• The financial situation is satisfactory but no better. The damage to efficiency and effectiveness has been 'considerable' with a loss of technical staff, reduction in teaching faculty from 485 to 389 and there is still the need to lose another 27 posts. Many of the losses have been senior members of faculty; the enhanced retirement plan funded by the Government will end in September 1984
• The situation with overseas students is not as bad as forecasted; only 20-30 per cent down, which might save some teaching posts
• Other radical changes being mooted by the Government including the closure of institutions, academic tenure, two-year degrees and the end of the binary system
• The Government begins the New Blood scheme, which allows funding for universities to compete for new science and IT posts. Sussex is awarded seven of the 312 posts available
• Sussex is still high in the research league table: first for Physics and Chemistry, second in social sciences and fourth in Biology
• The Chancellor's Fund is announced by Lord Shawcroft in July 1982. It will focus on supporting teaching and research in medical studies, computing and artificial intelligence and business and professional studies; three areas the University wishes to pursue
• The two Victorian Houses where the University originated in Preston Road, Brighton are converted into flats and named Shawcross House in honour of Lord Shawcross
• British Caledonian sponsors up to 20 Nigerian students to do PG degrees at Sussex over the next five years
• All UG places are filled without going to clearing, mainly because there are fewer places on offer
• The very low number of women students studying science and engineering programmes is recognised as a cause for concern. The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) nominates 1984 as Women into Science and Engineering Year, and Sussex is participating in ways to encourage women into these subjects
• The American Studies year abroad is been suspended because students can't afford to live in the US for a year
• 2,000 people attend the British Association for the Advancement of Science conference in August 1983, the largest conference held by the University up to this point

Staff numbers

Teaching faculty staffing levels over the past five years

1978: 486

1979: 482

1980: 477

1981: 463

1982: 432