Latest news with #UniversityofSuffolk
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Artists to explore history of former weapons site Orford Ness
Artists from Suffolk and around the world will explore the rich history of a former weapons development site through a series of short-term Research Art Lab project, led by the National Trust and the University of Suffolk, will see one of Orford Ness's former military buildings turned into a temporary the summer it will be occupied by 11 different creatives from Suffolk, London or California, each of whom will produce pieces inspired by the unusual owned by the National Trust as a nature reserve, Orford Ness is a vegetated shingle spit previously used by the Ministry of Defence, make weaponry during both world wars and the Cold War. The present and past of the site will act as the stimulus for the artists, who will create everything from sculptures, paintings and films to performances and their three-week residencies they will explore and incorporate early camouflage techniques and colour palettes and contemporary botanical drawings inspired by the flora found on the shingle and during open days at Orford Ness visitors will be able to see the process of "creative research and experimentation" in real time as it Pearce, property operations manager at Orford Ness, said the landscape had long "inspired artists and creatives from all walks of life"."We're really excited to see how this fascinating landscape, with its complicated history, further inspires artists and visitors this year," he said. Orford Ness - facts The ness is a 10-mile long (16km) stretch of shingle that runs south from Aldeburgh to the mouth of the River Ore at Shingle StreetIts best-known buildings are the "pagodas" that were used for testing military nuclear devicesAccess for the public, which began in 1995, is via National Trust boat from OrfordThe eastern side of the ness was home to the Orfordness lighthouse, although that was demolished in due to the threat of erosionPop musician Thomas Dolby made a film about the last days of the Orfordness lighthouseAnother art projects based at the ness include the Stone Eye group and Robert Mcfarlane, who wrote the book Ness in collaboration with Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood 'Unique and special' Orford Ness was active from World War One until the late 1980s and home to six large test cells that were built to carry out environmental tests on the atomic being sold by the Ministry of Defence to the National Trust in 1993 it has become home to wildlife, including birds, seals, hares and vegetated Jane Watt, artist and senior lecturer in fine art at the University of Suffolk, was the first of the artists to complete a created two and three-dimensional paintings inspired by what she has observed and archival colour recipes used during 1917 camouflage experiments."It is such a unique and special opportunity to be able to spend time here," she said."It's an inspiring space to think, observe, create and test out new ideas. You really feel like you're immersed in the landscape." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
ITV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
University of Suffolk announces 35 jobs could be cut in bid to save millions of pounds
The University of Suffolk has announced it could cut more than two dozen jobs in a bid to cut costs amid "considerable financial pressure." The University said it is considering cutting 35 jobs as it needs to take "immediate action" to save £3.5 million. It has four campuses based in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. In a statement a spokesperson said, 'Like most universities, the University of Suffolk is under considerable financial pressure due to the real-terms fall in the value of the UK student tuition fee, the tightening of overseas visa rules, and rising costs, including the recent National Insurance increase. 'We also face an increasingly competitive student recruitment environment. While we have an ongoing programme to maximise efficiency savings and digital transformation, we still need to take immediate action to reduce our costs by £3.5 million. 'The University is proposing to make structural and workforce changes both to reduce costs and to create a scalable and sustainable organisation that can thrive for the future." The proposals will see the loss of around 35 occupied posts, while a number of vacant positions will not be replaced. A consultation process will run until late June. It is the latest in a series of cutbacks in higher education and comes six months after the University of Essex announced it would cut 200 jobs after a budget shortfall of £29 million. Meanwhile the University of East Anglia said in November 2024 it was looking to lose 170 positions in an attempt to save £11 million.
