Editing Brunel University of London (section)

==History==

===Origins===
Brunel University of London is one of a number of British universities which were established in the 1960s following the [[Robbins Report]] on higher education. It is sometimes described as a "[[plate glass university]]". The university's origins lie in Acton Technical College, which was split into two in 1957: Acton Technical College continued to cater for technicians and craftsmen, and the new Brunel College of Technology (named after [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]], the British engineer) was dedicated to the education of [[Chartered Engineer (UK)|chartered engineer]]s.

The campus buildings, including [[Brunel University lecture centre|the lecture centre]], were designed in the [[Brutalist architecture|Brutalist]] style of architecture by [[Sheppard Robson|Richard Sheppard, Robson & Partners, Architects]].

In 1960 Brunel College of Technology was awarded the status of [[College of Advanced Technology (United Kingdom)|College of Advanced Technology]], and it was decided that it should expand at another site in order to accommodate the extra buildings that would be needed. [[Uxbridge]] was chosen to house the new buildings. Before construction work began the college was officially renamed Brunel College of Advanced Technology in 1962 – the tenth Advanced Technology College in the country, and the last to be awarded this title.

The [[Uxbridge (Vine Street) branch line|Uxbridge (Vine Street) railway branch line]] was closed in 1964, and the college purchased the land adjacent to its site where the railway had run for £65,000 from the local council.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brunel.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/26547/Annual_Report_2005.pdf |title=Annual Report 2005 |year=2005 |publisher=Brunel University |access-date=5 May 2011 |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920005340/https://www.brunel.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/26547/Annual_Report_2005.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===1966 to present===
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2017}}
[[File:Statue of Brunel at Brunel University.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Statue of [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]] at the university, erected in 2006]]
A [[royal charter]] granting university status and the power to award degrees was awarded on 9 June 1966, and the institution became Brunel University.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 February 2017 |title=Amendments to the Charter of Brunel University London |url=https://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/information/pdf/charter.pdf |access-date=December 28, 2022 |website=Brunel University}}</ref><ref name="Siran2010">{{cite book|author=Mukerji, Siran|title=Cases on Transnational Learning and Technologically Enabled Environments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vB24k7LvYPUC&pg=PA360|date=31 March 2010|publisher=IGI Global|isbn=978-1-61520-750-3|page=360}}</ref> 

The university continued to use both campuses until 1971, when it left the Acton site. In 1980, the university merged with Shoreditch College of Education (Shoreditch Training College),<ref>{{cite web |title=A brief history of Coopers Hill |url=https://eghammuseum.org/a-brief-history-of-coopers-hill/ |website=Egham Museum |access-date=6 December 2021 |quote=The Egham Museum tells the story of Egham, Egham Hythe, Englefield Green, Thorpe and Virginia Water from pre-history to the present day.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Foweraker |first1=Ann |title=The Way We Were … |url=https://annfoweraker.com/2016/the-way-we-were/ |website=Ann Foweraker |date=15 October 2016 |access-date=6 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shoreditch Training College, Egham |url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/F197273 |website=The Discovery Service |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)]] |access-date=6 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shoreditch College Archives |url=https://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/Archives/Shoreditch-College-Archives |website=Brunel University London |access-date=6 December 2021}}</ref> located at [[Royal Indian Engineering College|Cooper's Hill]], [[Runnymede (borough)|Runnymede]], which became Brunel's second campus.

In 1995, the university expanded again, integrating the [[West London Institute of Higher Education]], and adding campuses in [[Osterley]] and [[Twickenham]], and increasing the number of courses that the university was able to offer. Traditionally the university's strengths were in engineering, science, and technology, but with the addition of the West London Institute, new departments such as arts, humanities, geography and earth science, health and sports science were added, and the size of the student body increased to over 12,000.

Brunel has been the subject of controversy as its approach to higher education has been both market-driven and politically conservative.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} The decision to award an honorary degree to [[Margaret Thatcher]] in 1996, following the [[University of Oxford]]'s refusal to do so, provoked an outcry by staff and students and, as a result, the ceremony had to be held in the [[House of Lords]] instead of on campus. In the late 1990s, the departments of physics, chemistry and materials engineering were all closed and, in 2004, the then vice-chancellor, [[Steven Schwartz (vice-chancellor)|Steven Schwartz]], initiated the reorganisation of the university's faculties and departments into schools, and closed the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences. The succeeding vice-chancellor, the sociologist [[Christopher Jenks]], took office in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/news-items/press/news-24811 |title=Brunel University Appoints Professor Chris Jenks Vice-Chancellor |date=15 February 2006 |publisher=Brunel University |access-date=5 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716054756/http://www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/news-items/press/news-24811 |archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref> He was followed by [[Julia Buckingham]], previously at [[Imperial College London]], who took up the position of vice-chancellor at Brunel in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/julia-buckingham-be-next-universities-uk-president|title=Julia Buckingham to be next Universities UK president|date=2019-03-15|website=Times Higher Education (THE)|language=en|access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref>

In 2014, the university underwent an internal reorganisation and its name was changed to Brunel University London (BUL) by a supplemental charter dated 16 July 2014. In 2016 Brunel celebrated its 50th anniversary since being awarded its [[royal charter]], and staged a 14-month programme of more than 40 celebratory events.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Celebrate|url=https://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/our-history/Celebrate|access-date=2022-01-13|website=www.brunel.ac.uk|language=en-GB}}</ref>

In December 2020, the university's chancellor, Sir [[Richard Sykes (microbiologist)|Richard Sykes]], lead an independent review of the UK's [[Vaccine Taskforce (UK)|Vaccine Taskforce]] strategy and goals, and in June 2021 he was subsequently appointed as the taskforce's new chair, leading work to find, procure and deliver vaccines and oversee preparations for vaccine booster programmes as part of [[COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom|UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sir Richard Sykes appointed chair of Vaccine Taskforce|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sir-richard-sykes-appointed-chair-of-vaccine-taskforce|access-date=2022-01-14|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}</ref>

In April 2021, it was announced that [[Julia Buckingham]] would be stepping down as vice-chancellor and president after nearly 10 years in the role. She was succeeded by Andrew Jones, who took up the position in January 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Professor Andrew Jones appointed as Brunel's next Vice-Chancellor and President|url=https://www.brunel.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/Professor-Andrew-Jones-appointed-as-Brunels-next-Vice-Chancellor-and-President|access-date=2022-01-13|website=www.brunel.ac.uk|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Brunel became part of the [[University of London]] in October 2024, and began using the name Brunel University of London (BUL) as its [[trading name]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/information|title=Facts, figures and key university information|website=Brunel|access-date=1 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Brunel University to join University of London |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/brunel-university-join-university-london |access-date=25 July 2024 |work=Times Higher Education |date=25 July 2024}}</ref>