A time capsule has been buried on University Park Campus to coincide with the last concrete pour of the new Cripps Health Centre.
The new Centre will transform services for the healthcare needs of students and staff as well as those of the local community. The new facility will offer unrivalled healthcare facilities within higher education and will allow for greater interaction between the University’s student health services and its primary care research. It was made possible through a transformational £9 million gift from the Cripps Foundation — the largest single gift donation from a private foundation in the University’s history.
The Cripps family and Foundation have had an extraordinary impact on the University over many years and without it the institution would not be the place we know today. They have been one of the University’s most generous donors supporting a range of buildings including Cripps Hall alongside Chairs in Engineering, and establishing a tradition of philanthropy stretching more than 60 years.
Robert Cripps, a founding member of the Foundation, visited the site, accompanied by his wife Jan, to attend the time capsule burial; before being conferred in a graduation ceremony on Wednesday 13 December, where he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
Dr Paul Greatrix, University of Nottingham Registrar, welcomed guests to the event: “We don’t bury time capsules very often at the University of Nottingham but this seemed an appropriate occasion for us to be marking the progress of this amazing building which has been supported by the Cripps Foundation. Our previous Health Centre, which was also funded by the Cripps family, is almost half a century old now and was designed for a university, a tiny proportion of the size which we are now.
“It is fantastic that we are shortly going to be having a health centre fit for the 21st Century. And one which will provide support, advice and an experience which our students and our staff need, to ensure they are able to thrive and prosper in the environment which we provide.”
Before placing the capsule in the hole, Robert Cripps said: “This building will be worthy of the exceptional staff who serve this University and it is a statement of the care that the University understands it has to offer to its students. My family were very happy to support that view of life 50 years ago, and we are happy to support it now.
“Thank you for everything which everyone in this team is doing to make this incredible building a reality. It’s something for the future.”
Among the contents placed inside the capsule were items of current medical equipment; reflections and hopes for the Centre from Student Services; Photos of the Cripps family and current staff of the Health Centre; and a copy of the Nottingham Post.
To continue their unique relationship with the University of Nottingham, it is hoped that the next generation of the Cripps family will visit the University in 25 years’ time to open the capsule.
The new-generation building reflects a philanthropic legacy which began with Robert’s grandfather Sir Cyril Cripps in 1949 and has continued through generations of his family.
The building has been designed by Nottingham-based architects CPMG. Work is scheduled for completion in autumn 2018 at which point the current Health Centre will be repurposed. Nick Gregory, Director of CPMG said: “We’re proud to have designed this flagship centre for the University which will be the largest healthcare facility of its kind in the country.”
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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the world's top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our 44,000 students - Nottingham was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, was awarded gold in the TEF 2017 and features in the top 20 of all three major UK rankings. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally.
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