University of Hull
The University of Hull was established in 1928, becoming England's 14th university, and the 3rd for Yorkshire. The university was established after a donation of £250,000 was made, in addition to the land for the campus, by Thomas Robinson Ferens. Donations were also contributed by G.F. Grant and the City Council.
The university opened to just 39 students, all of which were housed in the stand-alone university building, which is today the Venn building on the well-developed Hull campus. Applications to the university doubled in its first year, and by 1956 student numbers had reached 1000.
The University of Hull now teaches over 18,000 students a year, and is ranked amongst the best universities in the country in major student surveys, consistently scoring well on teaching and on the overall student experience. The expanding academic community features world-class teaching and research and impressive facilities, including the student union, which won a Student Union Evaluation Initiative Gold award in 2011, the highest level awarded to universities, placing Hull in the top four student unions in the country.
Since its opening, the university has a significant impact on the local economy, and teamed up with Hull Esteem Consortium to continue doing so in a way that connected with the Building Schools for the Future programme.
Due to the university's strong connection with Thomas Ferens, the institution became the lead sponsor of the new school, Thomas Ferens Academy. Part of the university's new strategy is to be an anchor institution for the region and the Thomas Ferens Academy is an important first flagship project towards this ambition.
The University of Hull has a high international profile, including worldwide educational partnerships, from which the pupils at Thomas Ferens will benefit. As part of the project, the university is working in collaboration with international ICT companies and research programmes to provide expertise and technology to the academy.
Moy Lanade, at the University of Hull, said: "This academy has been named after a local historical figure, who contributed to Hull's education system in a large way. The university had an automatic connection with the school based on this, and found that the BSF shared the same enthusiasm for educational development that the university has. Our involvement here, as lead sponsor, has allowed us to share the story of Thomas Ferens with pupils who will be taught in an institution named after him. The whole programme is something the university is really proud to be a part of.
"The university's expertise and experience in educational research will provide the academy and its staff with the most up-to-date knowledge on education and school development, and pupils will benefit from the cutting-edge advancements in these areas."