What 2024 had in store for the University of Sunderland

Published on 16, December, 2024

From a Prime Ministerial visit to its first ever graduating doctors, the University of Sunderland looks back at what happened in 2024.

January

Lifesaving Research

At the beginning of the year, the University welcomed its first ever John and Sam Dawson PhD Scholars whose research is helping to improve the health and well-being of millions worldwide.

The Scholarship Programme was launched following the opening of the John Dawson Drug Discovery and Development Research Institute, all made possible through the generous £5 million donation by pharmaceutical entrepreneur John Dawson and his wife, Sam.

Sarah Helm, Georgia Howick and Jenileima Devi were the first-ever PhD Scholars at the University who started early this year.

Bringing Oscars glitz to Wearside

The red carpet was rolled out for pupils from Fulwell Junior School when the premiere of their film ‘Macbeth – The Witch Trail’ was hosted at the University.

The pupils created their own adaptation of the Shakespeare classic and premiered it in front of over 200 people on St. Peter’s Campus – including the then Mayor, Cllr Dorothy Trueman. 

The film was created as part of the international Shakespeare Schools Film Festival where schools were tasked to reimagine the play Macbeth.

Pupils got to dress up in suits and evening dresses, making their red carpet debut to celebrate all their hard work on the film and receive awards in an Oscar-style ceremony for their different roles in the movie.

February

Following in dad’s engineering footsteps

One of the University’s engineering apprentices shared her story about her career journey as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

Holly Herron, from Washington, was inspired by her dad, Paul, to pursue a career in engineering, despite it being a typically male-dominated sector.

Holly said: “My dad is very proud that I decided to go against the grain and start a career that is predominantly male.

“I’m very grateful for all my dad’s support and encouragement throughout my engineering career. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in the position I am now.” 

Holly started working at global technology company ZF in 2018 as part of a five-year apprenticeship with Sunderland College. In 2023, Holly secured a permanent role at the company and now is completing a degree apprenticeship at the University.

Celebrating the People’s History

The University teamed up with internationally renowned photographer Julian Germain, A Love Supreme, Foundation of Light, Back on the Map and the Cultural Spring to bring alive the memory of the 1973 FA Cup in Sunderland 73: The People’s Visual History.

Sunderland fans’ photos, memorabilia, scrapbooks and memories were rephotographed and featured in an evolving exhibition and book.

Fans gathered at The Fire Station in Sunderland for the official launch of the book which featured a pop-up exhibition of the project and an interactive presentation by Julian.

Some of those fans even brought along some of their precious items that were featured in the book such as Paul Doxford with his replica FA Cup and sisters Wendy McDonald and Judith Bartlam who recreated a pair of bloomers worn by their mother in the Cup run.

A new face joins the team

The University announced Professor Milan Radosavljevic as its new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Commercial).

Professor Radosavljevic is now responsible for enhancing and leading the University’s student recruitment, its research, innovation and knowledge exchange initiatives and its drive for development both regionally and internationally.

March

Downing Street comes to campus

The University saw a visit like no other as former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt arrived on the University’s St. Peter’s Campus.

The former PM and Chancellor had a chance to meet with media students and take a tour of the Media Centre, witnessing firsthand the University’s industry-leading television and radio studios.

This visit followed the UK Government’s announcement of support for the multimillion-pound Crown Works Studios plans.

Graduating half a century later

The University welcomed some of its new graduates, only these former students finished their studies in the middle of the last century.

Before the University of Sunderland, there was Sunderland Polytechnic which was established in 1969. But that wasn’t the start of higher education in the city.

Sunderland Polytechnic was made up of institutions that predate it by over half a century: Sunderland Technical College, the Sunderland School of Art and the Sunderland Teacher Training College.

At the teaching college, for most of its existence, teacher training led to a Certificate of Education rather than an honours degree and most of the college’s students were not allowed or able to take a Bachelor of Education.

Those graduates from the college, who have now since retired, have been reunited at a special ceremony where the University awarded them honorary degrees.

Hub of health excellence in the heart of the city

Murray Health, the University’s £8 million transformation project to create a centre of health excellence, was officially opened.

The building went under extensive refurbishment work to provide excellent teaching and learning facilities for students and staff.

The centre became the new home for the University’s School of Medicine and School of Psychology which reflects the University’s growing commitment to expanding its health sciences programmes.

Leanne Cahill, University Chancellor, was joined by Sir Bob Murray, former SAFC Chairman, and Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University, for the official opening of Murray Health.

Sir Bob’s passion for education led him to generously donate money in 2001 to support the then Chester Road Library, which was renamed the Murray Library – and now Murray Health.

Special archive to honour trailblazing broadcaster

From her coverage of the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980 to both Gulf Wars, former BBC journalist and author Kate Adie’s career has been nothing but trailblazing.

