University of Sunderland in London 2022 highlights

Published: 28 December 2022

As 2022 comes to an end and 2023 is just around the corner, let’s look back at some of the highlights of the past year at the University of Sunderland in London. It’s been a year full of milestones and achievements and we’ve picked some of the best moments to share with you.

We turned 10 years old
The university celebrated its tenth anniversary in April. Director Alan Hardie has been with the university since day one and spoke fondly of his time at UoSiL over the last decade: "Looking back over the last ten years, I’m delighted to have been part of the story of the University of Sunderland in London.” He added: “The success is down to the incredible reserves of resilience, dedication and innovation staff and students have displayed in abundance.”

The month-long celebration culminated with a reception at the Marriott Hotel in Canary Wharf where staff and students were recognised in an awards ceremony. Want to be part of our next ten years? Here is some advice from ten students and ten lecturers.

We held our first graduations at Southwark Cathedral
Having originally planned to hold ceremonies there pre-Covid, the university finally managed to host its first-ever graduation ceremonies at the stunning Southwark Cathedral. Held over two days in July, joyous students graduated in front of their family, friends and peers in the spectacular surroundings of one of London’s most impressive buildings.

University of Sunderland in London Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell addressed graduates in a moving speech, commenting on how proud he was to be a part of the celebrations. Check out highlights of the ceremonies here.

We reached the top 50 of the Guardian University Guide
Along with the University of Sunderland, UoSiL broke into the top 50 of the Guardian University Guide rankings, our highest ranking in a decade. Sunderland climbed an impressive 42 places from last year, which is a testament to all the hard work of everyone involved in the University of Sunderland and the University of Sunderland in London.

We made the university world rankings for the first time
If breaking into the Guardian top 50 wasn’t already impressive enough, the University of Sunderland and the University of Sunderland in London went even better by appearing in the Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings for the first-ever time. The university placed between 1,001 and 1,200 out of 1,799 institutions for 2023.

Recognising the massive achievement, Sir David Bell said: “The inclusion of Sunderland in the THE World Rankings 2023 is a nice way of acknowledging the dedication of our staff and the talents of the students, something I witness day in and day out." 

Best of the rest
While the above are just four of the larger achievements the university has enjoyed this year, a lot has happened on a smaller but just-as-important scale. Our students won Association of Events Management Education Awards, one of our Digital Coaches landed a job at Lloyds of London, a student was a finalist in the Association for Project Management awards, 70 members of academic staff were in the running for Student Nominated Teacher Awards with one taking home the prize for Most Digitally Innovative Teacher, while staff and students continued to support social causes close to their hearts such as Women’s History Month and Black History Month.

Everyone at the University of Sunderland in London should be incredibly proud of what they have been a part of this year and here’s to more success and growth in 2023.

Find out more about our university by following #WeAreSunLon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.