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     The University ; "A society of individuals living and working
together for the advancement of learning and the dissemination of
knowledge".  (University of York Development Plan).
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<P 2>
     In 1617 James I received a petition requesting a University
for York.  This was followed by a petition to Parliament in 1652,
and a deputation to the University Grants Committee in 1947.  The
University officially opened in 1963 with a student population
comprising 216 undergraduates and 12 postgraduates.
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     The site consisted of 190 acres of marshy land and a large
decrepit Elizabethan mansion, Heslington Hall, destined to become
the administration building.  Draining the saturated ground was
accomplished by widening a natural stream and creating a fourteen
acre artificial lake around which the University was constructed.