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King's College London

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King's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV in 1829, its royal charter is predated only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. King's has a strong academic reputation; in 2007 it was ranked 6th in the UK, 6th in Europe and 24th in the world by The Times Higher Education Supplement. King's is a founding member of the Russell Group and the Golden Triangle, constitutes the biggest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe, and houses five Medical Research Council Centres - more than anywhere else in the world. Today, King's is arranged into nine Schools of Study, spread across four Thames-side campuses in Central London and one in Denmark Hill, South London.

History

King's College London is one of the two founding colleges of the University of London. King's, so named to indicate the patronage of George IV, was founded in 1829 in response to the founding of "London University", latterly known as University College London, in 1826. UCL was founded, with the backing of Jews, Utilitarians and non-Anglican Christians, as a secular institution, intended to educate "the youth of our middling rich people between the ages of 15 or 16 and 20 or later". The need for such an institution was due to the religious nature of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which then educated solely the sons of wealthy Anglicans. The foundation of UCL met with the disapproval of the establishment, indeed, "the storms of opposition which raged around it threatened to crush every spark of vital energy which remained". The Rev. Dr. George D'Oyly, rector of Lambeth and governor of Wilson's School in Camberwell, opposing the secular nature of the college, published an open letter proposing the formation of a competing institution. This would be of a religious, and more particularly Anglican, nature, one which would instil, "the services of religion ... performed as directed in our National Church". This prompted the Duke of Wellington, then Prime Minister to chair a public meeting which launched King's on 21 June 1828. His simultaneous support for the Anglican college and the Roman Catholic Relief Act, which was to lead to the granting of almost full civil rights to Catholics, was challenged by George Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea in early 1829. The result was a duel in Battersea Fields on 21 March that year. Deliberately off-target shots were fired by both and neither was hurt. "Duel Day" is still celebrated on 21 March every year, marked by various events throughout the College.

King's opened in 1831. Despite the intentions of its founders and the chapel at its heart of the buildings, the initial prospectus permitted, "nonconformists of all sorts to enter the college freely". Chemistry, English literature and Commerce were among the subjects offered. At this time, neither King's, nor "London University" had the ability to confer degrees, a particular problem for medical students who wished to practice. Amending this situation was aided by the appointment of Henry Brougham as Lord Chancellor, who was chairman of the governors of "London University". In this position he automatically became a governor of King's. In the understanding that the government was unlikely to grant degree-awarding powers on two institutions in London, negotiations led to the colleges federating as the "University of London" in 1836, "London University" thus being demoted to the lower status of University College.

King's professors played a part in scientific and social advances of the nineteenth century, through extending higher education to women, the working class, and by offering evening classes. Perhaps the most famous scholarly research performed at King's was the work by Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins that was essential to the discovery by James D. Watson and Francis Crick of the structure of DNA.

The first qualification issued by King's was the Associate of King's College, or AKC. The course, which concerns questions of ethics and theology, is still awarded today to students (and staff) who take an optional three year course alongside their standard degree. Successful completion entitles the graduate to bear the letters AKC after their name.

The College today is the product of mergers with a number of other institutions over the years, including Queen Elizabeth College, Chelsea College, the Institute of Psychiatry, and the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals. Florence Nightingale's original training school for nurses is now incorporated as the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery. Today, there are nine schools of study (see below).

King's College School was created as King's Junior Department at the time of the College's founding. Originally situated in the basement of the Strand campus, the School relocated to Wimbledon in 1897. King's College School is no longer associated with King's College London.

In 2003, the College was granted degree-awarding powers in its own right (rather than degrees awarded by the University of London) by the Privy Council. This power remained unexercised until 2007, when the College announced that all students starting courses from September 2007 onwards would be awarded degrees conferred by King's itself, rather than the University. However, the new certificate will still make reference to the fact that King's is a constituent college of the University of London . All current students with at least one year of study remaining were in August 2007 offered the option of choosing to be awarded a London degree or a King's degree.

Academic Reputation

King’s has a strong academic reputation. According to The Guardian newspaper, King's, the London School of Economics, Imperial College London and University College London each 'have international reputations that in this country only Oxbridge can beat'.

