. From research, to education, to people, this is going to propel us into our second century, and beyond. All it needs now, is you.Our mission"Diverse in our make-up and united in our ambition we change lives through education and research"Our vision"We will provide inspiring education and research working in partnership with our communities to become a truly inclusive university"Our four guiding principles will be used to inform our decision-making. We will test the different priorities of the University against these important principles: our people through considering health and wellbeing and equality and diversity, the environment to ensure we make responsible decisions for future generations and our performance to ensure we are financially sustainable and operate effectively. By doing this we will be more transparent in our approach, demonstrate integrity, and empower people to make a positive difference.In 1957, the University College was granted its Royal Charter, and has since then had the status of a university with the right to award its own degrees. The Percy Gee Student Union building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 May 1958. Leicester University won the first ever series of University Challenge, in 1963. The university's motto Ut Vitam Habeant –"so that they may have life", is a reflection of the war memorial origins of its formation. It is believed to have been Rattray's suggestion. The university medical school, Leicester Medical School, opened in 1971. In 1994, the University of Leicester celebrated winning the Queen's Anniversary Prize for its work in Physics & Astronomy.[citation needed] The prize citation reads: "World-class teaching, research and consultancy programme in astronomy and space and planetary science fields. Practical results from advanced thinking". In 2011, the university was selected as one of four sites for national high performance computing (HPC) facilities for theoretical astrophysics and particle physics. An investment of £12.32 million, from the Government's Large Facilities Capital Fund, together with investment from the Science and Technology Facilities Council and from universities contribute to a national supercomputer.In September 2012, a ULAS team exhumed the body of King Richard III, discovering it in the former Greyfriars Friary Church in the city of Leicester. As a result of that success Prof King was asked to investigate whether a skeleton found in Jamestown was that of George Yeardley, the 1st colonial governor of Virginia and founder of the Virginia General Assembly. In January 2017, Physics students from the University of Leicester made national news when they revealed their predictions on how long it would take a zombie apocalypse to wipe out humanity. They calculated that it would take just 100 days for zombies to completely take over earth. At the end of the 100 days, the students predicted that just 300 humans would remain alive and without infection. In January 2021, around 200 UCU members at the university passed a no-confidence motion in Vice Chancellor Nishan Canagarajah because of proposed cuts putting 145 staff members at risk of redundancy. There was anger at his claim that redundancies are needed to "continue to deliver excellence". In April, the UCU urged academics to boycott the university due to the planned redundancies, including encouraging people to not apply for jobs at Leicester or collaborate on new research projects.

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