Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university in East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins are in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at University of Cambridge, in 1858. It became a university in 1992, and was renamed after John Ruskin, the Oxford University professor and author, in 2005. Ruskin gave the inauguration speech of the Cambridge School of Art in 1858. It is one of the "post-1992 universities". The motto of the university is in Latin Excellentia per societatem, in English Excellence through partnership.
In 2022, Anglia Ruskin had 35,195 students. ARU has five campuses across the south-eastern portion of the United Kingdom in Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Greater London.
There are four faculties of study at the university, namely:
Faculty of Business and Law
Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education & Social Sciences
Faculty of Health, Medicine & Social Care
Faculty of Science & Engineering.
Campuses
The university has campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Writtle, Peterborough, and London.
Facilities
Cambridge
Anglia Ruskin's Cambridge Campus is home to one of only 9 optometry schools in the UK, having its own optometry clinic.
The Cambridge campus has recently been redeveloped, which began with the refurbishment of the main building, named Helmore after the late Roy Helmore, who was principal of the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology from 1977 to 1986. This refurbishment was completed in 2006. In 2009, one of the university's largest buildings, Rackham, in the centre of the campus, was demolished to make way for the new Lord Ashcroft International Business School. The new business school was opened in 2011. The Mumford Theatre, which presents a range of professional touring, local community and student theatre for both the public and members of the university, is housed at the centre of the campus.
From 2015, a new building, known as Young Street (named for its location between Young Street and New Street,) began hosting nursing and health courses, such as midwifery, paramedic, and ODP. This building is also home to the university's music therapy centre.
Also as of 2015, all sports, computing or technology courses became based at the newly established Compass House building, about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) along East Road from the main campus.
Chelmsford
The Chelmsford campus houses the Queen's Building (opened in 1995) and the Sawyer's Building (opened in 2001). The Queen's Building was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II. The Michael A. Ashcroft Building opened in 2003 (renamed to Lord Ashcroft Building) by HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; the Mildmay Sports Centre, and the Tindal Building, in 2005; the William Harvey Building in 2007; The Faculty Building (renamed The Marconi Building in 2011) in 2008; and the Postgraduate Medical Institute building – named as Michael Salmon Building in 2017 -, opened 2011. In May 2017, the work has started on the building of Essex's first School of Medicine. The School of Medicine was opened in 2019 by HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
London
ARU London has two locations. Farringdon Building is in Charterhouse Street in Holborn, which is on the border of City of London. East India Building is located in former East India Docks and next to Canary Wharf in London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Peterborough
Anglia Ruskin University Peterborough was opened in 2022. The University House was the first building at ARU Peterborough. Peterborough Research & Innovation Centre is set to open in 2023.
Writtle
In 2023, Anglia Ruskin University and Writtle University College announced a merger. Writtle University College became ARU Writtle. ARU Writtle offers postgraduate, undergraduate, further education and short courses in the areas of agriculture and animal sciences, with students benefiting from a working farm, a specialist small animal unit and an equine centre based on campus. Writtle has also developed a range of degree programmes in applied life sciences, sport, and health subjects. The Royal Horticultural Society has awarded students multiple tiimes.
Student Housing
Cambridge campus has Anastasia House, Peter Taylor House, Swinhoe House Hall of Residence, the Railyard, Sedley Court, CB1, and university houses around the city.
Chelmsford campus has Chelmsford Student Village.
At the new Peterborough campus students use private-sector accommodations.
Students at ARU London use private-sector accommodations.