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University of Sussex

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University of Sussex
Logo of the University of Sussex
MottoBe Still and Know
Established1961
ChancellorLord Attenborough
Vice-ChancellorProf Alasdair Smith
Students12,348
Undergraduates9,376
Postgraduates2,972
Location
Falmer, East Sussex
,
UK
Affiliations1994 Group
Websitewww.sussex.ac.uk

The University of Sussex is an English campus university located near the East Sussex village of Falmer, near Brighton and Hove and on the edge of the South Downs. It is the only university in England which is entirely located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and runs entirely on electricity from renewable energy sources. It was founded in August 1961, one of several plate glass universities to be built in the 1960s.

History

Establishment

The original buildings are of unusual and varied designs in red brick and concrete by Sir Basil Spence. The campus was intended to blend in with the surrounding parkland, to maintain an established avenue of elm trees, and to provide something of a "village" atmosphere to its inhabitants and users. Most notable are the Grade I listed Falmer House and the circular Meeting House which is designed to be easily transformed for use by different religious denominations.

Falmer House was briefly the only building on campus and was used for teaching and dining. Administration at that time was mostly housed at nearby Stanmer House. Falmer House now accommodates the Students' Union and a nightclub, the Hothouse. The campus also boasts a large number of other eating and drinking venues for students, staff and research companies.

Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors

The present Chancellor of the university is The Lord Attenborough, who was elected as the university's fourth Chancellor on March 20 1998.

  1. The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (1961 - 1965)
  2. Lord Shawcross (1965 - 1985)
  3. The Duke of Richmond and Gordon (1985 - 1989)
  4. Lord Attenborough (1998 - present)

The university has had six Vice-Chancellors:

  1. John Fulton (1961 - 1967)
  2. Professor Asa Briggs (1967 - 1976)
  3. Sir Denys Wilkinson (1976 - 1987)
  4. Sir Leslie Fielding (1987 - 1992)
  5. Professor Gordon Conway (1992 - 1998)
  6. Professor Alasdair Smith (1998 - present)

Academic Reputation

Rankings

The World University Rankings, compiled by researchers for the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and published in October 2005, put Sussex 13th in the UK, 36th in Europe and 100th in the world. The latest Sunday Times ranking puts Sussex 20th in the UK, a move up of 7 places from the year before.

Arts A lecture threatres in 2005
Campus accommodation, as seen in 2006

Research

Notable current and former staff

Sussex in the News

See also: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/media

Future Development

Current Issues

The university is currently facing a tough financial position. At present, the university finds itself in £3.8 million deficit, which the vice-chancellor has blamed on departmental overspending, despite major cuts. Regular complaints of a lack of funding by academic staff, support staff and students are common.

A new car-park in an area of outstanding natural beauty caused further unrest in 2005.

Organisation

The university is organized into seven schools following traditional departmental lines:

This organization was introduced as part of a major restructuring on August 1, 2003.

See also: Previous organisation of the University of Sussex

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Brighton and Sussex Medical School Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) is one of the new medical schools in the UK. It is a partnership between the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex. BSMS benefits from the universities’ distinctive traditions and shared strengths in biomedical sciences, healthcare and professional education. The school gained its license in 2002. It admits 136 students per year with all of them being based for the first two years on the split campus at Falmer.

Centres of excellence

In addition to the seven current schools, the university houses several centres of excellence including the Centre for the Study of Evolution that had John Maynard Smith as its most prominent member, the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics, and the Genome Damage and Stability Centre.

The university is also noted for its work in molecular sciences, with a faculty that once included Sir Harry Kroto, and for its work in computing and cognitive science, particularly Artificial Intelligence and human-computer interaction.

The university library is home to the Mass-Observation project and archives.

Academic Departments

  • American Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Art History
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology and Environmental Science
  • Business and Management Studies
  • Centre for Continuing Education (CCE)
  • Chemistry
  • Computing (Informatics)
  • Contemporary European Studies
  • Cultural Studies
  • Development Studies
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering and Design
  • English
  • European Humanities
  • European Languages
  • Gender Studies
  • Geography
  • Graduate Centre in the School of Humanities
  • History
  • Informatics
  • International Relations and Politics
  • Law
  • Linguistics and English Language
  • Mathematics
  • Media and Film
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Physics and Astronomy
  • Psychology
  • Social and Political Thought
  • Social Work and Social Care
  • Sociology
  • Sussex European Institute
  • Sussex Language Institute


Undergraduate Courses

Information on undergraduate courses offered by the University can be found here

Postgraduate Courses

Information on postgraduate courses offered by the University can be found here


Campus Life

Student Life

Based in the original Falmer House building, the Students' Union provides a wide range of student support and entertainment services.

Student's Union

See also: University of Sussex Students' Union

Campus Media

The Badger is the Union’s regular news publication, and is written and designed entirely by Sussex students. It aims to represent the views and interests of students and communicate the work of the Union, as well as informing members about local, national and international issues that effect them as students.

URF was one of the first student radio stations in the country. It broadcasts locally on 1431AM, and to the world from www.urfonline.com . The station has a packed daytime schedule, and during the evening offers a diverse range of genre programming, all from Sussex students. You can also send in your requests whilst you’re sat in Falmer Bar to hear the music that best suits your mood, as URF broadcasts here through the afternoon. With opportunities for DJs, technicians, newscasters and more, the station is second-to-none as a place to pick up the vital experience you’ll need to get into the competitive broadcasting industry.

The Pulse, Sussex’s termly magazine, complements the Badger by providing in-depth feature articles, interviews with local and national stars, and analysis of the latest happenings in Brighton. The elegant and experimental design gives the magazine an edgy feel, and makes it the perfect publication for those interested in design and visual arts to work for.

For more information, contact pulse@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Halls of Residence

  • Park Houses (consisting of Kent, Lancaster, Norwich, York)

Sport and Clubs

See also: Sports and Clubs at the University of Sussex

Societies at Sussex

See also: Societies at the University of Sussex

Educational Partners

  • Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) is a partnership between the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex. BSMS benefits from the universities' distinctive traditions and shared strengths in biomedical sciences, healthcare and professional education. The school, which is the first medical school in the South East outside London, opened in 2003.

The Gardner Arts Centre

Housed at the edge of the campus in an eccentric Grade II listed building by Sir Basil Spence, the Gardner Arts Centre was opened in 1969 as the first university campus arts centre. It has a 480 seat purpose built theatre, a visual art gallery and studio space and is regularly used for theatre and dance as well as showing a range of films on a modern cinema screen.

Alumni

Politicians
Writers, journalists and broadcasters
Scientists
Others

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Wikimedia Commons has media related to University of Sussex.

Bibliographic references

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Units/finance/publications/fin-stmt-04-05/contents.pdf

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