ABSTRACT
The University of Aston in Birmingham received its Charter as an independent university on 22 April 1966, but its history as a developing institution stretches well back into the nineteenth century. Moodie and Eustace argue that one of the major dimensions of variation between the charters and statutes of different universities is the degree to which academic staff have control within their universities. This chapter shows that the rate of expansion was far greater than for universities as a whole in the UK which grew by under sixty per cent in the same time period. An analysis of charters and statutes conducted for the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals found that only about 15 universities had true conditions of tenure and it was thought that staff in the remainder could lose their posts if financially expedient. Birmingham had opened Gracie Hall in 1960 but by early 1966 still only had accommodation for 200 students.
