Darwin College is the fourth-oldest

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

of the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

, an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

higher education institution in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. It was opened in 1970.

Namesake

After much debate, the college was named after

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

, the

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

.Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' (

University of Kent at Canterbury A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, 1990) page 125-126 Unusually for a namesake of a Kent college, Darwin had strong connections to the historic county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, having lived in

Down House Down House is the former home of the English naturalist Charles Darwin and his family. It was in this house and garden that Darwin worked on his theory of evolution by natural selection, which he had conceived in London before moving to Down ...

Downe Downe, formerly Down, () is a village in Greater London, England, located within the London Borough of Bromley but beyond the London urban sprawl. Downe is south west of Orpington and south east of Charing Cross. Downe lies on a hill, and ...

(now in the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332,336 ...

) for the last forty years of his life. Other names considered in the lengthy process included: * Anselm, after Anselm a former

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

* Attlee, after

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...

, the post-war

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

* Becket, after

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

, former Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in the city's cathedral and subsequently canonised (this was the recommendation of the college's provisional committee but was rejected by the University Senate) * Conrad, after the novelist

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...

who lived near Canterbury and is buried in the city * Elgar, after composer

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

* Maitland * Marlowe, after playwright

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...

* Russell, after philosopher

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, and public intellectual. He had a considerable influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, linguistics, ...

(this was the recommendation of the Senate but rejected by the Council; Russell's political activism was the cause of much opposition) * Tyler, after Peasants' Revolt leader

Wat Tyler Wat Tyler (c. 1320/4 January 1341 – 15 June 1381) was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England. He led a group of rebels from Canterbury to London to oppose the institution of a poll tax and to demand economic and social reforms. Wh ...

(after whom Tyler Hill, on which the college stands, is named) The name was eventually decided by a postal ballot of members of the Senate, choosing from a shortlist of Attlee, Conrad, Darwin, Elgar, Maitland, Marlowe and Tyler.Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' (

, 1990) pages 122-126

Darwin Student Committee (DSC)

The Darwin Student Committee (DSC) is a group of students who volunteer their time to make the life of Darwin College students more enjoyable. They are meet and discuss issues that concern the students, deal with problems, organise events during Welcome Week, listen to concerns and generally improve the experience of students within the College. Weekly DSC meetings plan college events, such as the Masquerade Ball, discuss issues affecting students, which campaigns to run, and receive and pass on important messages from Kent Union and their sabbatical officers. Since the college opened, there has been an annual vote within the college to elect the student President.

Student life

Darwin is home to Origins Bar and Grill, one of the various outlets controlled by Kent Hospitality. Open daily during term-time, serving food from midday until 9pm, the American-style menu is popular with students, staff and visitors alike. There are regular events throughout the week, the most popular being Ruby Tuesdays (the longest-running night event on campus) and karaoke.

References

External links

Darwin Student CommitteeUniversity of Kent
{{University of Kent University of Kent