News and updates

Graduation Week 2022

Graduation Week 2022 at the University of Suffolk saw more than 3,000 students graduating across 15 ceremonies in the grand marquee on the Ipswich Waterfront.

The celebratory atmosphere was matched, on the whole, by glorious autumn sunshine as guests gathered with graduates to share their special day.

Highlights included an emotional vote of thanks from Lotachi Ekwunife who graduated after losing her husband to Covid and a double celebration for newlywed graduate Balal Awan who married Arusa the day before collecting his Unitas FdA Youth Justice award.

The University also celebrated three new honorary graduates - Jonathan Adnams OBE, Dr Harry Brünjes and Paul Killik. Find out more about them on our Honorary Graduates and Fellows web page

Summing up the week of ceremonies Professor Helen Langton, Vice-Chancellor, said, “Graduation is the culmination of a huge amount of hard work and brings a sense of delight and achievement.”

NEWS AND UPDATES

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022

NEWS AND UPDATES

Higher Education Apprenticeship Landscape published in July 2022 by FISSS (The Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards)

The University was asked with five other universities to contribute to a research report to identify, and better understand, a number of key operational challenges when delivering degree apprenticeships. The focus was to understand the current issues pertaining to delivery, on programme assessment, end point assessment and submission of data returns for funding and certification.

In summary, the report highlighted that the uptake of higher and degree apprenticeships has demonstrated a demand for workintegrated provision at levels 6 and 7. However, the regulatory landscape is complex, and all universities felt that there was an urgent need for refinement to align with the university quality touchpoints. It was also felt, to support HEI’s and the continued expansion of higher and degree apprenticeship provision, it would be a welcome relief to many to observe a stronger narrative between QAA, OfS, ESFA, IFATE, Ofqual and Ofsted. Lastly HEI’s felt greater collaboration would be desirable to drive a common language and an inclusive quality framework, that recognises the nuances of pedagogic approaches at different study levels, as well as embracing, and assuming alignment to the core principles of apprenticeship provision.

Operation Soteria Bluestone — transforming policing of rape and sexual offences

In September, researchers from the Institute for Social Justice and Crime, led by Professor Miranda Horvath, began work on the second year of Operation Soteria Bluestone, a national programme aiming to transform the policing response to rape and other sexual offences across England and Wales.

Operation Soteria Bluestone was first piloted in Avon and Somerset Police at the beginning of 2021, as a response to the government End-to-End Rape Review and the Home Office pledge to increase the number of rape cases ending in a conviction.

This year, working with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the National Police Chiefs Council, the project is expanding to involve 19 distinct police forces from across England and Wales.

The Soteria Bluestone project is split into six key areas of focus, all exploring different aspects of the investigative process. The focus areas have been informed by academic studies, deep dive research and pilots in police forces, and include:

„ Suspect focused investigations „ Targeting repeat suspects „ Victim engagement „ Learning, development and wellbeing for officers „ Better use of data „ Digital forensics

The University of Suffolk, alongside collaborators from Bournemouth University, are leading the work on conducting suspect focused investigations and targeting repeat suspects.

This research, which is already gaining national media attention, will ultimately result in a new National Operating Model for use by all 43 Home Office police forces across England and Wales.

NEWS AND UPDATES

Fundraising and Alumni Relations successes

The University’s Alumni Relations and Development team exists to strengthen relationships between the University and its supporters, alumni and friends; raise awareness of the need and impact of support; ensure our graduates build lifelong connections with us; and fundraise to support the University in its growth, and its mission to transform lives.

The team is proudly celebrating its most successful year to date. In recent months, the University received its first-ever sevenfigure donation (£1.25m) towards its integrated care provision and plans, and it also received a significant pledge (value circa £1m) from a supporter deciding to leave half of their residual estate for the establishment of a multi-year bursary. These unprecedented acts of generosity towards the University are real votes of confidence in its mission to transform lives, in Suffolk and beyond. We have launched a new film to celebrate our growing supporter community, which can be watched on our Supporting the University web page. The team has also been busy engaging and re-engaging with hundreds of supporters and thousands of Alumni and will soon move its relationship management activity onto a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to improve the University’s communications with its stakeholders and friends in the future. Our Alumni campaign #UniSuffolkMadeMe was shortlisted for ‘best engagement campaign’ at the 2022 HEIST awards. The percentage of University of Suffolk contactable Alumni (78%) now exceeds national averages (73%) and our quarterly Alumni News achieved 30% read-rates, compared to 25.8% sector average. Ever-strong Alumni support for the University maintained its momentum and included radio interviews, blogs, talks and lectures; target-blowing social media engagement across all channels; plus the percentage of our Alumni returning to the University to take up postgraduate qualifications has risen from 22% to 54% this year. We are planning a new-look events calendar for 2023 that will include our first big Alumni event — more exciting details coming soon.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022