UK
2008 2007 2006 2005
Times Good University Guide 10th 17th 16th
Guardian University Guide 12th 7th 6th
Sunday Times University Guide 12th 12th 13th 13th
Daily Telegraph 17th

World
2007 2006 2005
THES - QS World University Rankings 24th 46th 73rd
Academic Ranking of World Universities 83rd 83rd 80th
University Metrics' Global University Rankings (G-Factor) 32rd

According to the 2006 Times Good University Guide, several subjects taught at King’s, including Music, Dentistry, History, American Studies, Philosophy and Classics, are among the top five in the country. The College has had 24 of its subject-areas awarded the highest rating of 5 or 5* for research quality, demonstrating excellence at an international level, and in 2007 it received a good result in its audit by the Quality Assurance Agency. It is in the top tier for research earnings.

Campuses

Strand Campus

The Strand Campus is the founding campus of King's. Located next to Somerset House and sharing its frontage along the River Thames, most of the Schools of Humanities, Law, Social Science & Public Policy and Physical Sciences & Engineering are housed here. This Campus combines the Grade I listed King's Building of 1831 (designed by Robert Smirke), the Byzantine Gothic College Chapel of the 1860s (designed by George Gilbert Scott) with the stark Strand Building, completed in 1972 and believed to be designed by Troup & Steele. The Chesham Building in Surrey Street was purchased after the Second World War. The Macadam Building of 1975 houses KCLSU's activities and is named after Sir Ivison Macadam, first President of NUS. (Nearest tubes: Temple, Covent Garden)

A National Trust-protected Roman Bath is situated on the site of the Strand Campus and can be accessed via the Surrey Street entrance. Hidden by surrounding College buildings, the Baths were mentioned by Charles Dickens in chapter thirty-five of David Copperfield. Aldwych tube station, a well-preserved but disused London Underground station, is integrated as part of the King's Strand campus. The Rifle Range is located on the site of a platform taken out of public service in 1917.

Waterloo Campus

Across Waterloo Bridge from the Strand Campus, the Waterloo Campus near the South Bank Centre consists of the James Clerk Maxwell Building and the Franklin-Wilkins Building, which was originally constructed in 1912 and 1915 for His Majesty's Stationery Office. King's acquired the building in the 1980s. The James Clerk Maxwell Building houses the Principal's Office, most of the central administrative offices of the College and part of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery. The Franklin-Wilkins Building, the largest university building in London, is home to the School of Health & Life Sciences, the Department of Education and to part of the School of Nursing & Midwifery. (Nearest tube: Waterloo)

Guy's Campus

Guy's Hospital, established in 1726, houses parts of the Dental Institute, School of Medicine and School of Biomedical Science. The founder and benefactor of the hospital, Thomas Guy, was a wealthy bookseller and a governor of St Thomas' Hospital. He lies buried in the vault beneath the 18th-century chapel at Guy's. Silk-merchant William Hunt was a later benefactor who gave money in the early nineteenth century to build Hunt's House. Today this is the site of New Hunt's House. The Henriette Raphael building, constructed in 1903, and the Gordon Museum are also located here. (Nearest tubes: London Bridge, Borough)

St Thomas' Campus

The St Thomas' Campus, facing the Houses of Parliament across the Thames, houses parts of the School of Medicine and the Dental Institute. The Florence Nightingale Museum is also located here. here (Nearest tube: Westminster)

Denmark Hill Campus

Further south, King's College Hospital, the Maudsley Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry form the Denmark Hill Campus in Camberwell, the only one not situated on the River Thames. As well as the IoP, parts of the Dental Institute and School of Medicine, and a large hall of residence, King's College Hall, are housed here. (Nearest station: Denmark Hill)

Refurbishment

King's is coming to the end of a decade of restorative and refurbishment projects, with investment of over £500 million. These include the Franklin-Wilkins Building in the Waterloo campus, the largest university building in the UK; the Maughan library in Chancery Lane, the most elaborate university library project ever undertaken in the UK; and the renovation of the chapel in the Strand campus at a cost of £750,000. The Strand Campus redevelopment won the prestigious Green Gown Award in 2007 for sustainable construction. The award recognised the ‘reduced energy and carbon emissions from a sustainable refurbishment of the historic South Range of the King's Building'. King's was also the recipient of the 2003 City Heritage Award for the conversion of the Grade II* listed Maughan Library.Further renovation of the Strand Building is awaiting a decision on the acquisition of buildings in the adjacent Somerset House from H.M. Treasury. King's has been attempting to purchase Somerset House since the 1970s.