Now Kate is to have her life’s work catalogued and archived as part of a specially curated collection in her home city, preserving its use for future generations.

Kate also visited the University’s Media Centre, taking the opportunity to speak with journalism and media students about her career and the industry.

Kate Adie, who is an honorary Professor of Journalism, said: “Sunderland shaped me. It is all to do with where I come from, and I feel very strongly about that.”

April

Increasing the visibility of exclusion from school

Dr Sarah Martin-Denham, Associate Professor of Care and Education at the University, and a group of parents created a huge, crocheted blanket of 2,999 squares as part of a community creative arts project – Project 2,999.

Each square was handmade and donated by parents, grandparents, children, teachers, headteachers and crochet clubs to make up the massive blanket which aims to encourage conversations about the impact and scale of school exclusions in England and what can be done to reduce preventable exclusions.

The project was jointly funded by the National Institute of Health Research – School for Public Health Research and the University’s Adverse Childhood Experiences Research Network (ACE).

Sunderland psychologist on national TV

Actor Danny Dyer spoke to the University’s own Dr Rebecca Owens as part of a two-part Channel 4 documentary exploring modern British masculinity.

Dr Owens, Head of the School of Psychology, offered insight into the field of male psychology, with the University offering the world’s first male psychology module which explores factors exclusively or disproportionally affecting men and boys.

As part of the documentary, Dr Owens met with Danny and a group of Sunderland students at a go-karting venue in the city to explore sex differences in competitiveness.

Radio legends inspire budding reporters

Media production students at the University had the chance to speak to Hits Radio North East breakfast presenters Steven and Karen to help them prepare for the industry.

Karen, who graduated from the University with a Media and Communications degree in 1998, said: “It’s brilliant to be back and it’s lovely to see how much more development there is in Sunderland.”

The radio legends had a chance to look around the University’s community radio station Spark and its industry-standard studios.

A seminal moment for the School of Medicine

From a culmination of years of hard work by staff and students, the General Medical Council (GMC) granted official status to the University’s School of Medicine.

This means that the University is now able to award UK primary medical qualifications to its medical students.

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, Professor Laura Stroud said: “This is a huge stride forward in realising our ambition to produce excellent medical doctors to serve our patients and population here in Sunderland.”

May

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Head-to-head with a future Prime Minister

With the election only a couple of months away, student journalists from the University had the opportunity to interview Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party and now Prime Minister.

Adam Foster and Joshua Nichol, who both studied MA Sports Journalism, were part of a group that sat down with Sir Keir,  who asked him questions about climate change to football.

This opportunity was made possible with help from The Northern Echo, which saw Adam and Joshua’s work published in its paper.

A partnership with Wearside’s oldest manufacturer

One of the city’s oldest manufacturers, Speedings Ltd, had seen the benefits of partnering with the University’s management Knowledge Transfer Partnership (mKTP) programme to help support innovation in their business.

Speedings Ltd started out as a sailmaker in 1827 but went on over the centuries to produce innovative lifesaving personal safety products for emergency services across the UK.

Despite the partnership through the mKTP starting in January, the company had already reaped the benefits after achieving its biggest first-quarter results.

Inspiring a new generation of acting talent

The University hosted a series of talks from north-east actors to help inspire and advise students entering the industry – including Geordie icon Jimmy Nail.

Jimmy, best known for his role as Oz in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, spoke to students about overcoming boundaries and embracing opportunities to their fullest.

This was made possible through the University’s partnership with Live Theatre Newcastle which aims to bring acting professionals onto campus to inspire and advise students.

Collaborating across the globe

The University of Sunderland and the University of Anahuac Mexico committed to developing an exciting collaborative partnership.

The first phase of the strategic partnership was the development of a six-week exchange programme between Mexico and the UK for undergraduate psychology students.

This partnership has been spearheaded by Sunderland academics, Dr Rebecca Owens, Head of the School of Psychology and Professor Yitka Graham, Head of the Helen McArdle Nursing and Care Research Institute.

June

Promoting mental well-being for Veterans

As part of their placement, Demi Cowling and Angela Leyland, who study Occupational Therapy, led a veterans’ mental wellbeing day in collaboration with SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

The day was aimed at promoting mental well-being for those who have served in the Armed Forces, packed full of sessions including a mind gym in the University’s Veterans’ Garden.

These students have worked closely with SSAFA as part of their placement aimed to ground their studies in the workplace as well as support the work of the charity.

Shining a light on girls in sports

Students from across the School of Media and Creative Industries exhibited their final projects at the University’s annual Degree Shows.

From long exposure photography imbued with classical philosophy to an installation to visually illustrate the decisions of a social worker, the Degree Shows showcased the students’ creativity.

