"The University's mission is to provide the widest possible access to learning
through international excellence in teaching and research,
in an environment of equality, tolerance and mutual respect,
thereby enhancing educational, economic, social and cultural development
in Northern Ireland and throughout the world"
Queen's University, Belfast, then. Not to be confused with Queen's University, or any other university for that
matter. The name is generally abbreviated to QUB or simply Queen's. This node is a little detail on what is
arguably the finest educational establishment in Northern Ireland.
going there is an education which is not to be confused with receiving an
education
The University was founded in 1845 by the late Queen Victoria under the monicker of the Queen's University in Ireland as an alternative to the Trinity College, Dublin. There were initially three campuses, one
each in Cork, Galway and Belfast. However, it was not until 1849 that the Lanyon building was opened to the first set of students. Named after Sir Charles Lanyon, it is still the central building of the University.
Back in those days, the total student body was 90. Today, that just about makes up one of the classes. The total
number of students today is about 23 000. Also, the number of buildings has grown from 1 to a lovely 300, and quite a
few of them are now 'architecturally important'. But back to the history.
The Queen's University in Ireland was replaced by the Royal University in 1879, although the three campuses were
still referred to as the Queen's Colleges. The names changed again in 1908, when the three Colleges and the Royal University were consolidated into the Queen's University of Belfast and the National
University of Ireland.
Throughout the following century, Queen's grew with astounding speed. Independently governed by its own Senate, the curriculum was expanded, keeping Arts, Law, Science and Medicine and including new Faculties of Commerce, Applied Science and Technology, Agriculture, Theology and more. More and more buildings were erected, including the David Keir building (named after Sir David Lindsay Keir), the Ashbyland building (named after Lord Ashby of Brandon), the Main, Science and Seamus Heaney Libraries, and the more recent Peter Froggatt Centre.
In less physical terms, Queen's is a very good university. It is currently rated 15th in the UK (out of more than
100) with particular excellence being achieved in the Engineering Faculty, scoring 24 / 24 in external reviews.
For research, the university is almost unparallelled, with 90% of academic staff involved in areas of research of an
international standard.
The Student's Union is not particularly cheap, though. £2.10 for a pint?
This node is not endorsed by the governing body of Queen's.
Information from http://www.qub.ac.uk.