Libraries

King's library facilities are spread across its five campuse; the College's estate also includes a library at the Bethlem Royal Hospital. The collections encompass over one million printed books, as well as thousands of journals and electronic resources.

Maughan Library

The Maughan Library in the 19th century Gothic former Public Record Office building, which is Grade II* listed, is situated on Chancery Lane, near the Strand Campus. This building was designed by Sir James Pennethorne and is home to the books and journals of four of King's Schools of Study (see below): Humanities, Law, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Social Science & Public Policy. It also houses the Special Collections and rare books. Inside the Library is the octagonal Round Reading Room, inspired by the reading room of the British Museum, and the former Rolls Chapel (renamed the Weston Room following a donation from the Garfield Weston Foundation) with its stained glass windows, huge mosaic floor and three monuments, including an important Renaissance terracotta figure by Pietro Torrigiano of Dr Yonge, Master of the Rolls, who died in 1516.

Other Libraries

  • The Foyle Special Collections Library at Chancery Lane houses a collection of over 110,000 printed works as well as thousands of maps, slides, sound recordings and some manuscript material.
  • The Franklin-Wilkins Information Services Centre at the Waterloo Campus is home to extensive management and education holdings, as well as wide-ranging biomedical, health and life sciences coverage includes nursing, midwifery, public health, pharmacy, biological and environmental sciences, biochemistry and forensic science.
  • The New Hunt's House Information Services Centre at Guy's Campus covers all aspects of biomedical science. There are also extensive resources for medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy and health services.
  • The Weston Education Centre at the Denmark Hill Campus has particular strengths in the areas of gastroenterology, liver disease, diabetes, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics and the history of medicine.
  • The St Thomas' Medical Library holdings cover all aspects of basic medical sciences, clinical medicine and health services research.
  • The Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) Library is the largest psychiatric library in Western Europe, holding 3,000 print journal titles, 550 of which are current subscriptions, as well as access to over 3,500 electronic journals, 38,000 books, and training materials.
  • The Bethlem Royal Hospital Library contains a smaller collection to support students and staff working at Bethlem.

Schools of Study

The nine Schools of study at King's are as follows:

Undergraduate Courses

King’s has over 13,700 undergraduates across around 180 academic degree programmes. At present, most use a 'course-unit' system, granting students the option of undertaking studies in more than one Department (within a School), more than one School (within the College), or even at more than one College or Institute (within the University of London).

A complete list of undergraduate bachelor's degree courses taught at King's can be found here The Associate of King's College degree can be studied for alongside most of King's other courses.

Postgraduate Courses

The various postgraduate courses offered at King's can be divided into taught programmes and research programmes

Over 6,200 of King’s 19,300 students are postgraduates. The Graduate School provides over 240 taught programmes across nine academic schools and offers research degrees at MPhil and PhD level. A strong sense of camaraderie exists within the Graduate School, encouraged by an emphasis on academic collaboration with fellow students and researchers across disciplines. An initiative of the Graduate School is the Graduate Skills Development Programme, which offers students the opportunity to supplement their studies with additional skills in a variety of areas.

Students' Union

King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU) is the oldest in London, founded just before University College London Union, and provides a good range of activities and services: over 50 sports clubs (including the Boat Club which rows on the River Thames and the Rifle Club which uses the College's shooting range at the Strand Campus), 60 societies, a wide range of volunteering opportunities, 2 bars, 2 nightclubs, shops, eating places and a gym. A former President of KCLSU, Sir Ivison Macadam (after whom the Students' Union building on the Strand Campus has since been named) went on to be elected as the first President of the NUS and the Union has played an active role there and in the University of London Union ever since.

