University of Glamorgan


The University of Glamorgan was a university based in South Wales prior to the merger with University of Wales, Newport, that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was based in Pontypridd, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, with campuses in Trefforest, Glyntaff, Merthyr Tydfil, Tyn y Wern and Cardiff. The university had four faculties, and was the only university in Wales which had no link with the University of Wales.
In July 2012 the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport, announced that they had begun talks aimed at integrating the two institutions.

History

The University of Glamorgan was founded in 1913 as the South Wales and Monmouthshire School of Mines, a School of Mines based in Trefforest, Pontypridd, serving the large coal mining industry in the South Wales Valleys. The school was owned and funded by the major Welsh coal owners, through a levy of one tenth of a penny on each ton of coal produced by the companies involved. At the outset, the school had 17 mining diploma students, including three from China. The school was taken over by Glamorgan County Council during the Depression, and became Glamorgan Technical College in 1949, reflecting its expanding portfolio, and the Glamorgan College of Technology in 1958. By this time, the institution had expanded to offer a range of full-time, sandwich and part-time courses in science, technology and commerce, to which it added the first ever "Welsh for Adults" course in 1967. In 1970, the college became a polytechnic. Glamorgan Polytechnic merged with the Glamorgan College of Education in Barry and was re-designated as the Polytechnic of Wales in 1975, before being awarded university status as the University of Glamorgan in 1992.
Between 2003 and the merger, the university had been engaged in an active "growth strategy", merging with Merthyr Tydfil College in 2004/5 and forming a "strategic alliance" with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2006, so that the Royal College became part of the 'Glamorgan Group' of institutions. In 2007, "ATRiuM", a new facility for teaching and research in media, design and the arts was opened in Cardiff city centre. A new Students' Union building at the Treforest Campus was opened in September 2010.

Merger

In July 2012 the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport, announced that they had begun talks aimed at integrating the two institutions. On 17 December 2012 it was announced that the name for the new university is the University of South Wales. The university at the time of the merger served around 21,500 students, with 10,227 registered as full-time undergraduates. The university offered around 200 courses and in 2009 claimed to have one of the highest graduate employment rates in Wales, reporting that 94.3% of 2007-08 graduates found employment within six months of graduation.

Campuses

The university had several campuses:
The halls of residence were based at the Treforest campus:
Mountain Halls Accommodation blocks opened in September 2011.
The Students Union was also on the Treforest campus. The Student Union was the home to a number of sports teams, sports clubs and societies as well as TAG, the student newspaper. The building opened in September 2010.
The Students’ Union was one of only 7 buildings in Wales to be awarded with an internationally recognized RIBA award in 2011.
The Union has also welfare, education and equality support and there was a democratic structure change to Student Council.
Additional educational facilities included a 24-hour PC lab, wireless internet access in specified areas, world class equipment for nursing courses, a TV studio, an Aerospace Centre, an on-campus radio studio, and two theatres.

Rankings and reputation

The last rankings showed that the University of Glamorgan was rated the top "new" university in Wales, and one of the top five Welsh universities, by the Sunday Times.
In November 2012, the University of Glamorgan was awarded the Times Higher Education award for "Outstanding Support for Students".
The bulk of full-time students entered through the UCAS system with A-levels or equivalent qualifications and many of the university's degree courses are selective in that they require specific A-levels or above average grades for entry.