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There have been many momentous events in UEA's history - from royal visits, to the founding of new schools of study, to student protests, to iconic gigs at the LCR.
Scroll through the timeline below to reveal some of UEA's greatest moments.
The first Vice-Chancellor, Frank Thistlethwaite, opens the University Village, built on a converted golf course, with Biological Sciences and English Studies welcoming the first student cohort. The University was designed by Sir Denys Lasdun, who also designed the Royal National Theatre.
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The iconic student residences, designed by Denys Lasdun to recall "vineyards in France…or a rocky outcrop on a slope," are completed. Architecturally unique, the Grade II listed terraced student residences have won a number of awards, earning the eighth spot in the top 10 of the best UK university architecture compiled by the Architect's Journal. (2009)
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The UEA Library contains over 800,000 books spread over six floors. The building also houses important archives, such as the Special Collections which section contains almost 12,000 titles of rare, valuable, or illustrated monographs and pamphlets in all subject areas.
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Sir Angus Wilson and Professor Malcolm Bradbury establish the Creative Writing programme, the first degree of its kind in the United Kingdom. Notable alumni include Tracy Chevalier, Anne Enright, Tash Aw, Ian McEwan, Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, and Kazuo Ishiguro.
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Hubert Lamb from the UK Meteorological Office establishes and becomes Director of the new Climatic Research Unit (CRU). Over the years, the CRU has pioneered world-class research across many aspects of climate science: the construction of the global temperature record; human attribution of observed warming; and major contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
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Union House and the Street open, featuring the SU bar and music venue the LCR. The first shops on campus include a SPAR supermarket and Bowes & Bowes bookshop.
Also in 1973, the careers centre launches, the university celebrates its 10th anniversary with its 3,245 students, and excavation begins on the Broad.
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Designed by world famous architect Norman Foster, best known for The Gherkin in London and the Reichstag in Berlin, the Sainsbury Centre opens its doors to its first visitors. It houses a permanent collection of art featuring both tribal and contemporary works, including paintings by Francis Bacon and sculpture by Henry Moore, donated to UEA by Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury, and temporary contemporary art exhibitions.
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Now home to the Law School, the family home of famous humanitarian Elizabeth Fry, Earlham Hall, is an elegant Grade II listed building which encapsulates UEA's rich heritage while providing a striking architectural contrast to Lasdun’s Brutalism.
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The UEA Literary Festival, now called UEA Live, debuts in 1991 with a prestigious lineup of Arthur Miller, P. D. James, Doris Lessing, Salman Rushdie, and Ruth Rendell. In the decades since, it has hosted over five hundred emerging and established writers such as George Saunders, and Margaret Atwood, and alumni from the world-renowned UEA Creative Writing programme.
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Concrete, the student newspaper, launches on 22 January, and has interviewed famous names from Tony Blair and Toni Morrison to Jo Brand and UEA alum Greg James. Concrete continues a legacy of student journalism at UEA which began in 1965, with previous publications Mandate, Chips and Phoenix.
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King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, becomes the patron for the School of Environmental Sciences. A long-standing advocate for climate action and environmental protection, His Majesty has also visited in 1988 and 2010.
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Managed by the Union of UEA Students, The Waterfront is a live music venue and nightclub in Norwich that has hosted notable artists such as Pulp, Radiohead, Nirvana, Arctic Monkeys, The Prodigy, Amy Winehouse, and Moby.
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The Elizabeth Fry building's innovative design features enhanced environmental and energy performance, improving occupant comfort and productivity, reducing CO2 emissions, and lowering energy costs. The building's energy efficiency features are seamlessly integrated into its design, complementing the surrounding architecture.
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The Princess Royal officially opened UEA's £30 million Sportspark on 1 September. The state-of-the-art facility features a 50m swimming pool, floodlit astro-pitches, an athletics track, and a gym. It offers a wide range of activities, including archery, ball sports, climbing, and racquet sports, and is the UK's largest community sports venue.
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Sir Paul Nurse wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2001. He graduated with a PhD in Medicine from UEA in 1973
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INTO UEA – now the University of East Anglia International Study Centre - offers high-quality preparation for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the UK. Combining UEA resources with major independent investment, INTO Centres deliver a world-class educational and cultural experience for international students, with fast, effective, and assured progression to university degree courses.
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UEA's School of Global Development is awarded the Queen's Anniversary Prize in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in recognition of 40 years' sustained responses to environmental change and world poverty.
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UEA is awarded the prestigious Queens Anniversary Prize for its contribution to creative writing. A year later, bolstered by the University's reputation in this field, Norwich wins the bid to become England's first UNESCO City of Literature.
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A day-long festival commemorates UEA’s 50th anniversary on 28 September. Staff, students, alumni, and members of the local community marked the milestone with celebrations on campus.
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The Bob Champion Research Centre, named after the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, opens as a groundbreaking research and teaching space with practical impact. A home for the Norwich Medical School and in partnership with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the building brings together clinicians, academics, researchers, and medical students.
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Taylor Swift headlines Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Earlham Park. The event saw Norwich host artists such as Snoop Dogg, Foo Fighters and Florence + the Machine.
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The Enterprise Centre is one of the UKs most sustainable buildings. It featured in COP26 as one of the most exemplary sustainable building projects in the world and earning two of the highest sustainability certifications possible: Passivhaus; BREEAM Outstanding. It is a leading hub for entrepreneurs, innovators and businesses that are committed to creating a low-carbon future.
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Sir Kazuo Ishiguro wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. He graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from UEA in 1980.
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The New Science Building, comprising teaching laboratories and teaching rooms, is opened by Dr Jane Goodall DBE.
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Sir Michael Houghton wins the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He graduated with a BSc in Biological Sciences in 1972. This is the second Nobel Prize in this field that a UEA graduate has won.
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UEA celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023. An anniversary lecture by Nobel Prize winning graduate Sir Paul Nurse is the centrepiece of celebrations.
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Strategy 2030 sets out UEA’s ambitions for the coming years. Focused on a vision of ‘Solving the challenges of our changing world by working together sustainably,’ the strategy brings together areas of focus around research and innovation, student education and experience and organisation development.
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The first phase of construction work to develop modern science research laboratories and new teaching and learning space on the Lasdun Wall starts in early 2025. The build, expected to be completed in 2027, will also help UEA deliver its ambition to be a net zero campus by increasing the thermal efficiency of the Grade 2 listed building by more than 85%.
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