[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Teesside Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA]On the edge of the [ITAL]glorious [EITAL]Yorkshire moors, on the north-east coast of England and not far from the ancient city of Durham, lies the not-so-ancient county of Cleveland. [ITAL]There, you see - it can actually sound quite attractive, although the traditional view of Teesside[EITAL] - a large industrial conurbation encompassing the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Hartlepool, squeezing in over a million people - [ITAL]is probably more recognisable to those who know the place.[EITAL] If we were to get an ad agency on the job with their designer water and sparkling suits, they would no doubt point out Middlesbrough's [ITAL]fine [EITAL]Victorian civic buildings, its proximity to the coast (ignore the oil pollution), its label as 1992's Environment City ([ITAL]not because it's clean - it isn't - but because this is a place where the greenies have really got their work cut out[EITAL]) and its [ITAL]easy [EITAL]access to York, Newcastle, Darlington and the coast (at Saltburn and Redcar). [ITAL]One of Middlesbrough's many attributes, over which the ad men discretely throw a veil would be the University's main site right in the city centre. It is an example of the many ways you can use outsized portakabins, a tribute to aesthetic sabotage and rapid expansion. The nearby Albert Park is slight recompense for such vandalism, as is the design of the University's 2nd, much smaller site at Flatts Lane[EITAL], housing business and management studies 5 miles away. The ad men might try to sell the Eston Hills, next to the Flatts Lane site, as the alps of East Teesside, [ITAL]but it'd be like offering an electricity pylon as a British Eiffel Tower.[BOLD] [EITAL][EBOLD][HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]'Thrusting' would not be an unfair word to describe the entrepreneurial University of Teesside. Older, more established and envious Universities might prefer 'pushy', but [EITAL][PUSH]push[EPUSH][ITAL] has copyrighted that word. The emphasis on sciences, business and vocational courses has attracted serious-minded, often mature students who appreciate the opportunities to study part time or on sandwich courses. It's very much a local university, with the locality being generally friendly and cheap. Most of the students are from the true northern working class and the students are friendly enough. However, a thrust towards the south is planned to attract a more cosmopolitan (richer) cross section of students.[EITAL][ITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population (Middlesbrough): 141,100 [BULL] London: 252miles [BULL] York: 49miles [BULL] Newcastle: 37miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA][ITAL]Middlesbrough's a true northern town with all the trappings conjured up by 'trouble at t' mill' with the music from the Hovis ad in the background:[EITAL] mile upon mile of back-to-back [ITAL]drab [EITAL]Victorian terraces; massive (now largely silent) industrial plants; [ITAL]strangely[EITAL], still active docks; and a [ITAL]brilliant [EITAL]football team ([ITAL]and you're braver than us if you say different)[EITAL]. Furthermore, the town's large enough to provide more shopping opportunities than any student can reasonably afford, including a sprinkling of bookshops, a couple of shopping malls and late night shopping past 10pm. [ITAL]Students will be uninterested to note that the town's most attractive building is the 19th century Central Library, and probably they couldn't care less that[EITAL] Teesside was the birthplace of the railway (Stockton-Darlington, 1825). [ITAL]Unless they like trains. More interestingly, Paul Anderson (the director of 'Shopping') described Teesside as 'like the opening of 'Blade Runner'... like hell on earth.'[EITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] From Middlesbrough (10 mins walk from campus) there is a regular service to Darlington, which is on the main North-East line from London (3:10hrs, 1/hr) to Edinburgh. Middlesbrough has other connections including Birmingham and Bristol.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] Coach services courtesy of Blue Line, City Link, Swiftline and National Express services to London (ú17.50, 4:45hrs, 5/day), Edinburgh (ú17, 4hrs, 1/day), Manchester (ú10, 2:55hrs, 5/day), Birmingham (ú18, 3:05hrs, 2/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] The A19 south to York and north to Newcastle runs straight through Middlesbrough. Also, there's the A66, cross country to the lakes, and the A1 runs through Darlington, 15 miles to the west.[PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] Teesside airport, 12 miles away - domestic flights and to Europe and Scandinavia.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Students are likely to be picked up on the A1, A66 and A19. We wouldn't rate the chances of being seen alive afterwards, though.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Buses are [ITAL]cheap (50p max), [EITAL]but stop running after 11pm [ITAL]and are not always reliable. [EITAL]Trains run [ITAL]regularly [EITAL]all over the Teesside conurbation.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Reasonably priced (ú2 across town) and readily available. [EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The town is flat, but bikes tend to go walkies. Or should it be wheelies?[EITAL][HDNG]FACULTIES and STUDENT NOS:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Business[EBOLD] 2,662[BOLD][PARA]Computing/Maths[EBOLD] 1,478[BOLD][PARA]Science[EBOLD] 2,144[BOLD][PARA]Human Studs[EBOLD] 2,420[BOLD][PARA]Design[EBOLD] 388[BOLD][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EBOLD][PARA][BOLD][STAT][BULL] Books: 280,000 [BULL] Study places: 515 [BULL] Computer workstations: 1,050[ESTAT][EBOLD][PARA]The central library has a world TV satellite receiver so students can watch episodes of 'Terry and June' dubbed into Gujerati. Also, there is a smaller library at Flatts Lane.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 8full [BULL] Unemployed after 6mths (1992): 17%[ESTAT][PARA]Teesside has the highest unemployment in England. The Careers Service has taken to organising an Employer's Convention at the University in recent years. [ITAL]Ever thrusting[EITAL].[HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]Until Summer 1992, Teesside was the only conurbation of more than 1,000,000 people in the UK which didn't have a university. Now it not only has a university, since Teesside Poly changed its name, but also Stockton University College - set up as a joint venture with [ULNE]University of Durham[EULNE].[PARA][PARA][BULL]Most course are semesterised (2 15-week terms), and all will be by 1995.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]David Bowe and Steve Hughes (MEPs).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, part timers and postgrads and departmental bumpf.
