Queen's Belfast, 1945-2000

Description

Queen's Belfast grew out of the Queen's Colleges founded in Ireland in 845. It became independent in 1908-9 and until 1965 it was the only university in Northern Ireland, providing liberal and vocational education for its people. Although it gained its independence before Partition, the University was for decades regarded by many people as a bulwark of the State. This attitude has been a strength but it has also created problems, especially during he decades of the 'Troubles'. For more than thirty years, Queen's operated in a community torn by civil conflict, trying simultaneously to maintain its academic commitments to the international world of scholarship and at the same time endeavoring to adjust to a society undergoing profound economic and political changes. This gook traces the growth of Queen's during the second half of the 20th century, from a small university of 2,000 students to one approaching 20,000. It examines its academic strengths and weaknesses and how it has been affected by changes in policy in Stormont and Westminster towards universities. A unifying theme is how Queen's has responded to the changes in Northern Ireland as a whole. -- Publisher description

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