The year 2011-12 marked the 50th anniversary of Sussex‘s founding in 1961. To celebrate this milestone, we held a number of events and exhibitions throughout the year.
More than 2,500 current and former students, as well as members of staff and other friends of Sussex, returned to campus in September 2011 as we launched our year of celebrations with a weekend of events including music, performances, exhibitions, alumni reunions and fireworks. We also launched our major new fundraising campaign, ‘Making the Future’.
50th Anniversary Year events and images from the archive
Over the course of the year, we have held a series of high-level debates, the 'Sussex Conversations', at the Royal Institution in London. Each debate addressed issues tied to one of our six Research Themes. Speakers included: Dr Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General, Emerging Security Challenges at NATO; Dame Fiona Reynolds OBE, Director-General of the National Trust; journalist Sarah Montague; Sir Harry Kroto FRS, and former MP, Clare Short.
Hosted on campus, an exhibition about Sir Basil Spence, Sussex‘s original architect, showed how the pioneering architectural concept for the University was realised.
We published a history of the University, Making the Future, a commemorative book edited by Professor Fred Gray telling the story of Sussex and how it has evolved over the last five decades. The book is richly illustrated with photographs, most never published before, and also records the unique personal experiences of the some of the people who have worked or studied at Sussex.
A specially commissioned documentary, A Golden Opportunity, examines the University as it is now and as it was in the beginning. The film explores whether the unique spirit of Sussex with its ‘new map of learning’ has survived, and risks a look into the future.
We have been delighted to offer a number of Sussex Fund 50th Anniversary Research Scholarships, provided through the generosity of Sussex alumni.
There were also several events held abroad for our international alumni, in countries such as China, India and the US.