University of Suffolk

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University of Suffolk
University of Suffolk Logo.png
Type Public
Established2007 – University Campus Suffolk
2016 – renamed to University of Suffolk after gaining independence
Academic affiliation
University of East Anglia
University of Essex
West Suffolk College
East Coast College
Universities UK Suffolk New College
Chancellor Helen Pankhurst CBE
Vice-Chancellor Helen Langton
Students9,565 (2019/20) [1]
Undergraduates 8,910 (2019/20) [1]
Postgraduates 650 (2019/20) [1]
Location
Ipswich, and other campuses serving foundation courses around Suffolk and in Norfolk
,
Colours     Grey & gold
Website www.uos.ac.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The University of Suffolk is a public university situated in Suffolk and Norfolk, England. The university was established in 2007 as University Campus Suffolk (UCS), founded as a collaboration between the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. [2] The university's current name was adopted after it was granted independence in 2016 by the Privy Council and was awarded university status. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

The University of Suffolk is spread over four campuses: a central hub in Ipswich and campuses located in Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth (the latter in Norfolk, not Suffolk) focusing on foundation courses . [7] The university operates six academic faculties and in 2019/20 had 9,565 students. Of the total, 8% are identified as international students, 53% as mature students, and 66% of the university's students are female. [8]

The university secured the 8th place among UK universities in the "Course and Lecturers" category according to the WhatUni Student Choice Awards 2019. [9]

The current chancellor of the University of Suffolk is Helen Pankhurst, great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, who is an appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), as well as a scholar and writer. [10]

History

In 2003 Suffolk County Council established a "stakeholder group" to investigate the possibility of establishing a university in the county. Suffolk was the largest English county that did not host a university. [11] The group included representatives from the University of East Anglia, the University of Essex, West Suffolk College, the East of England Development Agency, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Suffolk Learning and Skills Council, Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk Chief Executive's Group and the Suffolk Development Agency.

Following funding pledges from Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council in 2004, the plan was backed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) with £15m worth of funding in 2005 and attracted a £12.5m grant from the East of England Development Agency in 2006 [11] The institution was officially launched under the name 'University Campus Suffolk' on 1 August 2007 [5] [12] and welcomed its first students in September of the same year. [13]

Because UCS did not have degree-awarding powers, its students received their degrees from either the University of East Anglia or the University of Essex via a cooperative agreement. [13] The institution was later granted degree-awarding powers by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in November 2015, and in May 2016 it was awarded University status by the Privy Council. As a consequence, UCS was renamed The University of Suffolk in August 2016 and began awarding degrees in its own right. [3] [4]

Campuses

The Waterfront Building in Ipswich University Campus Suffolk , Ipswich Waterfront - geograph.org.uk - 1077464.jpg
The Waterfront Building in Ipswich

Ipswich

The University of Suffolk's main hub is located in Ipswich on the historical Ipswich Waterfront. The Ipswich campus is spread across a compact area on the Waterfront with various university buildings. The principal university building is known simply as the Waterfront Building and was designed by RMJM Architects, [14] the Waterfront Building was opened in September 2008 and cost £35 million to build. [15] [16] It has three lecture halls and 34 smaller teaching rooms. [17]

The six-storey James Hehir Building was officially opened in March 2011 at a cost of £21 million [18] It is named after the former chief executive of Ipswich Borough Council and includes Cult Cafe. Campus North houses the library or "Learning Resource Centre". [17] Onsite student accommodation is provided in the 600-room Athena Hall, located adjacent to the James Hehir building. [6]

The most recent addition to the growing campus is The Hold, which houses the majority of the Suffolk Record Office's collection and provides various facilities to the university including a lecture hall.[ citation needed ]

The Ipswich campus offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Art and Design, Business Management, Computing, Education, Film, Law, Nursing and Midwifery.[ citation needed ]

Waterfront Campus RS1497 Waterfront location (32)-lpr.jpg
Waterfront Campus

Great Yarmouth

The Great Yarmouth centre is located at the Southtown site of East Coast College in neighbouring Norfolk. [5] Subjects such as Computing, Counselling, Engineering, Fashion, Music, and Photography are available at the centre, which has a modern recording studio. [5] [17]

Lowestoft

The Lowestoft Centre is located at the site of East Coast College. Lowestoft offers degrees in Children's Care, Learning and Development, Design, Inclusive Practice and Integrated Working, Operations Engineering, Supporting Inclusive Learning and Practice, and Social Science.[ citation needed ]

Partnerships

The University of Suffolk has partnered with two Further Education colleges, East Coast College and Suffolk New College, that serve students in the Suffolk area. It also has partnerships with the Global Banking School, London School of Commerce, Unicaf, and Unitas, an education charity specialising in criminal justice. [19]

Organisation and administration

Faculties and departments

The university is split into four schools, each facilitating various courses.

