University of Suffolk celebrates a decade of impact

The University of Suffolk has officially turned 10-years-old as an independent university this week, with a year of exciting celebratory activities planned.

The university was founded in 2007 as University Campus Suffolk to become the county’s first dedicated higher education establishment, with degrees initially awarded by the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex. It evolved from what had previously been Suffolk College in the same location.

From August 2016, the university was renamed the University of Suffolk to mark its new status as an independent university, with the university awarding its first degrees that autumn.

The 10th anniversary is a landmark moment for Suffolk, with the university conferring tens of thousands of degrees over the last decade, preparing graduates for their first steps on their chosen path or advancement in their careers.

In addition, it has supported key industries and employers in the region with skills development for their workforces, developed research with local, regional, national and international impact, and played a vital role as an anchor institution in Ipswich and Suffolk more broadly.

Professor Jenny Higham, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Suffolk, said: “Marking 10 years as an independent university and recognising the impact we have had on our region is an incredibly proud moment for all of us here. We are excited to be hosting a range of engaging events across the county over the course of the next year to celebrate.

“As a civic university, we have made a meaningful pledge to be a force for good in our communities, such as developing our new MPharm Pharmacy degree to train future pharmacists in our region and giving our MA Creative and Critical Writing students a chance to be published for the first time with our brilliant anthology of Suffolk-inspired books.

“We also have a growing platform of research activities which have helped conservation efforts of endangered primates in the Amazon rainforest through to transforming police investigations of serious sexual offences in England.

“However, the real success of our first decade of independence lies in our graduates, who have learned the skills, knowledge and behaviours they needed to thrive in their chosen careers and, as we look ahead to our next 10 years and beyond, we can’t wait to celebrate more graduation ceremonies.”

As well as its teaching and research activity, the university is also a key economic driver in the region, with its economic impact study published in spring 2024 demonstrating it supports more than 13,000 jobs and helps support more than £860 million in economic activity a year.

Formal celebration events for staff and stakeholders will take place in early September, and a host of public events are also being planned to mark the 10th anniversary over the next year.

On Thursday 1 October, the university will host Ipswich’s first ever TEDx event at The Hold. The talks will be based on the theme of ‘Building a better Suffolk’, with seven speakers lined up to share ideas, innovations and discoveries that could shape the future of our region.

Tickets have sold out, but the event will be livestreamed and made available on the global TEDx platform after the evening. More details on TEDx speakers are available here.

In addition, the university’s annual Open Lecture Series will return for 2026-27, kicking off on Tuesday 17 November with former Chancellor and women's rights activist Helen Pankhurst CBE and Lowestoft MP Jess Asato discussing equality and democracy. This year’s series will also take a number of events on the road to venues around the county.

More details of speakers and how to book Open Lecture tickets will be announced soon.

The university is also hosting two events for the Ipswich Book Festival on Friday 2 October.

Rusty Egan of Visage and The Rich Kids will discuss his career in music at 4.00pm, with Derek Forbes from Simple Minds reflecting on life with the band at 8.00pm. Both will be discussing their recent autobiographies.

In addition, a number of University of Suffolk academics will be at creative writing events across the book festival weekend.

Tickets are available on the Ipswich Book festival website here.

Elsewhere, the university will be holding its next Spotlight Suffolk event in early November with a youth-focused panel and topic, and a Christmas fayre will be held on campus on Friday 20 November.

Details on events through the 10th anniversary year will be published on the events pages of the website here.

To find out more about the 10th anniversary, head to this section of the website.