Our students and alumni
The first 500 arrive
The ‘First 500’ were Kent’s first undergraduate students, arriving in October 1965. They were part of a small community of students and staff who became the University of Kent’s pioneers. They chose Kent over more established universities because they were excited by the opportunity to help shape a new university - contributing to both their own experience and its identity and culture.
With few established traditions or expectations, the First 500 played an important role in shaping the University and its emerging student community. They established societies, formed friendships and developed customs and experiences that would influence the University
and student life for generations to come.
The First 500 have remained connected to the University long after their graduation. Many have supported the University as volunteers, donors and friends, continuing to shape the community they helped establish. They also continue to meet socially, keeping in touch through lunches and other gatherings.
“We had the honour of being in at the beginning of what has become a vast and immensely successful university. Its development has been staggering - and unimaginable at
the outset - and to be associated with this is very pleasing.”
-Ed Daley, Economics and Politics & Government
“There really wasn’t any campus when we first arrived. There was Eliot College and the Science Block. The rest of the site looked like a scale model of the Somme until turf was put down the following summer.”
- Earl Okin, Philosophy and English
“Don’t panic!”
Advice for new students in 1971
What advice would you give to new students?
Below you can find some advice given by University of Kent second-years that was published in FUSS in November 1971. These suggestions offer a glimpse of student life in the University’s early years and perhaps its not too dissimilar to what you might expect to hear today.
- “Circulate. Smile. Speak up. Be yourself. Keep out of your room. Join things. Introduce yourself”
- “Don’t panic! The survival rate is high”
- “Stop Kent being a ‘week-day-only’ University”
- “If anything is worrying you, tell someone - no one can help if they don’t know what’s wrong”
- “If you don’t make friends in your first year, don’t despair; you probably will in the second”
- “Take everything with a pinch of salt”
- “The thing about first year is finding the balance between study and recreation, the time you devote to yourself and your friends”
- “Don’t spend all your time in your own room, cooking your own solitary meals, speaking to no-one and playing a tape recording of ‘The Hounds of the Baskervilles’ at 2:30am, or you might be thought anti-social”
Kent Student's Union
Who We Are
Founded in 1965, Kent Students’ Union (KSU) is an independent students’ union and registered charity at the heart of student life at the University of Kent. Led by elected Student Officers, KSU represents students’ interests, champions positive change and helps shape the university experience. For more than six decades, KSU has empowered generations of students to make their voices heard, build lifelong friendships and create lasting memories. Through representation, advice, opportunities and community-building, KSU continues to foster an inclusive environment where every student can belong, thrive and succeed.
What We Offer
KSU provides a wide range of opportunities, services and experiences that
enrich student life beyond the classroom. Through academic
representation, independent advice, volunteering, campaigning and
leadership opportunities, students are supported to overcome
challenges, develop new skills and make a positive impact within their communities. Today, KSU supports more than 200 student groups,
including sports clubs, societies, volunteering projects and student
media, offering something for every interest and passion. Alongside this, KSU brings campus to life through events, celebrations and student
spaces including The Venue, Woody’s, Campus Coffee and Kent Clothing.
As a registered charity, income generated through KSU’s commercial services is reinvested into activities, support and opportunities that benefit students across the University. From first steps on campus to lasting friendships beyond graduation, KSU helps students find their voice and create a university experience they will never forget.
Honouring achievement: a tradition of distinction
An honorary degree is one of the highest honours the University can bestow. Awarded since the University’s earliest years, honorary degrees recognise people whose achievements have made an outstanding contribution to academia, public life or service, the arts, business or society.
The University’s first honorary graduate was Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, the University’s founding Chancellor, who received the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law. Since then, honorary degrees have been awarded to Nobel Prize-winning scientists and authors, distinguished public figures, humanitarians, actors, musicians, staff and alumni whose work has inspired others.
Among those honoured are chemist Dorothy Hodgkin; novelist William Golding; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; the University’s first Vice-Chancellor, Geoffrey Templeman; actor and director Richard Attenborough; musician and humanitarian Bob Geldof; actor Sir Michael Gambon; former President of Finland Tarja Halonen; Kent alumni and comedian Alan Davies; actor Tom Wilkinson; and musicians Ellie Goulding and PinkPantheress.
Together, these honorary graduates reflect the diversity of achievement celebrated by the University and its commitment to recognising individuals who have made a lasting impact on society.
Image: Honoury graduates artist Peter Firmin carrying the famous cat Bagpuss, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actress Joanna Lumley.
Kent alumni: making their mark
With more than 220,000 alumni around the world, the University of Kent community includes award-winning authors, entrepreneurs, academics, athletes and business leaders. Here are just some of the graduates whose careers have made an impact locally, nationally and internationally.
Sir Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary fiction authors. In 2017, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He studied English and Philosophy at Kent.
Nahom Teklu Bekele graduated in 2024 with a MSc in Architecture and the Sustainable Environment. He now works in sustainability at Northshore, helping integrate sustainable practices into architecture to address environmental and urban challenges. Nahom credits Kent’s Employability Reward programme for helping him secure his role, where he applies academic knowledge to meaningful projects.
Emeritus Professor Abdulrazak Gurnah received the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature for “his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism”. He completed his PhD at Kent in 1982 and later taught at the University of Kent until his retirement in 2017.
Odera “Oddy” Akachukwu completed a MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in 2016. Originally from Nigeria, he is now based in Dallas, Texas, where he is the Founder and CEO of StayLyte, a range of naturally fruit-flavoured, electrolyte-infused sparkling drinks.
After graduating from Kent in 2004 and completing an MA in Film Studies in 2005, Max founded New Planet Film & Media, a production company that specialises in corporate projects and fictional short films. Max’s short films have sold internationally to distributors including Shorts International, Canal+, Canal Spain, and Interfilm, for both broadcast and theatrical distribution.
After graduating from Kent in 1998 with a BA (Hons) in Geography, Philip Jordan went on to build a successful international career. As a former Director of Marketing Operations at Microsoft, Philip spent over 20 years overseeing a global marketing programme with 650 vendor staff across 60 countries, and even produced market intelligence briefings for Bill Gates. Philip credits Kent’s international community for fostering his passion for diversity and preparing him for a multinational career.
Katie Hunt completed a BA in History and MA in Modern History before beginning a PhD researching surf history. Supported by the Bolt Scholarship, she has undertaken archival research and network building within beach communities in Orange County, California.
Emeritus Professor Robert Lethbridge is the most distinguished academic from the University’s ‘First 500’ generation of graduates. Notably, he was Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge from 2005 to 2013 and Provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust from 2005 to 2013.
Susannah is an English field hockey player. She won gold for Team GB at the 2016 Olympic Games in an exciting final match against the Netherlands. She studied Sport and Exercise Science Management at Kent, playing hockey for the University.