BECOMING a university was the beginning of Oxford Brookes’ growth. That’s according to Rob Wondrak, associate dean within the university’s school of health and social care. Mr Wondrak joined Brookes in 1993, so missed the change from polytechnic by five months.

Now it is the sixth largest employer in the county, with more than 2,800 staff working with 18,695 students. Mr Wondrak said. “Gaining university status was the start of the expansion. Over that time in my department we’ve worked with the local hospitals to develop our departments of nursing and physiotherapy, among others.

“We now have about 800 health care students every year come into our programmes and most of them end up working in the NHS. “But back when we became a university it was all about getting us to grow.”

Mr Wondrak said the other key to the university’s success had been the internet, which became a mainstream tool just a few years after the changeover from a polytechnic. He said: “This was a time when there was no internet – we were all taken into the main hall one day and shown this thing called the worldwide web.

“The tremendous changes in technology have really helped us grow. “They have completely changed the way we work and the way we communicate with people overseas and around the world.

“We have worked with people in Kenya and Nairobi trying to help their fights again Aids and cancer.” When polytechnics such as Oxford became universities, there were two main changes. One is that they were no longer funded by local authorities, and the other was that the “new universities” could award their own degrees. Before that, polytechnics had to have degrees approved by the Council for National Academic Awards, or even neighbouring universities. This has allowed Brookes to forge its own identity, which Mr Wondrak says is “fundamentally different” from Oxford University.

He said: “We have been very aware of working with our local community, businesses such as BMW and further education colleges. We have tried to stay true to our belief in providing professional programmes to equip people for a range of opportunities. I think that focus makes us fundamentally different from the other big university in Oxford.

“We know we’ve had a positive impact on our area, we believe it is something like £1m a day to the local economy.”

To celebrate the landmark, staff who have stayed with the institution throughout the whole 20 years were last week invited to a tea party. About 240 members of staff have been working there as long as it has been a university.

Dr Helen Workman was employed as polytechnic librarian just two months before Brookes became a university on November 16, 1992. Now director of learning resources and university librarian, she has around 120 members of staff working under her, nearly double the number from when she started.

Dr Workman said: “I remember how much like a university it already was, with most of the students doing three-year degrees. “There was quite a lot of research going on, admittedly not across the board, but some very good areas of research.”

A new library is part of the planned developments to the university’s Headington campus, but even before it opens, there have been significant changes.

Dr Workman, 56, from Abingdon, said: “When I came there were no computers in the library for students to use. “Now we have hundreds and hundreds, and the students walk around with their own laptops and iPads, so the whole electronic library has grown.”

THE LECTURER

Douglas Higgison, 50, from Headington, principal lecturer in maths and mechanical engineering, has worked at Brookes for 23 years.

He said: “It was exciting because it’s something that had been talked about for a number of years.

“Although I had been there for a few years, it was exciting to think we were going to a new, recognised level in higher education. There was a change in attitude of students and employers.” He said certain things, such as the teaching ethos and staff development, remained consistent, but there had been big changes, including his department’s move from Headington to Wheatley.

Mr Higgison said: “The students have changed – there are more of them, so how you cater to a broader spectrum of abilities, has changed too.”

THE CARETAKER

Phil O’Keefe, 49, of Greater Leys, is one of the 12-strong team of caretakers.

He started at Brookes in August 1991.

He said: “When I came it was Oxford Polytechnic and polytechnics were like an upgrade of a college.
“Once it became a university it was on a par with the university in town.”

Mr O’Keefe’s most exciting moment was managing security for a visit from Princess Diana, but disaster management has come into play dealing with water leaks, and even a small fire this week.

THE HEAD OF EVENTS

Beth Hill, 40, from Childrey, joined Brookes in 1991 in hospitality, then moved into marketing. She is now head of events, managing a team of two, and has organised everything from graduation ceremonies with the likes of Joanna Lumley and Steve Redgrave, to guest lectures, to internal parties.

Ms Hill, met husband, head of joining tchnology Dr James Broughton, at the university.

She said: “I remember people feeling anxious about changes but excited. Aspirations were raised.”