History of Portsmouth city to new developments such as Paulsgrove and Leigh Park. On 4 July 1968, an estimated 250,000 people witnessed the return of Alec Rose, a greengrocer in Osborne Road, after he completed his single-handed circumnavigation in "Lively Lady"; he was immediately knighted and made a Freeman of the city. 400 motor-boats, yachts, catamarans and canoes welcomed him into harbour. The University of Portsmouth gained university status in 1992 In 2003 erection was started of a 552 feet high Spinnaker Tower sited at Portsmouth Harbour, and celebrating the city's maritime tradition. Completed in 2005, the tower has twin concrete legs meeting
University of the People announced that the University of the People was the winner of the 2013 ISIC Award. In August 2013, Microsoft launched its 4Afrika Scholarship program in collaboration with its 4Afrika Initiative and University of the People was the first participating higher-education institution. In 2014 University of the People gained accreditation for degree granting programs through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and is approved by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). In March 2016, the university began offering an online MBA,