The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading.

Established in 1892, receiving its Royal Charter in 1926, the University has a long tradition of research, education and training at a local, national and international level.

Campuses

The University maintains over 1.6 km² of grounds. The largest area is the Whiteknights Campus, 1.23 km², including Whiteknights lake, conservation meadows and woodlands. The University also has campuses on London Road in Reading (the original University site) and at Bulmershe Court in Woodley.

The University also owns 8.5 km² of farmland which supports a mixed farming system including dairy cows, ewes and beef animals. These farm sites include internationally renowned research centres of which the flagship is the Centre for Dairy Research .

Community

In the 2003-4 academic year, the university had almost 4,000 staff and over 15,000 students.

Probably the best known current member of the university community is the cyberneticist Professor Kevin Warwick.

Reading University Students' Union is the affiliated student organisation which represents the students interest. With around 3,000 international students from 130 countries, the university adds considerably to Reading's dynamic multi-cultural environment.

Research

The university had a research income of around £24 million in 2002-3, of which around 10 percent of annual research income derived from industrial or commercial sponsors. Over £2 million of funding has been secured in 2004 for business development and the commercial activities at the University.

Reading Enterprise Hub , one of a network of SEEDA sponsored business incubators, opened on campus in 2003.

In the Research Assessment Exercise in 2001, five departments were awarded the top rate of 5* - Archaeology, English, Italian, Meteorology and Psychology and fifteen departments were awarded the rating of 5.

Awards

The first university to win a Queen's Award for Export Achievement in 1989. It was also awarded a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 1998.

Alumni

• Julian Barratt - comedian from BBC's The Mighty Boosh
• Jamie Cullum - jazz musician
• Sir Peter Crane - Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Halls of Residence

The University now has fifteen Halls of Residence. These are:

• Bridges Hall
• Bulmershe Hall
• Childs Hall
• Mansfield Hall (not used)
• Reading Student Village
• St. David's Hall (not used)
• St. George’s Hall
• St. Patrick’s Hall
• Sherfield Hall
• Sibly Hall
• Wantage Hall
• Wells Hall
• Wessex Hall
• Whiteknights Hall
• Windsor Hall

St. David's and Mansfield Halls were part of Witan International College but this is now a wholly-owned subsidary of the University of Reading. St. George's and The Reading Student Village are leased back to the University from UJC . The cost of leasing back the Student Village to the University, according to the University accounts, was £1.5 million for 2003/2004 and £1.3 million in 2002/2003.

External links

• University of Reading website
• University of Reading Halls of Residence website
• Reading University Students' Union website