Roar is KCLSU's monthly magazine. It carries stories, reviews and features on a range of topics, reporting on Students' Union events, campaigns, clubs and societies, as well as coverage of the arts, books and fashion. King's Bench, under the leadership of law students Ryan Wain and Feni Ajumogobia, has grown from strength to strength, challenging the dominance Roar once had in the media spectrum. It is published tri-annually and welcomes contributions from all of King's students, either for publication in its printed edition, or on it's website The College itself also publishes a range of periodicals reporting on various aspects of King's.

In the 1970s, the King's mascot, "Reggie", was buried upside-down in a pit near Waterloo Station, which was filled with concrete; the tip of his tail remained visible. Later, he was lost for many years in the 1990s, and not recovered until he was found in a field. Having been restored at the cost of around £15,000, Reggie has been placed on display in the KCLSU Student Centre at the Strand Campus. Protected in a glass case, he is filled with concrete to prevent theft, particularly by UCL students who, prior to his burial and dumping, had also castrated him. (King's students had also stolen one UCL mascot, Phineas and, in an apocryphal legend, allegedly played football with the head of another, Jeremy Bentham).

There are three "Reggies" in existence: the original, on display in KCLSU's Student Centre at the Strand Campus, a papier-mâché Reggie outside the Great Hall at the Strand Campus (pictured above), and a small sterling silver incarnation displayed during Graduation ceremonies.

Competition with UCL

Main Article: Student Rags

Competition within the University of London is most intense between King's and University College London, the two oldest institutions. In the early twentieth century, rivalry was centred on their respective mascots. University College's was Phineas Maclino, a wooden tobacconist's sign of a kilted Jacobite Highlander purloined from outside a shop in Tottenham Court Road during the celebrations of the relief of Ladysmith in 1900.

King's later addition was a giant beer bottle representing "bottled youth". In 1923 it was replaced by a new mascot to rival Phineas - Reggie the Lion, who made his debut at a King's-UCL sporting rag in December 1923, protected by a lifeguard of engineering students armed with T-squares. Thereafter, Reggie formed the centrepiece of annual freshers' processions by King's students around Aldwych in which new students were typically flour bombed.

Although riots between respective College students occurred in Central London well into the 1950s, rivalry is now limited to the rugby union pitch and skulduggery over mascot, with an annual Varsity match taking place between King's College London RFC and UCL RFC.

Competition with LSE

Tensions between King's and the London School of Economics were ignited on 2 December 2005 when at least 203 students from LSE (across the road from the Strand campus) diverted off from the annual "barrel run" and caused an estimated £32,000 (Beaver, LSE, 26 September 2006) of damage to the English department. Principal Rick Trainor called for no retaliation and LSE Students' Union were forced to issue an apology as well as foot the bill for the damage repair. While LSE officially condemned the action, a photograph was published in The Beaver (the LSE SU Student Newspaper) which was later picked up by The Times that showed LSE Director Sir Howard Davies drinking with members of the LSE Students' Union shortly before the barrel run - and the "rampage" - began. King's appears to have been targeted, however, principally owing to its close proximity to LSE rather than any ill-feeling.

Students' Accommodation

King’s halls of residence offer a range of accommodation to suit the varied needs of students. These include:

Four of these halls let their rooms to visitors during the summer months when the students leave.

Intercollegiate Halls of Residence

King's also has the largest number of bedspaces in the University of London Intercollegiate Halls, which provide accommodation for those studying at the University. These are also open to the public over the summer:

Graduates

King's graduates have some of the highest average starting salaries among all UK universities - The Sunday Times estimates the average starting salary is £20,672.

King's graduation ceremonies are usually held in Southwark Cathedral and the Royal Festival Hall. Between 2005 and 2007, the Barbican Arts Centre was used during the renovation of the latter. From 2008, King's graduands will wear gowns designed by Vivienne Westwood and receive certificates by David Hockney. RADA is administered through King's, and its students graduate alongside members of the Departments which form part of the School of Humanities.

