Founders' Day dinner to mark LJMU 200
Commemorating LJMU's Bicentenary
Distinguished guests and friends of the university were invited to a Founders’ Day dinner at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral yesterday evening, Thursday 6 July, to commemorate LJMU’s Bicentenary.
Attendees were welcomed to the event by Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark Power, who paid tribute to the university’s history and to some of the modern-day Founders who have shaped the institution into the LJMU we know today.
High profile guests included Chancellor, Nisha Katona; Emeritus Chancellor, Sir Brian Leveson; former Vice-Chancellors, Peter Toyne and Michael Brown; Honorary Fellows, friends of LJMU, donors and JMSU officers past and present.
First alumni Chancellor, Nisha Katona, thanked those attending the dinner:
“We can only do what we do because of the people we call our friends, our extended university family, our Fellows, our Governors, our alumni, our students’ union and our friends from the city region.”
“200 years ago we were founded with the words ‘we are born not for ourselves alone, but for the whole world’, and what an enlightened principle that was.
“We are all here to make a difference, yes for our students, but by our very existence, this university seeks to make the world a better place and it always has, and we think that’s worth celebrating.”
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark Power said:
"It is important to us to have a chance to celebrate our Bicentenary with our extended university family and to commemorate our Founders Day.
“In our 200th year, we feel the responsibility of our history and we embrace the legacy we have inherited, just as the next generation will look back on our time and build on what we leave behind.
"We remain true to that clarion call for transformation and innovation without losing sight of how we can make a difference for the people of this city and beyond to the wider world around us."
The Very Reverend Dr Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral also welcomed attendees to the dinner, on behalf of the cathedral, which will welcome over 20,000 visitors next week as students and their families gather to celebrate graduating from LJMU.
Gary Millar, LJMU Honorary Fellow and alumni, was also asked to say a few words as he thanked all those behind the scenes and raised a toast to the university, its students and staff, and the next 200 years. He also captured the moment with a selfie taken on stage with Vice Chancellor, Professor Mark Power and all those attending.
A year's worth of celebrations
The Founders’ Day dinner is the latest in LJMU’s Bicentenary celebrations which have already taken place over the past 6 months, from Chancellor Nisha Katona’s Roscoe Lecture, to campus-wide exhibitions, student-driven projects and international academic conferences.
LJMU is also curating 200 online profiles telling the stories of its people from the past, the present and those shaping and changing the future for the better.
Find out more about LJMU’s Bicentenary.
