The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston was founded in 1828 as the Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge. ‘Ex solo ad solem’, or in translation, ‘From the Earth to the Sun’, has been its motto ever since – helping people from all walks of life to make the most of their potential is what UCLan’s all about.
Today UCLan is one of the UK’s largest universities. With a student and staff community approaching 38,000 it is the fifth largest employer in the North West of England. Internationally UCLan has academic partners in all regions of the globe and it is on a world stage that the first class quality of its education was first recognised. The University has an increasingly thriving campus in Cyprus delivering UCLan programmes and original research within a UCLan environment and culture.
In 2010 UCLan became the first UK modern university to appear in the QS World University Rankings. In 2015 the Centre for World University Rankings placed UCLan in the top 3.8 per cent of all worldwide universities, highlighting the progress the institution has made in providing students with real-world learning experiences and reflecting the institution’s broad pool of academic talent.
The Engineering Innovative Centre EIC forms a key pillar of the University’s £200 million Campus Masterplan which over the next 10 years will create a world-class educational environment that blends new facilities with the creation of public, green spaces to benefit the University, the City of Preston, and the economy of the North West. UCLan’s plans are being informed by the local, regional, business and civic communities, with whom it continues to build close relationships.
The impact is perhaps best seen in the results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework: all 16 subject areas in which UCLan’s research was assessed were judged to contain ‘world leading’ quality.
The University’s reputation as a regional economy powerhouse has been boosted through its strong track record in supporting graduate business start-ups; UCLan is ranked as the leading UK university for incubated start-up businesses still active after three years of trading. It is ranked second in the UK for the number of graduate start-ups still active overall and ranked third in the UK for estimate turnover for active firms. In the last five years UCLan has helped over 1,000 students or graduates start a business or became self-employed, the second-highest figure in the UK.
In the future UCLan will enhance its standing as an institution with a world-class academic reputation firmly rooted in modern-day relevance. It is a future which focuses on the provision of innovative thinking – for the real world.
