The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university opened a medical school for non-white students in Durban. The Pietermaritzburg campus was known for its agricultural engineering course, hence the nickname "the farmers" while the Durban campus was known as "the engineers" as it concentrated on other forms of engineering.
Durban campus. The campus is strung out along the Berea, a ridge to the north of the Durban city centre. Under apartheid, the Durban university was known for the activism of its staff and students against government-imposed racial segregation. In the 1970s and 1980s many of its students were members of the often-banned NUSAS (National Union South African Students), centred on the main arts centre of the campus at Howard College. In addition, the university magazine Dome (named for the dome of Howard College), was active against apartheid and was often banned, with the printing press being moved around to prevent its being confiscated by police. In 1980 there was a brief boycotting of the food hall for the college residences because of the unfair treatment of black staff by the food supply contractor FEDICS. The Durban campus had many onsite residential colleges, named for prominent South Africans including Ernest Jansen, Louis Botha and Mabel Palmer. The main science block, completed in the early 1980s, was a pivotal location for biological research and game conservation for the province.
Pietermartizburg campus was the original campus, though it later became the smaller of the two main campuses. The campus is in a suburban location, centred on the library and administration buildings. The library houses many historic books, including colonial history and Boer war history. Unlike the Durban campus, most students do not live in residence on campus.
On 1 January 2004, the university was merged with the University of Durban-Westville to form the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Read more about University Of Natal: Alumni
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