People

Main Article People associated with King's College London

Notable Alumni

For a more comprehensive list see Alumni of King's College London

King's has educated many significant figures since its foundation, including the Nobel Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu; the preceding Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey; pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale; the poet John Keats; the writers Thomas Hardy, Arthur C. Clarke; Charles Kingsley, W. Somerset Maugham, John Ruskin, Virginia Woolf; the historical novelist C.S. Forester, author of the best-selling Hornblower saga; writer and philosopher Alain de Botton; William Gilbert (one half of Gilbert and Sullivan); satirist Rory Bremner; botanist David Bellamy; journalist Martin Bashir; footballer and sports presenter Gary Lineker (did not graduate); conductor and composer Sir John Eliot Gardiner; composer Michael Nyman; Queen bassist John Deacon; former President of India Abdul Kalam; former President of Seychelles France-Albert René; former President of Cyprus Glafkos Klerides; former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Reginald McKenna; noted banker Alfred de Rothschild; Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Alison Richard; Rector of Imperial College London, Sir Richard Sykes, and the pathologist Thomas Hodgkin discoverer of Hodgkin's disease.

Notable Academics

See also Academics of King's College London
King's has benefited from the services of academics at the top of their fields when they were at the peak of their careers, including (but not limited to):

Physical Science

Medical and Medicine

Other

Nobel Laureates

There are nine Nobel laureates at King's who were either alumni or academics of the College.

Physics

  • 1917 - Charles Barkla (Professor of Physics), for researches into X-rays and other emissions
  • 1928 - Sir Owen Richardson (Professor of Physics), for pioneering the study of 'thermionics'.his researches into X-rays and other emissions
  • 1947 - Sir Edward Appleton (Professor of Physics), for exploration of the ionosophere

Physiology or Medicine

  • 1929 - Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins (Alumnus who went on to teach Physiology and Toxicology at Guy's Hospital), for research on vitamins and beriberi
  • 1932 - Sir Charles Scott Sherrington (Taught Systematic Physiology at St Thomas' Hospital), for researches on the nervous system

  • 1951 - Max Theiler (received his medical training at St Thomas' Hospital Medical School), for developing a vaccine for Yellow fever
  • 1962 - Maurice Wilkins (Researcher and Professor of Biophysics), for the discovery of the structure of DNA
  • 1988 - Sir James Black (Professor of Analytical Pharmacology), for the development of beta-blocker and anti-ulcer drugs

Peace

  • 1984 - Desmond Tutu (Alumnus and Visiting Professor in Post-conflict Societies), for Peace in 1984 in recognition of his work as Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches

Statistics

King's

  • According to a Sunday Times survey, King's is 3rd in the UK both for graduate starting salary and graduate employability.
  • Entry to King's is competitive: the Sunday Times rates it as the 6th most difficult UK university to get into.
  • According to the 2005 Times Higher Education Supplement league table, King's is positioned fourth in terms of staff-student ratio.
  • In February 2006, UCAS revealed that, offset by a fall in applications for the vast majority of UK universities, King's received 4.0% more than the previous year.
  • It has the fifth largest endowment of UK universities at £100m (2002), the fourth largest endowment per student, and has credit ratings of AA-/Stable/A-1 (Standard & Poor's). King's has an annual turnover of nearly £375 million.
  • King's is a member of the Russell Group of research universities and the Golden Triangle.
  • King's is at the top group of universities for research earnings with an income of £101 million (2004-05) from grants and contracts.

Departmental

The College has had 24 of its subject-areas awarded the highest rating of 5 for research quality, demonstrating excellence at an international level, and it has recently received a good result in its audit by the Quality Assurance Agency. It is in the top tier for research earnings.

Commercialisation

King's has a wholly owned and dedicated technology transfer, enterprise, and innovation company known as King's Business: one of the most successful in the UK. King's Business is responsible for business development and commercialisation and for student admission and management of the university’s research grants and contracts. In collaboration with King's Business, King's actively encourages its staff to commercialise its research and teaching and as a result has given rise to a large number of spin-out companies based on academic research. These include Proximagen Neuroscience Plc, and Cerogenix Ltd.

Bibliography

  • F.J.C. Hearnshaw (1929). The Centenary History of King's College London. George G. Harrap & Co.
  • Gordon Huelin (1978), King's College London, 1828-1978.
  • Christine Kenyon Jones (2004), King's College London: In the service of society.

See also

External links

References



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