University of Suffolk
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]
For the university in Boston, Massachusetts, see Suffolk University.
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[edit]
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]
Partnerships[edit]
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.[20]
Student life[edit]
Student housing[edit]
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.
Union[edit]
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.
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.
National rankings
80=
67
105