- Three undergraduates will benefit from new scholarships worth £27,000 as part of the Accent Foundation, a scheme unique to the University of Sussex
- Work begins on the largest building project on campus since its inception in the 1960s. It comprises two schemes: a new teaching block (housing two lecture theatres and a number of seminar rooms); and an adjacent set of residential buildings
- Nobel-winning chemist Professor Sir Harry Kroto is to leave Sussex after 37 years for Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee
- The Library celebrates its 40th anniversary in its current building. The Library building was designed by architect Sir Basil Spence, as was the furniture: 'The arms of the chairs were too big to slide under the table,' recalls Adrian Peasgood, who joined Sussex as an Assistant Librarian in 1962
- Astronomer Dr Seb Oliver and chemist Professor Kosmas Prassides will receive the prestigious £10,000 Daiwa Adrian Prize, which recognises significant scientific collaboration between British and Japanese research teams
- Members of the University community were shocked and saddened by the news that three members of the Attenborough family perished on 26 December in the Asian tsunami. Lord Attenborough, the Chancellor of the University, lost his daughter Jane, herself a Sussex graduate, his granddaughter Lucy and Jane's mother-in-law, Jane Holland. Vice-Chancellor Professor Alasdair Smith, said: 'The thoughts of all of us are with Richard and Sheila Attenborough and their family.'
- Work to reduce planned spending at Sussex is being taken forward rapidly. A Savings Review Group chaired by the Vice-Chancellor has been set up to lead the work with schools and administrative and support units. The aim is to produce plans for achieving savings of £3 million in 2005-06 and £4 million in 2006-07
- Brighton & Hove City Council gives planning permission for three new accommodation blocks to be built between the A27 and Falmer railway station
- The Universities of Sussex and Brighton are to receive a £3.75 million grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in recognition of their excellence in creativity, design and innovation.
- Five academics will receive awards at the graduation ceremonies on 25 February in recognition of their excellent teaching: Dr Natalia Beloff; Dr Máireád Dunne; Dr Donna Jessop; Dr Pat Le Riche; and Duncan Mackrill
- Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) figures show that UG applications have increased by a massive 22.7 per cent since the same time last year. A total of 15,338 prospective students had applied to Sussex by 15 January, an increase of 2,833 on the 12,505 who did so by the same stage in 2004. This increase does not include applications to the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), which has itself seen a 17.5 per cent increase in applications
- The University's financial settlement for 2005-06 from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will rise from £38.8 million in 2004-05 to £42.1 million next year, an increase of 8.6 per cent
- Sussex's student sport teams have their most successful year ever, with eight teams winning prestigious British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) competitions
- Sussex receives formal permission to charge £3,000 per year for 'home' (UK and EU) entrants to full-time undergraduate programmes from 2006
- Sussex increases the range of bursaries and scholarships on offer, to include the Sussex Bursary and the Chancellor's Scholarship. Selection will favour those with no family background of HE, or those who can demonstrate a special need or merit
- Sussex's bid to take part in an innovative pilot programme aimed at helping to cut universities' carbon emissions is successful. Over the next 12 months the University will receive free support and consultancy from the Carbon Trust, an independent company set up by Government to help the UK meet its climate change obligations
- The extension to Essex House is shortlisted for a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award
- The Heritage Lottery Fund awards £46,200 to look at ways of restoring and upgrading the Gardner Arts Centre
- The Art History department is awarded £30,000 by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for the Barlow Collection of Chinese Ceramics housed on campus
- Two turtles made from stone and weighing two and a half tonnes each, originally from the University's former training and conference centre at the Isle of Thorns, are re-homed near the Arts A pond
- The University is given £16 million from HEFCE to revamp seminar rooms and research space
- Four academics will receive teaching awards at the graduation ceremonies: Dr Lynne Murphy; Dr John Pryor; Dr Tamzin Ripley; and Catherine Reynolds
- Music curriculum tutor Duncan Mackrill is named one of the 'rising stars' in the 2005 National Teaching Fellowship Scheme and is awarded £50,000 to be used for a project that will make a special contribution to learning and education
- In July 2005 a 29-year-old Sussex graduate is named as one of the victims of the London bombings on 7 July. Solicitor Fiona Stevenson studied law at Sussex from 1994-97. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alasdair Smith, has written to Fiona's family expressing the University's heartfelt sympathies and wishes. 'All those who knew her, taught her and studied with her will be shocked and saddened by the news,' he said
50 years