Epoch Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
2 in 5 Universities Face Deficits This Year, Higher Education Regular Says
The Office for Students (OfS) said that the financial performance of universities and colleges is forecast to decline in 2024/25 for the third consecutive year. Analysis by the regulator published on Thursday found that 43 percent of higher education (HE) institutions in England are facing a deficit in 2024/25. The OfS said that the reason for the continued deterioration is lower than anticipated levels of recruitment for international students, for whom universities can charge higher fees. The watchdog However, the OfS highlighted universities' 'overreliance on fee income from international students' as a financial risk, noting heightened vulnerability where recruitment is concentrated heavily in a single country. The regulator's analysis also identified several factors affecting higher education institutions' income, including the declining real-terms value of tuition fees from UK undergraduates, rising maintenance and capital costs, and broader inflation-driven pressures on operating expenses. 'Optimistic' Recruitment Projections Universities are under financial strain and many institutions have already undertaken action to cut costs, including staff redundancies, merging or closing programmes, and shuttering departments. Related Stories 10/25/2024 7/26/2024 The OfS's director of regulation, Philippa Pickford, said the watchdog does not expect to see multiple university closures in the short term, but the medium-term pressures are significant and complex. The regulator also suggested that universities cannot rely on recruitment alone to fix their financial situations. The annual report noted that universities' 'optimistic projections' predict student growth of 26 percent between 2023/24 and 2027/28, with an increase in overseas students of 19.5 percent. Pickford said: 'While institutions are working hard to navigate this challenging situation, we remain concerned that predictions of future growth are often based on ambitious student recruitment that cannot be achieved for every institution. 'Our analysis shows that if the number of student entrants is lower than forecast in the coming years, the sector's financial performance could continue to deteriorate, leaving more institutions facing significant financial challenges.' Responding, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said, 'These concerning figures are further evidence demonstrating why the A graduation ceremony at the University of Suffolk in Ipswich, England, on Oct. 19, 2015. Chris Radburn/PA Wire She continued: 'The dire situation we inherited has meant this government must take tough decisions to put universities on a firmer financial footing, so they can deliver more opportunity for students and growth for our economy through our Plan for Change. 'I asked the Office for Students to refocus their efforts on monitoring financial sustainability last year. Further reforms are needed to fix the foundations of higher education, and universities must do more to make their finances work.' 'Grave Risk' to Viability The OfS's report follows a group of cross-party MPs On Wednesday, the Education Committee sent a letter to Phillipson asking what work the government is doing to support HE, including in the event that a university faces closure. The committee said it had received a growing number of reports from universities experiencing 'intense financial pressure' with a significant number announcing redundancies and internal restructuring. They said they had heard during evidence sessions that the financial state of the sector was down to various factors, including the freezing of home tuition fees for most of the last 13 years, the recent reduction in international students as a result of the previous Conservative government's immigration policy, and increases in employers' national insurance. Committee Chairwoman Helen Hayes 'There are currently a number of very serious challenges facing the higher education sector which, if left unchecked, present a grave risk to the financial viability of some institutions and courses, to the breadth and diversity of opportunities available at UK universities, to the local economy in places where a university is an anchor institution and major employer, and ultimately to the international reputation and standing of the UK,' she said. Department Closures Earlier this week, Universities UK, the membership body for the nation's HE sector, Around half (49 percent) of university leaders said they have closed courses to reduce costs, more than double (24 percent) in the last year. More than half (55 percent) said they have had to consolidate courses (up from 23 percent last year), and 46 percent have cut optional modules (up from 29 percent). Nearly one in five (18 percent) of universities have closed entire departments, double on the number last year. PA Media contributed to this report.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Great Yarmouth library to open after £17m refurbishment
A library will officially open in a former department store following a £17m refurbishment. About 100 guests have been invited to mark the opening of The Place - on the site of the former Palmers shop - in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. The building also has a community hub and a learning centre offering diplomas, degrees, courses and community services. Conservative councillor, Carl Smith, said: "The Place is one of the biggest regeneration projects the town has seen in recent years." While the library has been open to the public since 6 May, Lady Dannatt MBE, Lord Lieutenant for Norfolk, is set to officially open the building at 11:30 BST. From Wednesday, East College University and the University of Suffolk will be holding taster sessions for people to find out about the courses and qualifications due to be offered at the site. Head of library operations Kerry Murray said the library has already seen an increase in footfall since it opened a week ago, and the "build-up" to the official launch has "been immense". "Customers are really excited to come back to the library," she said. "That there's something like this invested in their town for local people, and really invigorating the town, and bringing it back to life."The project in the five-storey building was funded with money from the government's Town Deal and Future High Streets fund, as well as the East Coast College and the University of said: "We are looking forward to welcoming the people of the borough to see for themselves just how impressive The Place is."It has been incredibly complex to completely refurbish this historic building, and I would like to thank our partners and the team at Morgan Sindall for their hard work in helping us realise our ambitions for our community." Palmer family members see old store transformedMilestone reached in £17m project to develop old shopGreat Yarmouth: Transformation of derelict Palmers department store begins Palmers originally opened in 1837 but closed in March 2020. It was then taken over by Beales, but the company went into administration. Great Yarmouth Borough Council bought the building in 2021 with ambitions of turning it into a community hub for the regeneration of the building aimed to preserve as many historic details as possible so visitors could learn about the town's history. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Liberals and Conservatives said their rallies drew thousands. We decided to count
