Editing Anglia Ruskin University (section)

==History==
[[File:John Ruskin, 1882.jpg|left|thumb|Professor at the University of Oxford, Author John Ruskin made the inauguration speech at the Cambridge School of Art in 1858. Anglia Ruskin University is built on the foundation of the school of art, which is located at ARU Cambridge.]]
[[File:The Cambridge School of Art at ARU Cambridge.jpg|thumb|The Cambridge School of Art at ARU Cambridge.]]

Anglia Ruskin University has its origins in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by [[William John Beamont]] in 1858. The inaugural address was given by [[John Ruskin]], who is often incorrectly described as the founder. The original location was near [[Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge|Sidney Sussex College]], but it later moved to its current location on East Road, Cambridge.<ref name=":11">{{Citation |last=Ruskin |first=John |title=Cambridge School of Art: Mr Ruskin's Inaugural Address |date=29 October 1858 |publication-date=1858 |type=Transcript of speech |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pTFcAAAAQAAJ&pg=PP2 |access-date=22 February 2013 |location=London |publisher=Bell & Daldy |author-link=John Ruskin}}</ref>

Drawing was central to its curriculum, reflecting Ruskin's philosophy on art and education.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://creativeshowcase.aru.ac.uk/campus/history |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Anglia Ruskin Creative Showcase}}</ref>

In the 1920s, the governing body included two remarkable pioneers in the civic history of Cambridge: [[Clara Rackham]] and [[Lilian Clarke|Lilian Mellish Clarke]], after whom buildings on the East Road campus were later named. 

[[Danbury Place]], constructed by [[Walter Mildmay|Sir Walter Mildmay]] in 1589, was owned by ARU from 1974 until 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Danbury Park, Danbury - 1000739 {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1000739?section=official-list-entry |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=historicengland.org.uk |language=en}}</ref>

In 1960, this institution became the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT). In 1989, CCAT merged with the Essex Institute of Higher Education, which was originally a vocational school named Chelmsford School of Science and Art and later known as Mid Essex Technical College and Chelmer Institute of Higher Education, to form Anglia Higher Education College.

The merged college became a polytechnic in 1991, adopting the name Anglia Polytechnic, and was awarded university status in 1992. Initially called Anglia Polytechnic University (APU), it retained the term 'polytechnic' in its title because it symbolized the type of education known for equipping students with practical skills for the workforce. However, in 2000 there was some uncertainty about including 'polytechnic' in the title since it was the only university in the country to do so. Wanting to keep the 'APU' abbreviation, a suggestion put forward by the governors was 'Anglia Prior University' (after a former Chancellor [[Jim Prior]]), but the Governors decided to keep 'polytechnic' in the title.

The university eventually reconsidered a name change and chose Anglia Ruskin University, incorporating John Ruskin's surname into the title. This change took effect following approval from the Privy Council on 29 September 2005.<ref name="chopraconsultants">{{Citation |author=Chopra Consultants |title=Anglia Ruskin University |year=2005 |url=http://www.chopraconsultants.com/uk/aru/aru_why.htm |access-date=22 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019030959/http://www.chopraconsultants.com/uk/aru/aru_why.htm |archive-date=19 October 2007}}</ref><ref name=":11" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Working at Anglia Ruskin University |url=https://www24.i-grasp.com/docs/images/533/12/1/Working%20at%20Anglia(1).pdf#page=4 |website=Anglia Ruskin University |page=4}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=5 October 2005 |title=New name, new era – Anglia Ruskin University |url=https://www.anglia.ac.uk/news/new-name-new-era |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131080959/https://www.anglia.ac.uk/news/new-name-new-era |archive-date=31 January 2018 |access-date=30 January 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cambridge Business News &#124; Cambridgeshire Local Business & Corporate News |url=http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2007/07/24/127d9b7c-7fda-456a-ad54-15f4171851ba.lpf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212111/http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2007/07/24/127d9b7c-7fda-456a-ad54-15f4171851ba.lpf |archive-date=26 September 2007 |access-date=26 July 2010 |publisher=Cambridge-news.co.uk}}</ref>

In 2007 ARU entered into partnership with London College of Accountancy (LCA; founded in 2000). This resulted in the creation of ARU London.<ref>https://www.independent.co.uk/student/into-university/az-uni-colleges/lca-business-school-8731886.html</ref> 

In October 2023, Anglia Ruskin University became the first university in the United Kingdom to sign UNISON's Anti-Racism Charter.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=ARU signs landmark pledge to prevent racial bias - ARU |url=https://www.aru.ac.uk/news/aru-signs-landmark-pledge-to-prevent-racial-bias |access-date=2023-10-12 |website=www.aru.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref>

In 2024, [[Writtle University College]] merged with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), becoming ARU Writtle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Merger takes place between ARU and Writtle - ARU |url=https://www.aru.ac.uk/news/merger-takes-place-between-aru-and-writtle |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=www.aru.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref>