One of these students, Kasey Taylor, combined her passions for sport and photography to create her final project to showcase young girls in sport who are breaking boundaries.

Kasey said: “I know that girls really struggle to be a part of sport, so I just brought everything together and decided to create my project Girls in Sports: Breaking Barriers.”

Uncovering Sunderland’s black history

Using a geolocation app, Professor Angela Smith teamed up with graduates Godstime David and Endurance Idowu to reveal Sunderland’s black history.

Sunderland Black History Walk is an app that offers a guided walk through the city, marking points on the map that offer insights into its historical ties to enslavement, anti-enslavement and anti-racism. An illustrated map was also created by Illustration student Sara Heraoua.

This app was developed as part of Project North Star, an initiative that brings together teachers, academics and educational consultants around the region to increase knowledge about black history.

July

A graduation five years in the making

Thousands of students crossed the stage at the Stadium of Light at this year’s Summer Graduation Ceremonies. 

The University also welcomed its first graduating class of medical students.

Since welcoming students in 2019, the University’s School of Medicine has gone from strength to strength to train the next generation of doctors working in the NHS. From that class, 55% of these new doctors have stayed in the north-east.

It wasn’t just doctors that graduated - nurses, social and care workers, occupational therapists, pharmacists and many more, also celebrated reaching this special milestone.

The University also recognised the contributions of author Richard O’Neill, businessman Sir Nigel Wilson, musician and director Ryan Hope and entrepreneur Nagma Ebanks-Beni MBE by awarding them with honours.

Student paramedic saves man’s life

During a shopping trip with her partner and son, first-year student Stacey Thain put her lifesaving training into use after a man suffered a heart attack.

The 33-year-old said she just went into “auto-pilot” and knew she could use her training to help.

Stacey only started her paramedic training at Sunderland in May, but this experience has reaffirmed that she has chosen the right career path.

Can we learn from Sweden’s neonatal care?

Dr Rachel Collum, lecturer in Psychology, hoped that her research into Sweden’s approach to neonatal care would benefit parents in the north-east after her own son was born pre-term.

“I want to make sure no parent feels like an outsider in the care of their own baby,” Dr Collum said.

Dr Collum hosted an interactive workshop in collaboration with the Northern Neonatal Network and Neonatal Nurses Association, to share her findings from a previous trip exploring Family Integrated Care practices in Sweden.

Dr Collum added: “It’s about acknowledging and supporting that parents are not visitors but should be a core part of the care team and involved in all decisions and cares of their baby.”

Recognised for teaching excellence

After being nominated by students, Toni Spencer, Principal Lecturer of Law and Clinic Director at the Sunderland Student Law Clinic, was recognised by the 2024 Northern Law Awards for the innovative ways in which she teaches.

Toni said: “I am overwhelmed to have my work recognised by our students in this way and will be forever grateful.”

August

Award-winning apprentices recognised

Apprentices Hayley Lord and Kelly Craggs won big at the North East Apprenticeship Awards for their efforts and contributions to their organisations.

Hayley, who won Degree Apprentice of the Year as well as the Highly Commended Award in the Public Service Apprentice of the Year, and Kelly, who won Health and Public Service Apprentice of the Year, both studied the MBA Senior Leader Apprenticeship at the University.

Sarah Beck, Academic Director of Apprenticeships at the University, said: “These awards are so well deserved, as both Kelly and Hayley have made a huge contribution as senior leaders in their respective organisations.”

New Pro-Chancellors announced for next summer

In August, it was announced that broadcasting legend Jeff Brown and former MP for Sunderland Central Julie Elliott will be joining the University of Sunderland next summer as Pro-Chancellors.

They will replace the current Pro-Chancellors Margaret Fay CBE and The Rt Hon Baroness Morris of Yardley PC (Estelle Morris) after they step down at the end of their five-year term.

A new Pro-Vice-Chancellor appointed

Dr Helen Driscoll was appointed as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at the University after many years of service.

Dr Driscoll said: “At its heart, this role is about ensuring our students have a fantastic experience, receive a high-quality education, and achieve success. These are things I have been passionate about throughout my career.

“The opportunities afforded by higher education were life-changing for me and I believe that the value of education cannot be over-estimated.”

September

Tackling health inequalities

For the last two years, researchers at the University have been working with members of the Black community in the north-east and Scotland to develop and run workshops to raise awareness of prostate cancer risks, encourage men to get help early and discover the barriers to seeking help. 

The study – Early Diagnosis of PROstate CANcer for Black men (PROCAN-B) is aimed at addressing the health inequalities in prostate cancer. 

Black African, Caribbean, and Black British men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer compared to white men, and 2.5 times more likely to die from the disease.

To address this, researchers developed a workshop delivered by black men for black men, which featured small group discussions and activities, a black GP explaining about prostate cancer and what is involved in prostate cancer health checks.

