Leading business school celebrates 85 years

Leeds Business School, which is based at the Rose Bowl, hosted an evening for nearly 100 businesses to celebrate the milestone in providing business and professional education in the region since 1926.

Barbara Colledge, dean of the faculty of business and law, warned that the higher education sector would have to innovate and work more closely with businesses in the future following changes imposed by the Government.

“The main challenge for the higher education sector is to innovate given the changes that are happening going forward,” she said. “There is an opportunity to work closely with businesses, part-time students and those in employment who have a need to up-skill for their career development to enable the economy to thrive. I see for us an opportunity to continue to develop that further in company programmes and tailored programmes and that is where I see this business school going forward.”

She added: “We also need to make sure that students who have the ability and the potential to benefit from higher education, still have the opportunity to go to university.”

Leeds College of Commerce, the business school’s predecessor institution, was established in 1926 and merged with the university in 1970.

In the 1920s the college offered part-time business and commercial education courses. It later began offering part-time evening law courses and from the 1960s it started accountancy courses.

Ms Colledge said: “The college looked at what the industry and business needs were and identified the appropriate courses to help support their growth during the 1920s through to the Second World War and beyond.”

Leeds Business School offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and professional courses, together with research and enterprise that connects with the business world.

In 2009 the university opened the home for Leeds Business School, the Rose Bowl, close to the Leeds College of Commerce’s location on Woodhouse Lane.

The building, which is home to over 5,000 students and 300 staff, was awarded Best Commercial Property Development in the 2009 Yorkshire Property Awards.

Courses are delivered across the world through international partnerships in Hong Kong, India, China, Vietnam and Africa

Ms Colledge said: “We are proud of our strong connections with business and the professions and our role in our city region. During the past 85 years we have inspired and supported thousands of people to unlock their potential and become global leaders in business, in the Leeds region, nationally and internationally, by transforming knowledge into action.

“Today nearly 6,000 people each year are redefining their futures by studying and engaging with us, in Leeds, in the work place, online, or at one of our international partnerships.”

The celebrations came after the long-awaited Higher Education White Paper was published on Tuesday.

The reforms have been announced more than six months after MPs voted through the decision to almost triple the cap on tuition fees to £9,000 from next year following a massive cut to university teaching budgets of 80 per cent over four years.

The package of reforms contains plans to allow employers and charities to sponsor student places outside the current cap.

Ms Colledge said: “One of the clear things the White Paper suggests for the future of universities is the need to engage with employers and have strong links with businesses. These aspects do come through very strongly in the publication.”

The Government will allow universities to recruit unlimited numbers of the most talented students and will also offer 20,000 places to higher education providers who can deliver cheaper courses for less than £7,500.

Ministers claim the reforms will open up the higher education sector to new providers and allow universities to respond to student demand. However, student and lecturers unions claim the Government is trying to solve a funding crisis it created by allowing universities to charge a maximum fee of £9,000.

The Government is facing a massive funding shortfall after the majority of universities – including five in Yorkshire – announced plans to set top level fees next year. Ministers had expected an average charge of £7,500.

The landmarks

1926, Leeds College of Commerce was established.

1935, College of Commerce moved to former United Methodist Chapel in Woodhouse Lane.

1963, first advert for a lecturer in law for the Leeds College of Commerce.

1970, Leeds College of Commerce and Faculty of Business and Social Sciences were incorporated into Leeds Polytechnic.

1987, The Policy Research Unit was estab- lished.

1990, the first PR course in the UK was established.

1992, Leeds Polytechnic was granted university status and renamed Leeds Metropolitan University.

2005, the Faculty became known as the Faculty of Business & Law.

2009, the Rose Bowl was opened as Leeds Business School’s new home.