Former students include the Victorian poet [[Augusta Webster]], who signed [[John Stuart Mill]]'s petition for women's suffrage in 1866. Past lecturers include [[Odile Crick]], the wife of [[Francis Crick]], who created the iconic image of DNA. The musician [[Syd Barrett]], songwriter and lead guitarist of the band [[Pink Floyd]], is also an alumnus. Author [[Tom Sharpe]] served as a lecturer in history at CCAT from 1963 to 1972, and [[Anne Campbell (politician)|Anne Campbell]], the Labour MP for Cambridge from 1992 to 2005, was previously a lecturer in statistics at CCAT.<ref>{{cite web |date=6 May 2005 |title=Anne Campbell (annecampbell.org.uk), Election |url=http://www.annecampbell.org.uk/ |access-date=26 July 2010 |publisher=annecampbell.org.uk}}</ref>

Lord [[Michael Ashcroft]] is an alumnus of ARU and he served as the Chancellor of the university for 20 years. The business school buildings in Cambridge and Chelmsford are named after him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lord Ashcroft steps down as ARU’s Chancellor - ARU |url=https://www.aru.ac.uk/news/lord-ashcroft-steps-down-as-arus-chancellor |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=www.aru.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref>

=== Controversies ===

In a [[BBC News]] article from 3 June 2014, it was reported that Anglia Ruskin University received more complaints and appeals from its students than any of the other 120 universities that responded to freedom of information requests. In the 2012/13 academic year, the university received 992 "complaints and appeals." In response, Lesley Dobree, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), stated that only 9 of the 992 recorded complaints were actual complaints; the others were protests regarding examination and assignment marking.<ref name="bbcnews1">{{cite news |last1=Abrams |first1=Fran |date=3 June 2014 |title=University complaints by students top 20,000 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-27640303 |newspaper=BBC News}}</ref>

==== Pok Wong ====
In 2019, Hongkonger Pok Wong, a 2014 graduate of Anglia Ruskin University, received a £61,000 out-of-court settlement from the university after suing for false advertising, alleging a low quality of teaching. The university has maintained that the payout does not indicate fault on its part. In 2018, the London County Court ruled in favor of the university and ordered Wong to pay £13,700 of Anglia Ruskin's legal costs. However, the university's insurers later contacted Wong and offered to settle her £15,000 claim while covering her legal costs. Anglia Ruskin added that it did not support the decision made by its insurer's solicitors.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Busby |first=Mattha |date=2 June 2019 |title=Graduate receives £61,000 over 'Mickey Mouse degree' claim |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jun/02/graduate-who-sued-university-says-payout-barely-covers-her-costs |access-date=2 June 2019 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2 June 2019 |title=Graduate wins £60k over 'Mickey Mouse' degree |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48490572 |access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref>

==== Retracting Junius Ho's honorary award ====
Anglia Ruskin University awarded [[Junius Ho]], a pro-Beijing lawmaker in Hong Kong, an [[Honorary Doctor of Laws]] in 2011. During the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests]], Ho was accused of supporting those who committed the [[2019 Yuen Long attack]]. In response to Ho's controversial speech, [[David Alton]] wrote to the university regarding the matter. Lord Alton urged the university to revoke Ho's honorary doctoral degree. The university confirmed that Ho was stripped of his degree on 29 October 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Junius Ho accused of supporting Yuen Long mob |url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=131702&sid=4 |access-date=2019-11-18 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Junius Ho – ARU |url=https://aru.ac.uk/graduation-and-alumni/honorary-award-holders2/junius-ho |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028182855/https://aru.ac.uk/graduation-and-alumni/honorary-award-holders2/junius-ho |archive-date=28 October 2019 |access-date=28 October 2019 |website=aru.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=29 October 2019 |title=被斥「操守引起關注」 何君堯遭母校褫奪名譽法學博士學位 |publisher=立場新聞 |url=https://thestandnews.com/politics/%E8%A2%AB%E6%96%A5-%E6%93%8D%E5%AE%88%E5%BC%95%E8%B5%B7%E9%97%9C%E6%B3%A8-%E4%BD%95%E5%90%9B%E5%A0%AF%E9%81%AD%E6%AF%8D%E6%A0%A1%E8%A4%AB%E5%A5%AA%E6%A6%AE%E8%AD%BD%E5%8D%9A%E5%A3%AB%E5%AD%B8%E4%BD%8D/ |access-date=29 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=29 October 2019 |title=英國安格里亞魯斯金大學褫奪何君堯名譽博士學位 |publisher=香港電台 |url=https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1488726-20191029.htm}}</ref>

==== Tory donation ====
In 2024, ARU London accidentally paid £50,000 to the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]. The donation was intended as a personal contribution from the chairman of ARU London Ravi Gill.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-17 |title=Anglia Ruskin blames error as London campus gifts £50K to Tories |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/anglia-ruskin-blames-error-london-campus-gifts-ps50k-tories |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en}}</ref>