This is whe
re it all began - in 1796, when John Anderson (1726-1796), Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, left instructions in his will for the establishment of a new university in Glasgow. Interested in the practical application of science and the education and advancement of working men and women, Anderson often found himself at odds with his fellow professors at Glasgow over matters of University governance and over their hostility, as he saw it, to new ideas.
Anderson set out detailed plans in his will for an institution that was to be a place of education for all, regardless of gender or social class. It was to be called Anderson’s Institution and managed by 81 trustees with occupations ranging from tradesmen and farmers to doctors and lawyers. He expressed the hope that
'... in the course of time perhaps from these small beginnings, this Institution may become a Seminary of Sound Religion; Useful Learning; and Liberality of Sentiment'.
Over 200 years later, the University of Strathclyde (the direct descendant of Anderson’s Institution) is still ‘the place of useful learning’.
