University of Aldesey

The University of Aldesey

Universitas Aldesiensis
Coat of Arms of the University of Aldesey
Other name	The Chancellour, Masters and Scholars of the University at Aldesey
Motto	Omnia pro Domino
Motto in English	All for the Lord
Type	Corporation by prescription
Established	c. 8th century as a monastic school c. 1256 as a university
Religious affiliation	Church of Nortend
Endowment	~ £101,200,000
Chancellor	Cardinal Dr. William Laseby, Bishop of Chepingstow
Vice-Chancellor	Rt. Rev'd. Dr. Martin Hazel, Vicar-General of Chepingstow
Rector	Rt. W'shipful Dr Thomas Matthew
Students	~ 9,400
Location	Aldesey , Narland , Great Nortend
Language	English, Latin
Colors	Light blue   and white
Sports	Boating, fencing, hunting

The University of Aldesey, formally the Chancellour, Masters and Scholars of the University at Aldesey, is one of the three universities in Great Nortend. It is located in the town of Aldesey, in the county of Narland. It is the eldest university and the second largest after the University of Limmes in Great Nortend. It was founded as a monastic school attached to Aldesey Abbey in the 8th century, and developed into a collegiate university during the 12th and 13th centuries.

The University is mainly built upon two large natural islands in the River Lither, the Upper and Lower Eyotes, which have over the centuries has been nearly fully covered by the buildings of the university colleges, with the town of Aldesey developing on the wider banks of the river.

Governance

The River Lither at Dumcourt Bridge.

The University as a body is distinct from its sixteen constituent colleges. Each of the sixteen colleges are independent and responsible for the lodging, education and nourishment of its students. Students are admitted to a college through the process of Matriculation, when they formally become members of the University. Henceforth, they are bound by the University's statutes and regulations. The University's statutes, regulations and ordinances are enforced by the University's proctors, policemen and beadles, who have the power to fine and confine, and in extreme cases, to rusticate or ban (expel).

The formal corporate body of the University is known as the Great Congregation, comprised of all masters of the University, who are those students with a Master of Arts or were otherwise a Doctor of Science, Letters, Music, Physic, Laws or Divinity. It has a role in passing University's statutes and regulations, subject to the Chancellour, as well as having control over academic matters such as examinations, rustication, matriculation, the curriculum and lectures, as well as granting graces, dispensations and degrees.

The Congregation, with its large size, normally meets every three years, and delegates its powers to the smaller Minor Congregation, or Convocation of Regent Masters, who have power over academic matters though it cannot pass statutes. Statutes are deliberated upon by the Convocation, and if agreed to, referred back to the entire Congregation, which can accept it or reject it at the triennial meetings or by postal ballot.

Colleges and Halls

The University has sixteen colleges and five halls, the former of which is a permanent independent corporate body, whereas the latter is operated as a personal concern. The sixteen colleges are listed below, their associated common school in brackets.

• All Saint's College
• Bailmorden College
• Buckgate College (St Arnold's School)
• Christ's College
• Cholstave College (Allord College)
• Dryard College
• Flemey College (Flemey School)
• Holy Ghost College
• Mancourt College
• Old College (Martinhall School)
• Prince's College
• Staithey College
• St Lucy's College (Siel College)
• St Peter ad Vincula College
• West College
• Wistfin College (Chepingstow School)

Students

It is necessary to matriculate at a college to be a student. The Exhibitiones are examinations taken at the end of the Sixth Form to prove scholastic competence and potential entitlement to an exhibition. This is also the examination which forms the principal basis for admission to matriculation. As only independent schools offer the Exhibitiones, state school pupils are unable to enter university by this route. However, as it is not a prerequisite to matriculation, colleges may admit students at their discretion. For example, many colleges matriculate international students, although not all.

