A day in the life

A day in the life: Emeli Sandé

The University of Sunderland continues to respond to these challenging times, with staff working hard to keep studies on-track and support its student community. The University’s very own Chancellor, singer and songwriter, Emeli Sandé, added to that effort when she recently spent a day touring the university's facilities and learning more about the life on campus.

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11am Emeli is whisked off to the Students’ Union to meet the Presidents and hear about the work going on to support the University’s 20,000 students from all five faculties. She also meets student representative Stacy Humphrey and members of the Elite Athlete Squad before being presented with a University hoodie.

12:30pm After a quick break for lunch, Emeli and her entourage move to the Helen McArdle House in the city centre. The building was named after philanthropist Helen McArdle, who recently donated £2.5million to the University to benefit teaching and research in nursing and care. Emelie is shown state-of-the-art training equipment, including a fully-fitted ambulance and mock hospital ward that helps train the University’s nurses and paramedics of the future!

11:30am The party moves over to the Sciences Complex, where Emeli explores the University’s new School of Medicine. The School opened to students last September and aims to address the region’s shortage of doctors.

9:30am Emeli arrives at the city campus, where she is met by Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University, Sir David Bell, and Chair of the Board of Governors, John Mowbray. 10:30am Students from Spark, the University’s official radio station, arrive to interview Emeli all about her connection to Sunderland, life as a touring musician and how it feels to be back in the city. Emeli expresses her delight at being back in Sunderland to discover more about University life. 11:45am The Chancellor enjoys a tour of the new School, meeting Professor of Anatomy, Debs Patten, as well as some of the new medical students along the way. She also tries out some of the cutting-edge equipment, including the pioneering Anatomage Table.

1pm Next stop is the University-owned National Glass Centre (NGC), where many students enrolled on Glass and Ceramics programmes, as well as others from the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries, are based. Emeli is given a tour of the venue by Dr Cate Watkinson and gets the chance to look at the various exhibitions currently on display, as well as the working hot glass studio. 1:45pm Emeli joins a meeting to find out more how the University’s external work is shaping society. 2:30pm The day ends with Sir David Bell presenting the Chancellor with gifts, including a unique piece of glass from NGC, as well as a soft toy sporting a University of Sunderland jumper for her young nephew.