, mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain , established = 1992 – granted

University status 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 ...

1964 – Napier Technical College , type =

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

, academic_staff = 802 , administrative_staff = 562 , chancellor =

Will Whitehorn William Elliot Whitehorn (born 1960) is a British business executive. Until December 2010 he was President of Virgin Galactic, company which plans to offer space tourism flights to the paying public.Mather, Adrian (2004-10-08). First Edinburgh m ...

, principal =

Andrea Nolan Andrea Nolan is Professor of Veterinary Pharmacology and Principal & Vice Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University. In 1999, she was the first woman ever appointed to head a British veterinary school. Early life After completing secondary edu ...

, students = () , undergrad = () , postgrad = () , city =

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, state = , country = Scotland, UK , campus = Urban , budget = £123 million (

GBP Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and t ...

, 2015/16) , colours = , affiliations =

Million+ MillionPlus, formerly known as million+, the Campaign for Mainstream Universities, and the Coalition of Modern Universities (CMU), is a membership organisation, which aims to promote the role of " modern universities" in the UK higher education sys ...

EUA

Universities UK Universities UK (UUK) is an advocacy organisation for universities in the United Kingdom. It began life in the early 20th century through informal meetings of vice-chancellors of a number of universities and principals of university colleges and ...

Universities Scotland Universities Scotland was formed in 1992 as the Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principals (COSHEP) adopting its current name in 2000, when Universities UK was also formed. It represents 19 autonomous higher education institutions, 16 of ...

, website = , former_names = Edinburgh Napier University is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

, Scotland. Napier Technical College, the predecessor of the university, was founded in 1964, taking its name from 16th-century Scottish mathematician and philosopher

John Napier John Napier of Merchiston (; 1 February 1550 – 4 April 1617), nicknamed Marvellous Merchiston, was a Scottish landowner known as a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer. He was the 8th Laird of Merchiston. His Latinized name was Ioann ...

. The technical college was inaugurated as a university in 1992 by Lord Douglas-Hamilton, becoming Napier University. In 2009, the university was renamed Edinburgh Napier University. The university is based around its three main Edinburgh campuses:

Merchiston Merchiston ( ) is a residential area around Merchiston Avenue in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Location Merchiston Avenue is 1.3 miles Southwest of the West End of Edinburgh's principal street, Princes Street. Other areas near Merchi ...

Craiglockhart Craiglockhart (; gd, Creag Longairt) is a suburb in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland, lying between Colinton to the south, Morningside to the east Merchiston to the north east, and Longstone and Kingsknowe to the west. The Water of Leith ...

and

Sighthill Sighthill may refer to: * Sighthill, Edinburgh Sighthill is a suburb in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The area is bordered by Broomhouse and Parkhead to the east, South Gyle to the north, the industrial suburb of Bankhead and the Calders ...

. It has over 19,500 students, including those on-campus in Scotland and others studying on transnational programmes abroad and online. In 2018 this included nearly 9,500 international and EU students, from more than 140 nations worldwide.

History

Napier Technical College was founded in 1964, taking its name from

, who was born in 1550 in the medieval tower house of

Merchiston Castle Merchiston Tower, also known as Merchiston Castle, was probably built by Alexander Napier, the 2nd Laird of Merchiston around 1454. It serves as the seat for Clan Napier. It was the home of John Napier, the 8th Laird of Merchiston and the inven ...

(the site of the university's Merchiston campus). His statue stands in the tower of

today. An opening ceremony was held on 23 February 1965. In 1966, it was renamed Napier College of Science and Technology. In 1974, it merged with the Sighthill-based

Edinburgh College of Commerce Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

to form Napier College of Commerce and Technology, which became a Central Institution in 1985. The college was renamed Napier Polytechnic in 1986 and in the same year acquired the former

Hydropathic Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and Physical therapy, physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and tr ...

hospital buildings at

. In June 1992, the institution officially became Napier University. At a ceremony witnessed by over 700 staff and students, Lord James Douglas Hamilton and the then Principal, William Turmeau, unveiled the new university sign at Merchiston. In 1994, Napier University acquired its Craighouse Campus. In 1996, the university gained a new Faculty of Health Studies through a merger between the Scottish Borders College of Nursing and Lothian College of Health Studies. In February 2009, it became Edinburgh Napier University. Edinburgh Napier has been awarded the

Queen's Anniversary Prize The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are a biennially awarded series of prizes awarded to universities and colleges in the further and higher education sectors within the United Kingdom. Uniquely it forms part of the Bri ...

twice. Its most recent win came in 2015, when it was recognised for its work in timber engineering, sustainable construction and wood science. Edinburgh Napier was previously awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2009 when the award was made for 'Innovative housing construction for environmental benefit and quality of life'. This recognised the contribution made by the university's Building Performance Centre towards improving sound insulation between attached dwellings. The motto of the university, ''Nisi sapientia frustra'' (meaning "Without knowledge,

ll is Ll/ll is a digraph that occurs in several languages English In English, often represents the same sound as single : . The doubling is used to indicate that the preceding vowel is (historically) short, or that the "l" sound is to be extended l ...

in vain"), echoes the motto of the

City of Edinburgh The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority for the city of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland. In its current form, the counci ...