Political campaigns may be significantly off-base when it comes to the number of people they say are present at campaign rallies across the country, a CBC News investigation shows. Both the Conservatives and Liberals have held major rallies since the beginning of the federal election, with the Conservatives in particular emphasizing the size of their events. CBC News's visual investigations team hand-counted people in images taken at four rallies across the country — Conservative rallies in Surrey, B.C., and near Edmonton, and Liberal events in Toronto and Richmond, B.C. The investigation, including expert analysis by crowd scientists, shows that the actual number of people attending those rallies was likely far lower than the counts the campaigns published on social media or reported to journalists at the events. The Conservatives claimed that the Edmonton-area rally was attended by 15,000 people, for example. CBC News counted roughly 1,558 in one panorama photo shared by the campaign. Even assuming that a large number of attendees were missed due to perspective or obstruction, 15,000 is "not possible," according to G. Keith Still, an expert in crowd dynamics and safety, who is a visiting professor of crowd science at the University of Suffolk. CBC News asked Still to analyze the events. His hand-counts were similar to our team's for all four events. Still noted that hand-counts carry a margin of error of five per cent. What 15,000 looks like For comparison, Winnipeg's NHL arena, the Canada Life Centre, has a maximum capacity of 15,321. Winnipeg's NHL arena, the Canada Life Centre, has a capacity of just over 15,000 people. () Similarly, the Liberals said their rally in Richmond had 2,000 people in the main room. CBC News's count, corroborated by Still, puts the number closer to 800. The manual count, as with the other rallies, was done by dividing the images into grids and tallying the heads visible. A portion of the panorama shot posted by the Conservative campaign which has been analyzed by CBC News. (PierrePoilievre/X) Crowd sizes are often difficult to estimate, and hand-counts are not perfect. CBC News's count could be lower than the real number of people in the room, as attendees may not have been counted for a variety of reasons: They were behind the camera or otherwise not in the shot, they were obscured by a sign, another person or an object, or the perspective of the image may have meant they were hidden. To address these limitations, campaign photos of the rallies were compared with videos and images, from social media, showing other perspectives so that the count included most of those present. Manually counting heads is the most reliable way of determining crowd size, according to Still. "But for that you need a good high angle, good clear lines of sight, reasonably good lighting, and then a lot of time to actually count the heads," he said. Chronologically, the first event examined was the Conservative rally on March 27 in Surrey. The party claimed 5,500 attendees. CBC News counted approximately 1,522 in a picture posted by the campaign. The photograph is in many ways ideal for counting: it's high definition and captures much of the area from a high angle. But some attendees were on the venue's mezzanine (from which the photograph appears to have been taken) and were not counted, while some could have been missed in the corners of the room. Even so, the hand-count would have needed to miss three times as many people as were seen in the image for the official count to be accurate. The next rally examined was the Liberal gathering in Toronto on March 28. Liberal officials toldreporters there were 1,800 people in the room. CBC News counted 710 in a composite image created from a photo posted by the campaign and stills from video of the event. Again, some people were likely missed because of the limited perspective. But there would need to have been more than twice as many people present, but not counted, for the campaign's count to be accurate. The original Conservative campaign image used to analyze the rally in Surrey, B.C. (PierrePoilievre/X) Next, the Conservative campaign said its rally near Edmonton had more than 15,000 people. Here, the size of the crowd and the space made the panorama shot posted by the campaign more difficult to analyze than others, and CBC News was able to count 1,558 people. That said, by examining other footage, the team identified three pockets of people that it missed, and poor video quality made it impossible to count them. Even so, those groups do not account for more than 10,000 missing attendees. Still says he counted 1,772 people. The campaign's tally is some 10 times higher, he notes. "It's not possible." For the Liberal rally in Richmond, CBC News analyzed footage showing an alternate perspective and matched attendees near the back of the room to the campaign photo, establishing that most of the crowd was captured. The manual count, corroborated by Still, put the number of attendees closer to 756. The party said 2,000 people were in the main room. Parties respond The Conservative campaign said in a statement that "supposed 'crowd scientists'" consulted for this investigation "are very clearly mistaken" — adding that the party "counts RSVPs, as well as those entering the venue." The party did not answer follow-up questions about how it reconciles RSVP numbers and counts at the venue, nor did it directly respond to a request for comment on CBC News's manual counting. The party did point to an RCMP estimate that the rally near Edmonton had between 9,000 and 12,000 people. The RCMP says that number was a "general estimate" from the detachment in Leduc, Alta., and was "based on observations from members on scene." In a statement, the Liberal Party said it has been "maxing out capacity of event spaces" with "record-breaking attendance at campaign events across the country." The party did not respond to a follow-up question which noted that the maximum capacity of the Richmond rally's room is 1,100 people — even less in some arrangements, and far less than the Liberals' claim of 2,000 attendees. Neither campaign provided specific evidence for how they came to their crowd counts. WATCH | The discussion over crowd sizes this election: It's not unusual for crowd numbers to be "inflated to fit the political will," Still said. "What's important is that these are well-attended rallies by people that are supporters of whichever party they're dealing with. The actual numbers need to be accurate. But one politician boasting they've got higher numbers than the other and vice versa — what's the point?" Still says images of rallies out by campaigns are designed to show a packed crowd close to the politician — the centre of attention. "What would look better for PR purposes — packed area, crowds waiting outside, or the same number of people in a much larger space, but spread out?" "In summary, events typically scale the room to fit the anticipated numbers." Analysts have also told CBC News that crowd sizes have little correlation with electoral success.
