The event, which took place on 2 December, also marked 10 years of the University of Brighton in Hastings.
Mr Field said: "I have watched the University of Brighton in Hastings develop over the last 10 years. It is exciting to see what universities should be doing – going where they are needed."
Professor Stuart Laing, the university's Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said the Hasting project started as a collaboration between a handful of universities. There were just three courses and 40 students but today, he said, the university's fifth campus offers 40 courses and has more than 100 members of staff and 850 students.
Professor Laing said: "Demand for courses is high and the university has given local people opportunities that they wouldn't have seen before. Our courses are also attracting the brightest and the best to Hastings.
"We have a successful cluster of courses. For example, around media production. Hastings now has a significant reputation which has brought students into the town. The new £7.5m Priory Square building which features state-of-the-art laboratories and social spaces will help meet the increased demand for student places."
Professor Julian Crampton, the university's Vice-Chancellor, said higher education was a big part of the regeneration of Hastings: "The economic impact of the university is estimated to be £14m a year on the town. The range of courses offered was developed uniquely to support individuals and businesses, as part of the town’s development.
"The tenth anniversary of the university in Hastings is an important milestone. We have now acquired a third academic building in the town, Lacuna Place, and there are plans to build accommodation for 200 students next to Hastings railway station.
"We have a strong commitment to Hastings. This extends to our sponsorship of two successful academies in the town, which both achieved good ratings in their latest Ofsted inspections. Recently, three more primary schools have joined the Trust which oversees the academies.
"All that we have achieved has been in partnership, in terms of raising aspirations. A key partner has been Sea Change Sussex, as well as Hastings Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, South East Local Enterprise Partnership and local businesses."
Left to right: Lord John Mogg, Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex Peter Field, and Professor Julian Crampton
Lord John Mogg, Chairman of the University of Brighton's Board of Governors, paid tribute to the university's senior management team and to the former director of the Hastings campus, Margaret Wallis, who retired earlier this year: "Margaret has been instrumental to the success of Hastings and we will continue to build on these firm foundations."
Those attending the ceremony included Hastings Councillor Jeremy Birch, John Shaw, the Chief Executive of Sea Change Sussex, and the Mayor of Hastings Councillor, Alan Roberts.