, ''Nisi Dominus frustra'' (meaning "Without heLord,

in vain"). Edinburgh Napier's Tartan was launched at the same time as the name change in February 2009. Previously, the university used the Clan Napier Tartan; the Chief of Clan Napier welcomed the new university tartan.

Campuses

The university is based around its three main campuses at

and

Sighthill Campus

The Sighthill Campus opened to students in the School of Health & Social Care and School of Applied Sciences in January 2011. The campus includes a five-storey learning resource centre, 25 specialised teaching rooms including clinical skills laboratories, three IT-enabled lecture theatres and seminar rooms, a clinical skills suite and integrated sports facilities. The campus has been certified as

BREEAM BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), first published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, is the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of ...

Excellent for best practice in

sustainable design Environmentally sustainable design (also called environmentally conscious design, eco-design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability ...

. The Sighthill campus is also home to a new sports facility which includes a biomechanics laboratory and an environmental chamber which can recreate high altitude conditions with controllable temperature and humidity levels to simulate varying climatic conditions. In 2016, the gym facilities at Sighthill became home to the SRU Fosroc Scottish Rugby Academy Edinburgh.

Craiglockhart Campus

The Craiglockhart Campus is home to The Business School. It incorporates the Craiglockhart Hydropathic Hospital buildings which were for a time known as Craiglockhart War Hospital, where First World War poets

Wilfred Owen Wilfred Edward Salter Owen MC (18 March 1893 – 4 November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced b ...

and

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both describ ...

were treated. The Craiglockhart Campus exhibits photography, writing, film and memorabilia to provide a glimpse into the minds of the poets, patients and medical staff at Craiglockhart. The exhibition also provides War Poets Collection based on the work of Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen and selected contemporary poets. The exhibition was officially opened on 11 November 2005 by BBC's World Affairs Correspondent, Allan Little. This campus is the home of the law and business courses and is also operates as a conference centre. The Craiglockhart Campus was extensively refurbished and extended in 2004 and contains two lecture theatres, language labs, computing facilities and an extensive library.

Merchiston Campus

The Merchiston Campus is home to the Schools of Art & Creative Industries, Computing and Engineering & the Built Environment. It is built around the refurbished shell of

, the family home of John Napier, after whom the university is named. Merchiston Castle is also the ancient seat of

Clan Napier Clan Napier is a Lowland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. pp. 288 ...

. Merchiston Castle is currently a "Category A" listed building in Scotland due to its national significance. The campus also includes the 500-seat, 24-hour

Jack Kilby Jack St. Clair Kilby (November 8, 1923 – June 20, 2005) was an American electrical engineer who took part (along with Robert Noyce of Fairchild) in the realization of the first integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments (TI) in 1 ...

Computing Centre, named after the inventor of integrated circuits and the handheld calculator. Facilities for students include a computer game laboratory, professional music studios and in 2016, TV presenter and University alumna Lorraine Kelly officially opened a new integrated broadcast journalism newsroom. Edinburgh Napier Students' Association (ENSA) is located at the Merchiston Campus.

Accommodation

Edinburgh Napier has student accommodation located at three sites across the city: Bainfield in Fountainbridge (opened 2014), Slateford Road (opened 2015) and Orwell Terrace (opened 2016). Edinburgh Napier also provides assistance to students looking to rent in the private sector.

Organisation and governance

Edinburgh Napier University comprises five specialist schools: * School of Applied Sciences * School of Arts & Creative Industries * Business School * School of Computing, Engineering & the Built Environment * School of Health & Social Care

Governance

Edinburgh Napier University's principal and vice-chancellor is Professor

OBE. The chancellor is

, who was installed in August 2021. The Edinburgh-born president of industry group UKspace is also a former executive at the Virgin Group, and also holds boardroom roles at The Scottish Gallery Employee Ownership Trust, Scottish Event Campus, Craneware, Good Energy and AAC Clyde Space AB. Whitehorn succeeded Edinburgh Napier alumnus

David Eustace David Eustace (born 23 November 1961) is an international artist and director, primarily known for his portrait photography. He has worked on campaigns for clients worldwide and travelled extensively. His photographic works are included in sev ...

, who studied photography at the university before going on to become a renowned fashion, celebrity and art photographer, and was chancellor between 2015 and 2021. He succeeded

Tim Waterstone Sir Tim Waterstone (born 30 May 1939) is a British businessman and author. He is the founder of Waterstones, the United Kingdom-based bookselling retail chain, the largest in Europe. Early life Tim Waterstone was born on 30 May 1939 in Glasgow ...

, founder of

Waterstone's Waterstones, formerly Waterstone's, is a British book retailer that operates 311 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom and also other nearby countries. As of February 2014, it employs around 3,500 staff in the UK and Europe. An average-sized Wa ...

