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 In
1966 Loughborough was an ambitious institution keen to build upon
its successful past and become one of the most respected Universities
in the country. The University started out with 1,674 undergraduates
(of which only 43 were women!), 125 postgraduates and 1,001 staff
including 201 academic staff. Back then the University was
organised into 11 academic departments and in the first year of operation
it attracted only £354,800 of research income. Forty
years on and Loughborough University has grown dramatically both
in size and stature.
The 433 acre campus is now home to over 14,000 students and 3,000
staff, divided among 24 academic departments and over 30 research
institutes and centres. Our research income is over £29
million p.a. and we are consistently among the top 10 universities in
the published league tables. In 2005, the first National Student
Survey put the University at joint first place (with Leicester) for
student satisfaction with their University experience.
 Today’s campus has changed dramatically over the years to
accommodate this rapid growth. Back in 1966 there was one computer
and just under 29,000 library books to support the student population. Today
we estimate that there are over 18,000 computers on campus and the
Pilkington Library (which opened in 1980) houses 400,000 books, 4,000
printed journals and has access to 6,000 e-journals. Our sports
facilities are unparalleled and accommodated on campus are a number
of national sporting bodies. The growth in student numbers
and academic departments has stimulated a thoughtful and innovative
campus development programme which has extended the campus into new
areas such as Holywell Park.
 In
February 2006 Her Majesty The Queen presented Loughborough University
with a fifth Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further
Education, which was bestowed on the University in recognition of
its outstanding and widely respected work in evaluating and helping
develop social policy-related programmes. This prestigious
prize was awarded for outstanding excellence and Loughborough is only
equalled by Oxford University in attaining five of these awards. The
University received its first award in 1994 for its partnerships
with the aerospace industry, particularly Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems.
Its second award was received in 1998, in recognition of the Institute
of Development Engineering’s unique service to developing countries,
providing and managing sustainable infrastructure. Loughborough gained
its third award in 2000, in recognition of the Optical Engineering
Group’s pioneering role in developing applications of modern
optics and laser technologies to find practical solutions to real-world
problems. Its fourth award was presented in 2002, in recognition
of the University’s position as the country’s premier
institution for sports development, and its world-leading role in
sports research and education.
Today visitors to campus will find a dynamic, forward-looking
institution, committed to being a centre of excellence in teaching
and learning and to continuing to build upon its rich heritage of
achievement.
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