The majority of the men who attended the workshop said they felt more confident about going to a doctor for a prostate cancer test.

Celebrating continued success

September saw the University recognised by a whole host of university rankings and awards.

The Guardian University Guide 2025 placed the University at number 33 in the country – its highest-ever position – with a rise of 16 places from last year.

The Daily Mail University Guide named the University the best in the country for student support.

On top of that, the University was once again shortlisted as University of the Year by this year’s THE (Times Higher Education) annual awards 2025.

Launching a city-wide upskilling initiative

A major new training initiative was launched by the University that brought millions of pounds to the city to upskill and support residents, employees and businesses.  

The Sunderland Skills and Inclusion Programme was launched to provide free training for Sunderland residents and businesses which has been provided by the University and a consortium of training partners.

This programme will continue to run until March 2025 and is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which is managed by Sunderland City Council. 

October

Sunderland makes the cut 

The halls of the University underwent a spooky transformation into the set of a new horror film directed by internationally acclaimed north-east actor and producer, Craig Conway.

Craig was making his directorial debut with Little Red – a horror-thriller that reimagines the classic Little Red Riding Hood fairytale through a contemporary lens, following a young girl who unravels the dark secrets in her family.

Helping bring Craig’s vision to life was Sunderland graduate turned producer and writer, Carley Armstrong.

From Sunderland to Global CEO

Students got the chance to learn from someone who has truly made it to the top – Sunderland graduate turned global CEO, Florian Hildebrand.

The 34-year-old has founded two companies that have raised over €100 million and employed over 200 people from scratch.

Florian recently returned to his old stomping ground, St Peter’s Campus, where he gave a talk to students about his career journey.

Empowering children to think positively

Dr Elizabeth Hidson and Dr Kate Duffy, in partnership with Global SpiritEd, have been implementing the Mini Mind programme in schools across the region, supporting teachers in promoting positive psychology among pupils.

The programme, designed by training and coaching company, Mindspan, is for Key Stage 1 and 2 children (ages five to 11) to empower them to take responsibility for their actions and choices, understand how they think about themselves, life and the world around them. 

Data collected so far by Dr Hidson and Dr Duffy from school visits and focus groups with teachers shows that the Mini Mind programme is meeting the initial aims that schools had identified for their children.

The programme has also shown some unexpected early indications of academic resilience of children and the language they use about success and failure is more positive.

November

State-of-the-art cinema unveiled

The University rolled out the red carpet to mark the official relaunch of its newly refurbished cinema.

The venue on St. Peter’s Campus was damaged beyond use due to Storm Arwen in 2021, but now a £1.3m investment means it is back in action once again.

To mark the occasion, Sir David Bell, the University’s Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, was joined by Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson, alongside guests from across the region and the creative sector.

A launch to mark greater collaboration

Vice-chancellors from all five of the region’s universities gathered together in Newcastle to officially launch the Universities for North East England partnership.

Alongside representatives of the North East and Tees Valley Combined Authorities, as well as business leaders and policymakers, the Universities outlined their vision for greater collaboration to improve access for disadvantaged students.

Celebrating the success of students

More than 2,000 students from the University crossed the stage to graduate in front of proud family, friends, academic staff and special guests at this year’s Winter Graduation Ceremonies.

Held at the Stadium of Light, these ceremonies celebrated the hard work and dedication of students as they completed their studies and embarked on their next chapter.

They were also joined by inspirational honourees including TV Drama 'Grace' star Laura Elphinstone, musician Don Airey, Northern Echo editor Gavin Foster and Michael Ganley, founder of Sunderland Fans' Museum. 

December

A challenge of a lifetime

Sunderland lecturer, Rachel Makin, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 35 has completed a challenge of a lifetime to help beat the disease. 

Rachel, who was given the all-clear two years after her diagnosis, trekked across the Indian Himalayas all in the name of raising over £6,000 for the cancer-awareness charity Coppafeel! 

Alongside 119 other trekkers, including presenters Emma Willis and Angela Scanlon, Olympic rowing champion Erin Kennedy MBE and businesswoman and entrepreneur Sara Davies MBE, Rachel went on to climb peaks as high as 1,300m above sea level in the name of early breast cancer detection.

Animating the Christmas spirit

Two talented animation students from the University became the creative masterminds behind the music video for pop duo Twayn’s first Christmas single, ‘Christmas Market’.

Ella MacDougall and Jenni Romeril, who are studying Animation and Games Art, have boosted their portfolios and gained invaluable experience in the industry by creating the perfect festive video for Newcastle twins Hannah and Grace Stobart.

The video animation for Twayn’s latest single, which was created at the University’s David Puttnam Media Centre, is a tale of a magical trip to a Christmas market with a loved one set against a north-east backdrop.