Solent University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Solent University

Coat of Arms Solent University
Latin: Solent Universitas
Former name	Southampton Solent University (2005–2018) Southampton Institute of Higher Education (1984–2005)
Motto	Ready for the future
Type	Public
Established	2005 – University status 2004 – Degree-awarding powers 1984 – Southampton Institute of Higher Education (merger) 1978 – Southampton College of Higher Education (merger of Colleges of Technology and Art) 1951 – Southampton College of Technology 1932 – School of Navigation, Warsash 1856 – Southampton College of Art
Academic affiliations	Universities UK GuildHE Million+
Endowment	£0.81M (2015)
Chancellor	Theo Paphitis
Vice-Chancellor	Professor James Knowles
Students	11,285 HE (2015/16)
Undergraduates	10,545 (2015/16)
Postgraduates	515 (2015/16)
Other students	6,815 FE
Location	Southampton, Hampshire , England 50°54′29″N 1°24′04″W / 50.908°N 1.401°W / 50.908; -1.401
Campus	Urban city campus
Colours	Dark red and black
Sporting affiliations	British Universities and Colleges Sport Snows Group Hampshire 2

Solent University is a public university in Southampton, United Kingdom. A public university gets most of its money from the government. It has about 10,500 students. The main campus is in the city centre. It is close to Southampton's important port area.

Students at Solent University have their own group. It is called Solent Students' Union. This group helps students and is based on the main campus.

History of Solent University

Solent University started as a private art school in 1856. This school later became the Southampton College of Art. Over time, it joined with other colleges. These included the Southampton College of Technology. It also joined with the College of Nautical Studies. In 1984, these colleges formed the Southampton Institute of Higher Education.

On July 12, 2005, the Southampton Institute became a university. It was named Southampton Solent University that August. In 2018, its name changed again to Solent University. The university is thinking about changing its name back. This is to show its location in Southampton. Since April 2023, Professor James Knowles has been the Vice Chancellor.

University Campuses

Solent University has three main locations. These are the City, Warsash, and Timsbury Lake campuses. The City campus is in the middle of Southampton. It is on the east side of East Park. Part of the Warsash School is by the Hamble River. This river looks out over Southampton Water. Timsbury Lake is in a place called Timsbury.

The main campus of Solent University on East Park Terrace.

Student Housing

The university has five main places for students to live. These are called Halls of Residence. They include:

• Chantry
• Deanery
• Hamwic
• Kimber (which includes the David Moxon Annexe)

All these student homes are away from the main teaching buildings. They are located south-east of the city centre. They are between the St Mary's and Ocean Village areas.

What Students Study

Solent University offers many different study programs. These programs are in five main areas. These areas are called academic faculties. They include:

• Business, Law and Digital Technologies
• Creative Industries, Architecture and Engineering
• Sport, Health and Social Science
• Warsash Maritime School

The university is becoming more well-known. It has been moving up in university rankings each year. It reached 81st place in the Guardian League Table in 2019. The university also works closely with local businesses. This helps students get ready for jobs. For example, the student yachting team has won world championships. Some team members have even been Olympians.

University Research

The university has a special office for research. It is called the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Office. This office helps develop new research projects. It also gives awards for new ideas.

Business and Society Research

Solent University works with many types of businesses. They research areas like marketing and tourism. They also study small businesses and new ideas. Cyber-crime is another important research topic. They also look at social issues. This includes jobs, gender, and diversity. They study these topics in areas like shipping and music.

Sport, Health, and Wellbeing Research

Solent University is known for its sports and health programs. Their research helps these programs. They study sports science and sports development. They also look at the psychology of sports. A key focus is how sports can help make social changes. Research in sports science looks at strength training. It also studies how people perform in sports. The university is also a top centre for football research.

Maritime, Technology, and Environment Research

One of Solent's oldest strengths is in the maritime field. They have taught yacht design since the 1970s. The Warsash Maritime Academy joined them later. This academy has a long history with shipping and seafarer training. Their research focuses on real-world problems in the shipping industry. This includes training, safety, and welfare for sailors. They are also researching how to be more sustainable. This includes studying environmental impacts. Other research areas include materials science and computer networks. They also study sustainable design and buildings. The university also hosts the China Centre (Maritime).

Media Technology Studies

The university's Media Technology courses have joined together. These used to be separate courses. They included Broadcast Engineering and Live Sound. Now, they are part of one course. It is called 'Live Event Technology'. This course teaches students about all these areas.

Students on this course work closely with Sonar Events. They often help with their productions. They also work at big music festivals in the UK. These include Glastonbury and Boardmasters.

Student Life at Solent

Student Media Groups

The TV and Live Events Societies are part of 'Sonar Events'. Students run these groups completely.

Student TV Station

The student TV station used to be called SonarTV. It started in 2009. In 2022, SonarTV joined the Live Events Society. They became SonarEvents. This is their current name.

SonarEvents is the only group at the university that can join NaSTA. NaSTA is the National Student Television Association. In 2012, SonarEvents helped host the first-ever NaSTAvision broadcast.

Student Radio Station

The student radio station is called Radio Sonar. It started in 1999. It was first known as Sin FM. Later, it became an online radio station. Its name changed to Sin Radio. In 2009, it changed to Radio Sonar. This was part of a bigger change for all student media. Radio Sonar has won awards. It won 'Outstanding Contribution to Student Radio' in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Mel Lewis won Best Female Presenter.

Sports at Solent

Solent University has a strong history in sailing. Its student yachting team has won national championships many times.

Famous People Who Went to Solent

Many notable people have studied at Solent University. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Southampton Solent para niños

• Armorial of UK universities
• List of universities in the United Kingdom