University of Wales

[EduCativ]

Brought into being through the determination, enthusiasm for learning, and generosity of ordinary Welsh people, the establishment of the University of Wales by Royal Charter in 1893 was regarded as one of the most important political and social developments in the nineteenth century. The University of Wales has a long and proud history, playing an essential role in developing higher education in Wales.
Through the University's support for the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (The Welsh Dictionary), Gregynog Hall (bequeathed to the University in the 1960s), and the University of Wales Press, it helped to promote and celebrate the language, heritage, and culture of Wales.
Over the years, the University has adapted to be in a position to respond to the needs of students, both in Wales and further afield.
The first phase of this process was completed in 2012 with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Swansea Metropolitan University merger and the creation of Adduned Cymru -The Wales Pledge.
In August 2017, both the University of Wales and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David approved a deed of union which delivered on the original policy objective of integrating two historic Universities, thus creating a new University for Wales.
Over the years, the University has adapted to continue to be at the heart of the nation's academic, intellectual, and cultural life. Responding to Government policy and the decisions of the founding University institutions to seek their degree awarding powers, the University of Wales has undergone radical restructuring.
In 2007 the University was restructured when it was clear that the original 'federal' structure of the University of Wales no longer served the Welsh higher education sector.
More recently, in October of 2011, the governing bodies of the University of Wales, Swansea Metropolitan University, and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David committed to irrevocable constitutional change when it was announced that the institutions were to merge under the 1828 Charter of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The first phase of this process was completed in 2012 with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and Swansea Metropolitan University merger and the creation of Adduned Cymru -The Wales Pledge.
In August 2017, both the University of Wales and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David approved a deed of union which delivered on the original policy objective of integrating two historic Universities, thus creating a new University for Wales. The University of Wales will cease to be an accrediting body for other Universities in Wales. It will bring to close validated programs offered at centers in the UK and overseas.
Spanning three centuries, the University of Wales has been regarded as a national institution that has been at the heart of Welsh academic and cultural life. The establishment of the University in 1893 was regarded as one of the most important political and social developments in the nineteenth century. Through the generosity of ordinary men and women, the citizens of Wales campaigned for the right to University education in their own country. The granting of a Royal Charter for establishing a new national university signified a clear commitment to the people of Wales.
The further development of regional learning centers, through the establishment of colleges in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, and Swansea, was significant and reinforced the regional presence of the University within Wales.
The people of Wales regarded their University as a national institution celebrated on both a national and international stage. Through the University's support for the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies (CAWCS), Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (The Welsh Dictionary), Gregynog Hall (bequeathed to the University in the 1960s), and the University of Wales Press, it helped to promote and celebrate the language, heritage, and culture of Wales.
Over the years, the Federal University faced a series of structural changes, with some constituent colleges calling for more autonomy. In 2001 the then newly established Government of Wales undertook a detailed review of higher education in Wales. One of the key recommendations was that each University and higher education institution in Wales should seek its degree awarding powers. This political decision had significant implications for the University of Wales, with all the constituent colleges moving to gain their own taught and, and in many cases, research degree powers. As a result, the original federal structure, which was at the University's heart, was no longer required. The former constituent colleges left the University of Wales structure over some time.
By 2004, all of the original University Colleges had broken away from the University of Wales. Under the Pro-Chancellor leadership, Lord Wigley of Caernarfon, the University restructured itself into an autonomous institution. For the first time in its history, it sought to define a role alongside all the other academic institutions in Wales.
The University appointed a Vice-Chancellor to lead the institution's strategic development and put a team of academic staff and senior officers to contribute to new activities in support of the University's mission. While the University continued not to register students in its own right, it continued to accredit degrees and awards for several academic institutions in Wales, to validate programs of study delivered by partner centers at home and overseas, and continued the University's record in supporting a range of vital cultural and heritage services.

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