Yesterday, I returned to my old stomping ground of Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge.  The occasion was a 25th year anniversary of the institution being granted university status.   I attended Anglia Polytechnic University, as it was called then, for three years (1998-2001), studying single honours Sociology. I was then elected to be the Student Union Education and Welfare Executive Officer for the Cambridge campus, a role which I held for one year, before a friend of mine came along and beat me when I stood for re-election.  Probably a blessing in disguise – as I needed to get back out into the real world of work.

This was an official Alumni Office event, not an informal gathering of my fellow undergraduates.  The current Vice Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin, kicked things off and there were talks by Dr Sean Lang, Tony Kirby, Professor Viren Swami and Dr Catherine Jansson-Bond.  There were also some tours of the new campus, photo opportunities, a live band, a buffet lunch and a cake-cutting ceremony.

For me the most important thing was to have a tour of the campus, which is almost unrecognisable from when I was a student there, and to meet up with some old mates, those on the same course as me, nearly twenty years ago.  There were several more who I would like to have seen but came away thinking that we should organise something for the actual 20th year anniversary and make it more specifically for former Sociology and Politics students from the same intake.  As I was on my way home I saw a tweet saying that a ‘honours board’ had been unveiled in Peter Taylor House – the new home of the Students’ Union.  I’m on there, of course, and was even wearing my sabbatical top yesterday, but missed out on the gathering of ex and current officers.  There is always another time, though..