A milestone birthday

30 years of transforming lives: celebrating with the University of Sunderland

In 1992 Sunderland Polytechnic gained university status and officially became the University of Sunderland. Now plans are underway to mark the 30th anniversary of the life-changing university with a series of celebrations.

It was a year of change. In 1992 there was a fourth-term general election victory for the Conservative Party and Black Wednesday dawned when the UK Government was forced to withdraw the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). The Premier League was formed, R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People dominated the music charts, and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs arrived in cinemas. In the same year, HM The Queen, who herself was experiencing an “annus horribilis”, granted Sunderland city status to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne. And Sunderland Polytechnic became the University of Sunderland, with Dr Anne Wright, who had been the Rector of the Polytechnic, becoming the first Vice-Chancellor of the University – and one of the very first female V-Cs. Thirty years on, the university is proud to be changing the lives of students – many of whom are from Sunderland and the surrounding area - and to be working with businesses and organisations to play a positive part in supporting the social and economic ambitions of the city. The university welcomes around 23,500 students to its campuses in Sunderland, London and Hong Kong, as well as through global learning partnerships in 15 other countries and online learning. The anniversary celebrations will be taking place throughout September with an opportunity for both past and current staff and students to get involved. The university will also be linking up with the wider community as part of events celebrating 30 years of Sunderland receiving city status.

Sir David Bell became the fourth Vice-Chancellor of the University four years ago.

He said: “When I joined in the autumn of 2018, I came with great optimism and hope for the future. Speaking now in 2022, that hasn’t changed but it has been an extraordinary intervening four years. “My arrival coincided with the latter stage of preparations for the opening of the new School of Medicine. The School, which opened in 2019, built upon our increasing activity across all areas of healthcare education which is now seen, rightly, as one of our signature strengths. “Other highlights of my first 18 months here included us forging a new and deepened relationship with our Students’ Union, something that continues to this day. We also saw a resurgence in student numbers – now standing at 23,500 worldwide – and we continued to improve our facilities for students and staff. “All of this was underpinned by a refreshed strategy in which we restated our lifechanging purpose and enhanced it with our ambitions to be student-focused, professions-facing and society-shaping. “Also in 2019, we were delighted to welcome our new Chancellor; multiplatinum award singer/songwriter, and Sunderland-born, Emeli Sandé, whose installation ceremony made national and international headlines.” The University will also be highlighting many of the memories of students who were studying in 1992 when official university status was granted One of those was Simon Keogh. Simon applied to come to Sunderland when it was still a polytechnic but graduated from it as a university.

Now 51-years-old, he is the successful financial director of a company, living in Northumberland with his wife and 15-yearold daughter. Looking back, he remembers his time in Sunderland with great fondness and pride. Simon said: “I was a pupil at St Robert of Newminster sixth form when I applied to what was then the polytechnic. That was in 1989. “I applied to do an HND in Business Studies at the poly but then ended up going on to do my BA in Accountancy and Business. To be honest it was all a great experience, I got to meet so many new people from so many different types of backgrounds. “Sunderland is a unique environment because it is focused towards ‘real life’, it wants you to get a job at the end of the three years, and that was something I really needed. When I graduated in 1993, I went straight into a job as an accountant, which was incredible. I went on to work for a number of companies and am now a finance director. “Back when I applied, there were a lot of changes happening, not just at the university, but in Sunderland in general. The city was changing, the university was building its new St Peter’s campus – there were a lot of big leaps forward. “I now have a teenage daughter and I will be encouraging her to go to university, there’s still a lot of value in it. Michelle Alderson, nee Oxborough, applied to Sunderland Polytechnic but started her studies at the University of Sunderland in 1992.

Now, 48-years-old, the freelance illustrator and business brand designer, recalls with happiness her memories of her time in the city. The mum-of-two, who studied BA Philosophy/Sociology, said: “The polytechnic I applied to became a university in the year I began my course. “Thirty years seems such a large number, but it feels like yesterday too. I loved the city and, more than that, the gorgeous seaside setting. “Walking on the beach was a great way to clear away the cobwebs and wake me up after a night out. My first year accommodation was on Roker Avenue. “I chose Sunderland because it offered module-based degrees - I wanted to study various subjects and I think Sunderland was one of the very first places to offer this. “I loved my time at the university and living in the city. I remember it really fondly. It always felt like a happy, safe place to be studying. “I've been working freelance as an illustrator and brand designer. My company is called Heartfelt Illustrations, where I specialise in custom designs."