BBC TV news anchorman Nicholas Owen, who received an honorary doctorate from the University of Brighton in February, returned to open the university’s brand new news rooms at the Hastings campus.
The rooms are part of a £15.3m investment in buildings and facilities on the campus. The facilities support the courses which form the Journalism and Digital Media Hub, which is a collaborative venture between the campus, the School of Sport and Service Management, the School of Computer, Engineering and Mathematics and the School of Art, Design and Media.
As well as the newsrooms, the project includes state-of-the-art television and radio studios plus editing suites which are open to all students studying at the university.
During his visit Nicholas Owen gave a talk to journalism students and took questions from the audience. He then toured the new facilities in the Havelock Road and Priory Square Buildings before declaring them officially open. He said the standard of the newsrooms were “very high”.
Nicholas Owen’s lecture to students was the first in a ‘Hub Speaker’ series at the Hastings campus. Industry professionals including screenwriter and University of Brighton graduate James Payne and singer Vivienne Albertine will continue the series with talks scheduled for later this year. They are open to students, staff and the public.