• School of Social Sciences and Humanities.[ citation needed ]

• Suffolk Business School.[ citation needed ]

• School of Health and Sports Sciences.[ citation needed ]

• School of Engineering, Arts, Science and Technology – EAST.[ citation needed ]

East Contemporary Art Collection

The University of Suffolk houses the "East Contemporary Art Collection", [20] which is exhibited at the Waterfront Gallery. [21] Founded by artists Robert Priseman and Simon Carter in 2013 the "East Contemporary Art Collection" contains 160 works of art by 115 artists [22] and was formed to make the first public collection of contemporary art in the East of England. [23]

Artists represented in the collection all have a working connection with the seven east of England counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire; the list of artists includesMaggi Hambling, Amanda Ansell, Susan Gunn, Nicholas Middleton, Justin Partyka, Anne Schwegmann-Fielding, James Dodds, Linda Ingham, Stephen Newton and Mary Webb. [24] The works of art in the collection were all produced after the year 2000 and are designed to be available for public display and as a learning resource for the university and students from the wider educational community. [25]

Sustainability

The university operates as a "Centre for Applied sustainability". The development of the Phase 1 campus was assessed as BREEAM Excellent, representing "best practice in sustainable development". [26]

The university is also engaged in the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership Green Economy Pathfinder.[ citation needed ]

Student life

Student housing

The on-campus halls of residence, Athena Hall, is located on the Ipswich Waterfront and houses up to 590 students. There is currently no accredited accommodation for the partner colleges in Bury St Edmunds, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.[ citation needed ]

Union

The Union was formed on 1 August 2007, the same day the university was officially launched. The union represents the student body at the management level and it is composed of paid and unpaid students who are based at the Union office in the campus's East building. It provides support for its students and manages the university social calendar, with multiple events run during the academic weeks and special Freshers weeks at the beginning of each academic year.[ citation needed ]

The president and vice-president of the Union are elected every March from candidates from the student body; they take office for 12 months from July to July, overseeing the totality of one academic year. There is a current two-year maximum term for the positions. The current president is Daniel Goulborn and the vice-president is Mauro Cardoso, both newly elected for 2020.[ citation needed ]

Academic profile

Rankings
National rankings
Complete (2024) [27] 80=
Guardian (2024) [28] 67
Times / Sunday Times (2024) [29] 105

The University of Suffolk s a recently established university in the UK. Its current national ranking is low, however it has seen a rising number of new students from the UK and abroad. The university was ranked in the top 10 for Course and Lecturers in the WhatUni Student Choice Awards 2019, which was based on a survey of over 41,000 students nationwide, rising 60 places from the previous year. [30] [ better source needed ]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk</span> County of England

Suffolk is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Anglia</span> Region of England

East Anglia is an area in the East of England. It comprises the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, with Cambridgeshire and Essex also included in some definitions. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in what is now Northern Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglia Ruskin University</span> British university

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university in East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins are in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at University of Cambridge, in 1858. It became a university in 1992, and was renamed after John Ruskin, the Oxford University professor and author, in 2005. Ruskin gave the inauguration speech of the Cambridge School of Art in 1858. It is one of the "post-1992 universities". The motto of the university is in Latin Excellentia per societatem, in English Excellence through partnership. Anglia Ruskin University was named University of the Year 2023 by Times Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowestoft</span> Town and civil parish in Suffolk, England

Lowestoft is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. As the most easterly UK settlement, it is 110 miles (177 km) north-east of London, 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Ipswich and 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Norwich, and the main town in its district. The estimated population in the built-up area exceeds 70,000. Its development grew with the fishing industry and as a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea in the 1960s took over. While these too have declined, Lowestoft is becoming a regional centre of the renewable energy industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich</span> Town and borough in England

Ipswich is a town and borough in the county of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk and is the largest settlement in the county, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds. It is situated in East Anglia. Ipswich is the second-largest population centre in East Anglia, Norwich being the largest. It is 67 miles (108 km) northeast of London. The Ipswich built-up area is the fourth-largest in the East of England region and the 42nd-largest in England and Wales. It includes the towns and villages of Kesgrave, Woodbridge, Bramford and Martlesham Heath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of East Anglia</span> Public university in Norwich, England

The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a 320-acre (130-hectare) campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of study. The university is a leading member of Norwich Research Park which has one of Europe's largest concentrations of researchers in the fields of agriculture, genomics, health and the environment. With an annual research spend of £130 million, it has over thirty businesses and four independent research institutes which support new companies and technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Essex</span> Public university in Essex, England

