Blog: Trio of visits start historic year for Development and Alumni Relations department

2026 is set to be a bumper year for the Development and Alumni Relations Department at Harper Adams - as the University prepares to celebrate 125 years since its establishment. 

January and February have already proven to be a busy period, with graduates from across the globe returning to campus to reconnect with familiar places—and to see just how much the University has grown. 

In this guest blog, Development and Alumni Relations Manager Niven Maree looks back at three of our recent alumni visits. 

A special return to campus from a student who completed his studies at Harper Adams more than half a century ago marked the first visit of the year. 

George Glossop studied at the University between 1953 and 1955, at a time when it was still a college.  

He returned on a grey Friday afternoon in January, just days after celebrating his 92nd birthday- and brought both his daughters and granddaughter to see how the campus, and the University’s Future Farm, have changed. 

Reflecting on his time at Harper, he said: “I am what I am because of Harper. It provided me with the opportunity to find work and eventually to own a farm.”

Following his studies, Mr Glossop went on to become a dairy farmer in the Tamworth area, and he was particularly taken with the ways in which the University’s farm – which celebrated a historic win in the NMR Gold Cup last year – had changed since the 1950s. 

As the tour progressed, the family were taken to several nostalgic locations, including Boughey Residence Hall, where Mr Glossop lived.

He was amazed by how the campus has grown and by the facilities now available to students –and noted: “The College is now a University. Things have changed so much!”  

Mr Glossop’s granddaughter, Cara Edden, added: “I absolutely loved taking a walk back in time with my grandad and seeing where he spent the two years he talks so much about.  

“It’s definitely a memory that I’ll treasure with my grandad forever, so thank you!” 

Shortly afterwards, the University welcomed back Agriculture and Mechanisation graduate Tom Ensell, who graduated in 2012 - and whose trip, accompanied by his parents, saw him travel all the way from the Canadian prairies to return to Shropshire.  

Now a property manager overseeing thousands of hectares of land, he enjoyed a tour of campus that took in both well-remembered landmarks and the impressive laboratories and buildings that have emerged in recent years. 

Reflecting on his time at Harper, Tom said: “Harper provided me with a sound base from which to continue my growth and exploration. 

“Not having grown up in a traditional farm environment, Harper offered me so many learning opportunities - many of which I still draw on today.” 

Finally, the University were able to welcome back a husband-and-wife alumni pairing from China. 

Terry and Freyja were students on the BSc (Hons) International Business Management joint programme the University offers alongside Beijing University of Agriculture and returned a decade after completing their studies with us.  

Their affection for Harper Adams runs deep – so much so that they named their daughter after the University. 

Terry said: “I’d like to express my gratitude to all the teachers and classmates at Harper for their care and support. This experience laid a solid foundation for my postgraduate studies in the UK and also proved incredibly helpful for my subsequent job search.” 

To read more about Terry, Freyja and Harper’s visit to campus, click here. 

_{If you would like to visit campus or wish to coordinate a reunion, please contact the Harper Adams University Development and Alumni Relations Department at alumni@harper-adams.ac.uk}