When the University of East London was designated by the Privy Council in June 1992, it already had an institutional history of nearly 100 years. During that time the problems of higher education - problems of numbers, governance, standards, level of work, purpose and funding - received many different solutions in universities, polytechnics and colleges. No institution had a richer experience of these various solutions than the University of East London. The history of the University is thus an example of the changes, controversies and dilemmas of British higher education at large.