London South Bank University (LSBU) is a university in south London. With over 25,000 students and 1,700 staff, it is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name. Founded from charitable donations in 1892 as the "Borough Polytechnic Institute", it absorbed several other local colleges in the 1970s and 1990s, and achieved university status in 1992. The university states its vision is to be "the most admired UK university for creating professional opportunity. We intend to be a source of pride to our students, our staff and the communities we serve." LSBU is regarded as a new university or post-1992 university and sets out to have a strong focus on employability. The current Vice-Chancellor is Prof Martin Earwicker. The university has over 25,000 students from over 120 countries. London South Bank students achieve the 12th highest starting salaries of any university in the UK, and it is rated in the top 25% of all universities in the UK for adding value to students. All of its courses are accredited or developed in association with leading professional bodies.