The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass universities. The university shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Essex and the motto: "Thought the harder, heart the keener" is adapted from the Anglo-Saxon poem The Battle of Maldon. The university comprises three campuses in the county, in Southend-on-Sea and Loughton with its primary campus in Wivenhoe Park, Colchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A12 road (England)</span> Road in England

The A12 is a major road in Eastern England. It runs north-east/south-west between London and the coastal town of Lowestoft in the north-eastern corner of Suffolk, following a similar route to the Great Eastern Main Line until Ipswich. A section of the road between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth became part of the A47 in 2017. Between the junctions with the M25 and the A14, the A12 forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E30. Unlike most A roads, this section of the A12, together with the A14 and the A55, has junction numbers as if it were a motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halesworth</span> Town and civil parish in Suffolk, England

Halesworth is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in north-eastern Suffolk, England. The population stood at 4,726 in the 2011 Census. It lies 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Lowestoft, on a tributary of the River Blyth, nine miles upstream from Southwold. The town is served by Halesworth railway station on the Ipswich–Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. It is twinned with Bouchain in France and Eitorf in Germany. Nearby villages include Cratfield, Wissett, Chediston, Walpole, Blyford, Linstead Parva, Wenhaston, Thorington, Spexhall, Bramfield, Huntingfield, Cookley and Holton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westerfield railway station</span> Railway station in Suffolk, England

Westerfield railway station is on a branch line off the Great Eastern Main Line, in the East of England, serving the village of Westerfield, Suffolk. It is 3 miles 41 chains (5.7 km) from Ipswich and 72 miles 25 chains (116.4 km) from London Liverpool Street. It is situated at the junction of the Felixstowe Branch Line to Felixstowe, and the East Suffolk Line to Lowestoft. Its three-letter station code is WFI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colchester Institute</span> College in Essex, UK

Colchester Institute is a large provider of further and higher education based in the city of Colchester. Colchester Institute provides full-time and part-time courses for a wide variety of learners including 16 to 19 year olds, apprentices, adults, businesses and employers. Undergraduate and Postgraduate Higher Education courses are delivered through University Centre Colchester and validated by the University of East Anglia, University of Huddersfield and University of Essex.

Ormiston Denes Academy is a secondary school with academy status located in the northern outskirts of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. It has around 1000 students aged 11 to 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Essex College</span> Further education college based in Essex County, England

South Essex College of Further and Higher Education, also known as South Essex College, is a further education college located over three main sites in Basildon, Southend-on-Sea and Grays in Essex, England. The college provides courses for students of all ages, from 14 to 19-year-olds to undergraduates, adults and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Suffolk College</span> School in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England

West Suffolk College is a Further Education college in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The college delivers a range of courses, including vocational and technical courses, apprenticeships, and an array of higher-apprenticeships and bachelor's degree courses accredited by the University of East Anglia. Over 12,000 students are enrolled at West Suffolk College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Ipswich</span>

Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, England. It is a medieval port and industrial town with a strong transport history; the urban area has a population of 122,000 and currently offers urban transport services for cars, cycles and buses. In addition there are 3 railway stations and regional coach services. London Stansted Airport is accessible by the airlink coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich Waterfront</span>

The Ipswich Waterfront is a cultural and historically significant area surrounding the marina in the town of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The modern dock was constructed in 1842 and the area was a functioning dock up until the 1970s. At the time of completion, the dock was known as 'the biggest and most important enclosed dock in the kingdom'. Although the dock as it stands was constructed in 1842, the area was used for trade as far back as the 7th century. The decline of industry in the town resulted in the area being transformed into a trendy area of Ipswich, the waterfront is now characterised by its marina, known as Neptune Marina, as well as its mix of classical and postmodern architecture which includes multiple high-rise apartment buildings, restaurants, bars and cafés. The waterfront is also home to the main campus of the region's university, the University of Suffolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Burrell</span> British artist

Mark Burrell is a British Artist, born and resident in Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK. He spent a year during his childhood in Libya. Returning to Lowestoft he studied art at Lowestoft College but considers himself self-taught.

Suffolk Archives manage the historical archives for the county of Suffolk. These archives include a wide range of historical council and parish records, plus various commercial records, local historic book collections, local historic newspapers and various personal items. They are accessible to view at three locations: The Hold Ipswich; Lowestoft Library, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds. The Hold opened in September 2020 and also hosts various exhibitions, town walks and lectures. This service is run by Suffolk County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Webb (artist)</span> British painter

Mary Webb is a British abstract artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Carter (artist)</span> Artist and curator

Simon Carter is an English artist and curator.

References

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  19. "Our Partners". University of Suffolk. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
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  29. "Good University Guide 2024". The Times. 15 September 2023.
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