Booksellers, who served from 2007 to 2015. Edinburgh Napier's first chancellor was

Viscount Younger of Leckie Viscount Younger of Leckie, of Alloa in the County of Clackmannan, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 February 1923 for the Unionist politician Sir George Younger, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a ...

, who died in January 2003.

Academic profile

Edinburgh Napier offers subjects including engineering, computing, nursing and midwifery, science, business, timber engineering and transport studies. It offers a range of creative courses, including film, graphic design, music, acting, publishing and product design. Edinburgh Napier University is an internationally award-winning institution that has been twice recognised by the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education (in 2009 and 2015) for its work in timber engineering, sustainable construction and wood science.

Screen Academy Scotland The Screen Academy Scotland (A Skillset Film Academy) is a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art. It was opened in August 2005 by the then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, and is based in Edinb ...

is a ScreenSkills-approved training provider and is a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College of Art (eca). Patrons of the academy include

Dame Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

and Brian Cox, with

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

an ambassador.

Rankings

Edinburgh Napier ranks 601-800th in the Times World University rankings. It is also rated five stars for teaching, internationalisation and employability by the QS Stars international university rankings. In the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021, Edinburgh Napier was ranked the top modern university in Scotland while the 2020 National Student Survey ranked the institution number one for student satisfaction in Edinburgh. In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' University Guide 2017, the university was ranked top in the UK for adding value to students. This score is calculated by tracking students from enrolment to graduation and compares their final degree award with their qualifications upon entry.

Research and knowledge transfer

Edinburgh Napier has a wide range of research centres and institutes including: *Institute for Sustainable Construction * Transport Research Institute *Centre for Distributed Computing, Networking and Security *The Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland *Scottish Centre for the Book The Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR), a collaboration between Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, and 14 Scottish universities is currently hosted by Edinburgh Napier University. In September 2018, Edinburgh Napier partnered with Blockpass, a

blockchain A blockchain is a type of distributed ledger technology (DLT) that consists of growing lists of records, called ''blocks'', that are securely linked together using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a ...

-based

self-sovereign identity Self-sovereign identity (SSI) is an approach to digital identity that gives individuals control over the information they use to prove who they are to websites, services, and applications across the web. Without SSI, individuals with persistent ...

protocol, to launch the Blockpass Identity Lab (BIL) - a research lab focused around cryptography and blockchain technology. The lab is intended to lead to the development of various blockchain applications for use in identity solutions.

Transnational education (TNE)

Edinburgh Napier has partnerships to deliver courses with higher education institutions around the world and is the largest UK provider of higher education in Hong Kong. TNE partnerships are currently in place with institutions in: * China * Hong Kong * Sri Lanka * Singapore * Switzerland * Myanmar The university also has offices in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Student life

Edinburgh Napier University's

students' union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

is Edinburgh Napier Students' Association. The current student president is Ankit Duggal. Following a student referendum in 2014, the association changed its name from Napier Students' Association (NSA) to Edinburgh Napier Students' Association (ENSA). The Students' Association is a fully constituted, independent association providing student representation and confidential welfare advice, as well as supporting a variety of sporting and cultural societies, under the banner 'Team Napier'. The Union Bar is located above the Three Sisters bar in the Cowgate, Edinburgh. The student newspaper, ''Veritas'', is no longer published. It was founded as a tabloid newspaper in 1993 by Neil McIntosh. Past ''Veritas'' editors include

Craig McGill Craig McGill is a writer, journalist and media analyst. He has written three books which have been translated into several foreign languages: ''Football Inc: How Football Fans are Losing the Game'', ''Do No Harm: Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy'' a ...

, Alan 'GtB' Brown, Robin Wynn and Gareth Mackie. Students now receive a monthly newsletter via email instead. As an Edinburgh Napier student, the opportunity is presented to apply for paid employment as a Student Ambassador on a

zero-hour contract A zero-hour contract is a type of employment contract between an employer and an employee whereby the employer is not obliged to provide any minimum number of working hours to the employee. The term 'zero-hour contract' is primarily used in th ...

as long as the student has at least one year left on their degree.

Midwifery Programme

In April 2022, a "Skills Workbook", published by the university's

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

programme and used to educated students, was posted online. The workbook dealt with catheterisation, and told students "while most times the pregnant or birthing person will have female genitalia, you may be caring for a person who has transitioned from male to female and may therefore still have external male genitalia". In response to the claims made by the university's workbook, Elaine Miller, a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, stated: "it is not possible for a male person to get pregnant". Dr. Susan Bewley,

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

in Obstetrics and Women's Health at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

called the materials "puzzling", and further stated "The writers seem to have left school remarkably ignorant of basic biology, sex, and anatomy".

Notable people

References

{{authority control Florence Network Educational institutions established in 1964 1964 establishments in Scotland Educational institutions established in 1992 1992 establishments in Scotland Universities UK