school of criminology, university of leicester
The University was founded as Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland University
College in 1921. The site for the University was donated by a local businessman,
Thomas Fielding Johnson, in order to create a living memorial for all local
people who made sacrifices during the First World War. This is reflected in the
University's motto Ut vitam habeant – 'so that they may have life'. Students
were first admitted to the college in 1921, sitting examinations for external
degrees awarded of the University of London. In 1927 the institution became
University College, Leicester; 30 years later the college was granted its Royal
Charter. This gave it the status of a University with the right to award its own
degrees. The University won the first ever series of University Challenge, in
1963. Discover some of our finest research achievements, from genetic
fingerprints to King Richard III. Find out about the University's origins as a
living memorial to the fallen of World War One. Campus Our very compact campus
contains a wide range of twentieth century architecture, though the oldest
building dates from 1837. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre,
adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. The
central building, now known as the Fielding Johnson Building, houses the
University's administration offices and Leicester Law School. This was formerly
the Leicestershire and Rutland Lunatic Asylum. Adjacent to the Fielding Johnson
Building are the Astley Clarke Building and the Danielle Brown Sports Centre.
The skyline of Leicester University is punctuated by three distinctive, towering
buildings from the 1960s: the Engineering Building, the Attenborough Tower and
the Charles Wilson Building. The University's Engineering Building was the first
major building by important British architect Sir James Stirling. It comprises
workshops and laboratories at ground level, and a tower containing offices and
lecture theatres. It was completed in 1963 and is notable for the way in which
its external form reflects its internal functions. The 18-storey Attenborough
Tower, housing several departments within the College of Social Sciences, Arts
and Humanities, has one of the very few remaining paternosters in the UK. The
Ken Edwards Building, built in 1995, lies adjacent to the Fielding Johnson
Building. Built in 1957, the Percy Gee Building is home to Leicester
University's Students' Union. The David Wilson Library was opened by Queen
Elizabeth II in December 2008, following an extensive refurbishment.
