Durham University and Newcastle University merging??!

Ok, so my economics tutor said today that Durham and Newcatle are in talks over the possibility of merging together to make one university and to make themselves "bigger and better"! What are peoples' views on something like this happening? I'd personally be completely against it.

Reply 1

8owman

1

Yes i'd be against it too - as nice as both cities are, merging them would be like blending oil and water.

Reply 2

Agbonlaheto

Depending on how it would be all organised it may not be such a bad idea.

Reply 3

Fields

13

Well this is the first I've heard of it, and I very much doubt it would happen. If it does, however, then it could work, but it would have to be done properly.

Reply 4

Mattmoy_2000

9

Durham and Newcastle used to be one university (Newcastle was the college of physical sciences, or Armstrong college). I highly doubt they'd merge now though.

Reply 5

iliketurtles

12

I hadn't heard anything about this either.

News article here; http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.aspx?story_id=2032906

Reply 6

beeboo

Shouldn't EVER happen!!!

Reply 7

arkbar

12

Administrative,academic, and social nightmare. They might offer more 'shared' courses as time goes on though.

Reply 8

TKR

15

mental. theyre just so completely different.

Reply 9

Reading Room

9

Hmm... I suspect there would be a lot of opposition not particularly based on logic, but sheer snobbery on the part of Durhamites.

Reply 10

arkbar

12

Yes, it's not like there'd be a duplication of courses,existing facilities, geographical and social separation, an unfeasible size of courses for most mainstream subjects (there are already 260 geographers per year at Durham) repeat ad infinitum.

Reply 11

Jelkin

17

I heard yesterday that the Durham head honchos (honchoes?) want to move Durham completely onto the science site as a campus uni. Surely this can't be true, being the worst idea ever?

Reply 12

Mattmoy_2000

9

It's all arse, do you think that the university doesn't realise how many people apply to Durham simply because there's a chance of living on the bailey? There was a move to abolish the collegiate system a few decades back, at which point the SRC (who proposed this motion) was abolished and pro-collegiate DSU established.
If there was even an inkling of this idea, do you think they'd have built Butler, Snow and Stevenson?

Reply 13

UglyDuckling

3

huh ? deja vu ? merge back again ? for what ? Durham is a collegiate system .. unless newcastle want to do the same ...

Reply 14

Fields

13

Jelkin

I heard yesterday that the Durham head honchos (honchoes?) want to move Durham completely onto the science site as a campus uni. Surely this can't be true, being the worst idea ever?

That's not true. If you're a bit sad like me, you can look at their 10-year plan, it's on the internet somewhere. Yes, they're trying to 'streamline' the campus, but the bailey is staying, and rather the Old Elvet departments are going to be moved, and the science site expanded.

Reply 15

vickyrkenya

2

I don't think its really possible to 'merge' technically but I would welcome more joint courses especially in the field of Biosciences where Durham is very strong, but Newcastle is quite frankly phenomenal.

Reply 16

Princess_Peach

Yuck. No thanks. Newcastle is good. But Durham is superb. The latter university should not merge with the former to become 'bigger and better'. How does that make sense?

Reply 17

dave134

1

fieldsofanfield

That's not true. If you're a bit sad like me, you can look at their 10-year plan, it's on the internet somewhere. Yes, they're trying to 'streamline' the campus, but the bailey is staying, and rather the Old Elvet departments are going to be moved, and the science site expanded.

And I think they want rid of Old Shire Hall itself.

The colleges are a selling point, but old expensive listed buildings where students rarely venture are not.

Their property on Old Elvet is worth an absolute fortune, so I don't think its that unreasonable for them to move the staff offices to purpose built modern offices on the hill.

I reckon the Bailey colleges are safe as for a start, Chads and Johns are independant and can't be made to sell up, Cuths is not a college. so I don't know what pressure can be brought on them, leaving only Castle and Hatfield, which are unsuitable for use as anything else really.

Reply 18

pikaboo

13

I wouldn't mind them moving the departments all closer together, would cut down the time walking to lectures etc (some people walk into lectures up to 20 mins late and it's really disruptive) but there's no need to merge the colleges and merging with Newcastle just sounds too weird.

Reply 19

socialist cook

8

dave134

And I think they want rid of Old Shire Hall itself.

The colleges are a selling point, but old expensive listed buildings where students rarely venture are not.

Their property on Old Elvet is worth an absolute fortune, so I don't think its that unreasonable for them to move the staff offices to purpose built modern offices on the hill.

I reckon the Bailey colleges are safe as for a start, Chads and Johns are independant and can't be made to sell up, Cuths is not a college. so I don't know what pressure can be brought on them, leaving only Castle and Hatfield, which are unsuitable for use as anything else really.

They've been trying to sell OSH for years but haven't had an overall buyer...

I'm slightly disgruntled that the Politics Department has seemingly upped sticks to the House of Sport and the Al Qasimi building because I liked the building in Old Elvet and it was very close to Hatfield for me too. But I can see the negative aspects of staying there, for one queuing up for registration in the very very narrow stairwells is one and if the money they make goes into better teaching and resources for both lecturers and students(cough, I can't see that happening) then I'm all for it.

That rumour of the whole bailey part of the campus relocating to the hill is as old as time! Also, if that did happen would we still have the bailey/hill rivalry or would we all hate Hild and Bede?

Matt, wasn't King's College (medical part of the University of Newcastle) a Durham college too?

Durham University and Newcastle University merging??!

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