Feature
50 years of a great student experience
Published on 3 March 2017
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the University becoming an independent institution. As part of our anniversary celebrations we will be looking at how the University has grown and changed over five decades, in a series of articles throughout the year
We kick off with a look at something that has always been at the heart of the University’s activity – the student experience. Dundee is consistently rated as one of the best places in the United Kingdom to be a student, currently ranking in the UK top ten of the National Student Survey.
Here you may notice some familiar faces – perhaps even your own! – old haunts around campus and see how the University has changed over time.
Campus then and now
This photo of the University campus was taken from Belmont Tower around 1970. We revisited the exact spot to capture the same image now. You’ll see some significant changes, including the addition of the Queen Mother Building, the creation of Campus Green, and the expansion of the library. In the background you can see the disappearance of the Tayside House and the ongoing development of V&A Dundee Museum of Design.
City Campus in 1977
City Campus from Belmont Tower in 2017
Live & Learn in Tayside
This remarkable video drawn from the University Archive captures life on campus in 1977, a time when the hair was longer and the trousers wider. As you’ll see, student experience was at the heart of the University’s mission, just as it is now.
Our 1977 stars 40 years on
We brought some of the faces of the 1977 film back on to campus to relive their memories. Those featured are David Middleton, Sir William Stewart, Chris Davey and Brian Makin
Dundee memories
We caught up with some of our alumni to capture their recollections of student life at Dundee over the decades, including broadcaster John Suchet, politician Lord Robertson, and entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl.
Dundee now
The Scottish University of the Year (for two years running) offers world-class learning and teaching and an all-round experience to match. Dundee is a great place to be a student, with one of the best student unions to be found anywhere, a compact campus in a city on the rise, and endless possibilities to enjoy student life to the full.
Were you a student at Dundee and have your own memories to share from the past 50 years? Do you recognise any of the faces in our pictures and videos? We’d love to hear from you.
You can contact us directly by email, or check in with us on social media where we’ll be sharing more content
Press Office, University of Dundee
press@dundee.ac.uk