Undergraduates are graded into seven ranks :— noblemen, gentlemen, exhibitioners, commoners, battelers and servitors. Most colleges have abolished servitors; however some still retain the rank. Different ranks of undergraduates are entitled to different styles of gowns and headdress which mark their status. Students are required to wear the gown of their status whenever they are in public, unless otherwise dispensed with or engaging in exempted activities (such as physical exercise). Undergraduates and their different ranks are subordinate to Bachelors and Masters of Arts, who theoretically rank as equals to bachelors and doctors of higher faculties.

Faculties

As with the two other Erbonian universities, the University of Aldesey has four faculties in the mediaeval university tradition, being the Faculties of Arts, Physic, Laws and Divinity. Other than monks and friars, students enter the university in the Faculty of Arts, and read for their Bachelor of Arts, and usually, for their Master of Arts, which allows them to pursue further degrees.

Faculty of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts (Baccalaureus Artium B. A.) degree is the most common undergraduate degree. After Matriculation, the freshman takes a short oral Minores examination de sophismatibus at the end of his first year. Thereafter the student is known as a sophist. He sits the Responsiones at the end of the second year, which include written papers in camera and a short oral viva voce examination de quaestione respondens. The student in his third year then becomes a questionist. During Lent that year, the questionist performs his Determinationes. This involves involve written papers in camera and oral viva voce disputations. After this, the masters vote de scientia et moribus and then the determiner „sues” for his Bachelor of Arts.

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Arts involves attendance at lectures, supplemented with repetitions (tutorials), disputations (debates) and declamations (essays). Lectures for undergraduates are given by regent masters and involve exposition and instruction of the subject matter, as well as questions and discussion. The lectures are divided broadly into Philosophy (Ethics, Metaphysics, Logic and Natural) and History (Ancient, Biblical, Modern and Natural). Students must choose which lectures they attend, provided they attend the minimum number of lectures in each field.

Master of Arts

The academic dress of a Master of Arts sans cap. Note the hood has slipped.

The Master of Arts (Magister Artium M. A.) is the culmination of the four-year course in the Arts. The bachelor dedicates himself to one field of his choice, attending lectures and disputations, and giving repetitions to the undergraduates. At the end of the year or when he feels ready, the bachelor undertakes his Quodlibetica examination, which again consists of papers in camera and an oral viva voce disputation. After a vote of the masters de scientia et moribus, worthy candidates are presented to the Chancellour of the University, the Lord High Chancellour, and receive the licentia docendi. The bachelor take an oath inter alia to incept within ten years.

A Master of Arts takes a seven years to attain (“twenty-one terms after Matriculation”). By the 19th century, the licentiate took only four years to attain. However, inception still occurs at the end of the student’s twenty-first year after Matriculation. On the afternoon before, the inceptor takes part in a formal disputation known as Vesperies. The next day during mass, the new Master of Arts receives his ring and academic hood, after which he gives a brief lecture known as his Principium. By statute he is bound to lecture as a regent master for a year after inception, unless he had matriculated in a higher faculty. However, this is mostly dispensed with except for masters with a doctorate in arts.

Doctorates in Arts

The academic gown of a Doctor of Letters.

Further study in the Faculty of Arts is possible in science or letters. This proceeds as a four-year course culminating in a Doctorate of Science or Doctorate of Letters. Doctorates are also given in music, but these are only awarded honoris causa for composition. Students generally choose a similar field as they studied for in the Master's degree, although study is progressively more by research than instruction.

Higher faculties

The higher faculties are those of Laws, Physic and Divinity, in which the University admits students to bachelor's degrees and doctorates. By ancient statute all students in higher faculties must have incepted as Master of Arts first before graduating with their higher degree. A student after gaining his licentia docendi to incept may choose to matriculate in one of the higher faculties. Study for the bachelor's degree involves Collationes, Generales and Particulares examinations, the doctors voting de scientia et moribus. At the end of the third year, the student will incept as Master of Arts. Thereafter, he takes his may sue for his bachelor. After attaining bachelorhood, a further year or more of study or research allows the bachelor to take his Sollempnes examinations with papers in camera and public viva voce disputation. Thereafter, the doctors vote de scientia et moribus to present him to the Chancellour to receive his licentia docendi in order to allow him to incept as a doctor after several years.