Oxford Brookes University

Oxford Brookes is a university in Oxfordshire, England. Despite the similarity of names, it is an entirely separate institution from the better known Oxford University, with which it shares no overt relationship, although the two universities do co-operate on many issues. The friendship between Jon Snow (Chancellor of Oxford Brookes) and Chris Patten (his counterpart at Oxford University) is strengthening this bond, as related during a public Q&A between the two in 2005.

Brookes has a student body of around 19,000 and, like most of the former polytechnics in the United Kingdom, was redesignated as a university in 1992. However, it traces its roots further back to a 19th-century art school. It is named after John Henry Brookes, its head from 1928 to 1956, who was personally responsible for much of its development, and arguably for its very continued existence through the era of his tenure.

Oxford Brookes's decision to retain the name "Oxford" while gaining the title of "university" was controversial, as many observers felt that this was a calculated attempt to sow confusion, and allow Oxford Brookes University to be mistaken for Oxford University. Brookes set its university colours as blue, white, and red, closely matching Oxford University's blue and white; many Brookes graduates now describe themselves as having "attended university at Oxford", or having studied at "Brookes, Oxford".

Many Brookes graduates have said that these claims are often due to an economy of effort rather than intentional duplicity, as explaining the difference between Oxford and Oxford Brookes to everyone who asks becomes tiresome and repetitive. Efforts by Brookes to forge a distinct and recognisable identity are in progress, following a re-branding exercise in 2002/3, its continuing improvement in national league tables (it has been named "Best New University" by "The Times Good University Guide" for eight years in a row), and an increasing awareness within the British public of the distinction between Oxford and Oxford Brookes.

Brookes has been one of the most successful of all the former polytechnics, and prides itself especially on the quality of its history, modern languages, and economics departments: in a popular story run by the British media, Brookes's history department gained a higher research rating in an assessment exercise than Oxford University's. Brookes has also pioneered the use of modular degree courses, allowing exotic combinations such as "Business Statistics and Clinical Aromatherapy", or "Ecology and Telecommunications", to be studied.

Oxford Brookes as a City Campus

Oxford Brookes University has three main campuses:

Headington Campus is located in a pleasant residential area of Oxford, one mile from the city centre. It consists of the Gipsy Lane site, which is the main teaching site, and the adjacent Headington Hill site, where the Students' Union is located.

Wheatley Campus is set in the Oxfordshire countryside, seven miles south-east of the city centre, and is where business, IT and mathematics subjects are taught.

Harcourt Hill Campus is situated on Oxford's western perimeter, two and a half miles from the city centre. Education, Theology, Media and Communication and many other subjects are taught here, in a landscaped setting overlooking the city.

All three main campuses offer a range of sports and recreational facilities that can be used by all the students. Each campus has a bar and designated eating area, and a library with an extensive range of reference books, journals and computing facilities.

External links

• Oxford Brookes University website (http://www.brookes.ac.uk)
• The Students' Union Website (http://www.thesu.com)