Ulster University, in conjunction with Londonderry Chamber, welcomed over 100 local business leaders, political representatives, stakeholders and neighbours in the city to its campus in Derry~Londonderry last week for a showcase of its current academic excellence and expansion plans.
Guests followed guided tours with members of the University’s Senior Leadership Team, exploring the thriving campus which is a hub for health sciences, creative industries, computing and engineering, business, and the arts.
The tour took in: the new teaching block and library; the site which will house the Shared Island-funded teaching and student services building which the Taoiseach visited last month; and the School of Medicine where guests heard about the plans for the new School on the Strand Road. They then experienced the Intelligent Systems Research Centre where researchers seek to understand how the brain functions and from this, to create new Artificial Intelligence which is sustainable and autonomous for the benefit of society. From there they made their way through the School of Nursing and Paramedic Sciences from which the first ever cohort of Paramedics will graduate this Winter; the School of Health Sciences and the Students’ Union, concluding in the Great Hall of the iconic Martha Magee building.
With an opportunity to experience first-hand the ongoing development work on campus, guests met with the senior team, staff and students to discuss Ulster University’s ambitions for growth in Derry~Londonderry.
The event then concluded with an interview between the Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Bartholomew and broadcaster William Crawley about the University’s regional mission and commitment to continued expansion in the city.
In a wide-ranging discussion, the pair covered issues including student accommodation availability in the city, the Maximum Student Number (MaSN) cap, the University’s contrasting historical and current commitment to growth in student numbers in Derry~Londonderry to and beyond the 10,000 mark, student fees, development in Belfast vs. Derry~Londonderry, and calls for an independent cross-border university in the North West.
Joined by Stephen Kelly, Chair of the Taskforce established by Economy Minister Conor Murphy to expand Ulster University in Derry~Londonderry, the group also discussed the Northern Ireland Executive commitment to supporting student growth in the city.
Ulster University Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Bartholomew said:
“This event was a fantastic opportunity to welcome our neighbours in Derry~Londonderry onto our vibrant campus to meet with students, see all of the teaching spaces we have and research that takes place, and really get into what this campus is all about.”
Teaching over 5,300 students in the last academic year, the Ulster University Derry~Londonderry campus is home to over 120 programmes, with more being added annually. This year, the University was ranked top 10 in the UK for five of the courses taught in Derry~Londonderry (Speech and Language Therapy, Information Systems and Management, Radiography, Physiotherapy and Health Studies), and the institution was shortlisted for University of the Year by Times Higher Education.