University of Hertfordshire

The University of Hertfordshire is a university in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The university is based largely in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Its antecedent institution, Hatfield Technical College, was founded in 1948 and was identified as one of 25 Colleges of Technology in the United Kingdom in 1959. In 1992, Hatfield Polytechnic was granted university status by the British government and subsequently renamed University of Hertfordshire. Hertfordshire's enrollment has steadily increased since it was awarded university status. With a student community of over 25,130 including more than 5,200 international students that together represent 100 countries, the university has a global network of over 165,000 alumni. The university is one of Hertfordshire's largest employers with over 2,700 staff, 812 of which are academic members of staff and a turnover of more than £235 million. The university is a member of Association of Commonwealth Universities and University Alliance. The University is primarily based on two campuses, College Lane and de Havilland. It owns a BioPark facility, which is a science park managed by Exemplas on behalf of the University. It also provides 6,000 square metres of laboratory and office space to life science and health technology businesses. As of 2014, there are currently 27 permanent and virtual tenants. Additionally, a pool and climbing wall are among its sports facilities. It has also the Weston auditorium, for arts events, two art galleries and owns one of the highly recognised teaching observatories in the United Kingdom.