- The flood in Lewes in October leads to 40,000 volumes of books being severely damaged in the book store there. Only a small amount of stock is irreplaceable but decisions need to be made about what will be replaced directly and what will be replaced in different media
- A number of staff and students also have their homes severely damaged by the flood
- HE funding is still an issue. 'Top up fees' are ruled out by the Government at the moment but the funding for students has fallen considerably over the last few years and it is the students' contribution that stops it from falling more quickly
- The Taylor Report makes the case for increased funding for universities and offers various solutions
- The VC is worried about student indebtedness as the current student support system is not adequate. More public funding is required but this will need to be supplemented by students in some way too. Something has to be done to prevent the 'HE system sinking into under-funded mediocrity'
- This year sees the beginnings of far-reaching change for Sussex. A strategic plan has been developed over the last year with the following aims:
- be in the top 12 universities in the country
- raise UG entry standards while widening participation
- build links in the local community through the Progression Accord
- increase the proportion of postgraduate students
- reform the Arts curriculum to make the University more attractive to undergraduates
- focus on the student experience and increase the numbers of students who successfully complete their programme of study
- build a new postgraduate centre and more on-campus accommodation
- undertake a major refurbishment of teaching space
- increase research funding by 40 per cent
- increase involvement with business and the community, particularly through the Sussex Innovation Centre
50 years
