• Continuing uncertainty over finances in a difficult economic context of high inflation, unemployment and two general elections makes planning very difficult, with concerns that cuts might be necessary or developments put on hold. Devolution of budgets this year has worked well but deeper cuts would cause problems
• The HE sector still needs to expand despite the lessening of political will to make it happen. National issues means that the relationship between the University and Brighton College of Education is uncertain
• There is more need than ever before to be distinctive in order to attract students and research funding, but being different to other universities leads to some vulnerability. Interdisciplinarity is key to distinctiveness
• More mature students are welcomed and gap years are encouraged as positive
• Strong links with alumni are to be further developed along with the need to encourage more endowments to the University
• Accommodation for students is still a serious problem. No help from Government is forthcoming and it is seen as an impediment to growth
• CCE offers over 100 courses for adults, with more than 1,500 students enrolled
• PG entrant numbers remain high at over 25 per cent of the total intake
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an area that is encouraged to develop
• Research Centres are core to University research, as are international contacts and collaborations
• IDS and SPRU attract additional funding from Reginald Phillips for another year, but there is no money for the Medical Research Centre and the proposed Medical School is shelved for the foreseeable future
• Two new initiatives begin: the Cohen Fund for community activities, especially the crèche; and Kulukundis, accommodation specifically for students with severe physical disabilities, which is the first of its kind in the UK

Student numbers

3896 students: 2,878 undergraduates (1636 arts, 1242 sciences), 1,018 postgraduates (356 arts, 497 sciences, 119 education, 36 social work)

Gender ratio

Undergraduate arts

770 men: 866 women

Undergraduate sciences

943 men: 299 women

Staff numbers

Very low turnover of faculty (2.8%)

2,122 members of staff: 59 professors, 84 readers, 266 lecturers, 157 research faculty, 221 visiting and associated faculty, 1,335 other faculty and staff