Southampton Solent University celebrates city roots with new name

The name change comes as Southampton Solent (Solent) further celebrates its location and role in the community. To reflect the importance of this, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor James Knowles, is inviting local partners to sign a renewed civic charter.

With the initial charter contributing to several of the University’s clear recent successes, such as securing ‘Sanctuary’ status, the delivery of the ‘Help to Grow: Management’ programme and the launch of the ‘Make a Difference’ volunteering scheme, it is hoped the renewed charter will have a similar impact.

Vice Chancellor of Southampton Solent, Professor James Knowles, said:

“We are proud to have more than 160 years’ experience working with our communities, providing education and training, and transforming lives in our home city of Southampton. Today’s news reflects our ongoing commitment and our mission to promote economic and social prosperity for the communities we serve.

“As we welcome a new cohort of students, I want to ensure that we continue to serve as an anchor institution within the city and champion Southampton, and the wider region, nationally and internationally.

“By placing Southampton at the forefront of our name we demonstrate great pride in our city, whilst continuing to build upon our triple Gold Award status in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), appealing to students locally and across the globe.”

As the University begins its 20-year anniversary of achieving university status in 2025, the return to including Southampton in the name helps to mark that occasion and acknowledges the institutions continued commitment to its students and the city.

With more than 12,000 students globally, Southampton Solent already possesses a strong reputation. Last year, the University was named one of only 14 UK universities to achieve the triple Teaching Excellence Framework Gold Award, celebrating innovative teaching, an engaging learning environment and excellent student outcomes.

With the globally recognised Warsash Maritime School on site, as well as high performing courses such as architecture, law and the performing arts, Solent has something to offer everyone.