ABSTRACT
University of East London (UEL) is euphemistically called a 'new university', but it was founded in 1892 as a technical institute, 'a people's university'. UEL's catchment of students is far outside of the mainstream of British university life. The students are older. More than 50 per cent are mature students, and many already have jobs and families. The lack of resources and the poor intakes meant that UEL languished near the bottom of most university ratings lists. UEL was predominantly a black university and, unusually for any university, had many black staff. Their contributions should have been highly valued. UEL was not in a strong position to offer PhDs, and its library and other facilities could not match those of established universities. Like many other public bodies, UEL became increasingly security conscious. The university nursery had started off at the Barking campus as a mediocre playgroup and then, when the campus closed, moved to the Docklands site.
