THE successful campaign to secure a post-graduate medical school must now spearhead further expansion at Magee, Sinn Féin’s Karen Mullan has told the Ulster University.
The party’s Education spokesperson was commenting after a Sinn Féin delegation met with the newly installed Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Ulster University Paul Bartholomew.
Said the Foyle MLA: “We had a robust exchange of views with Professor Bartholomew on the need for Ulster University to use the success of securing the medical school to build momentum towards wider expansion.
“We agreed that the transfer of Allied Health Science courses from Jordanstown to Magee was a critical first step in this regard which is why we would urge a huge response from the Derry public to the recently relaunched consultation on the proposed transfer.
“We also made the point that the £80 million funding secured through City Deal and the Future Fund for research and innovation projects gives the Ulster University a unique opportunity to increase student places in fields such as Robotics and Engineering whilst physically expanding the Magee campus into a unique riverfront location.
“This move would also facilitate a move by Derry and Strabane District Council Headquarters into the city centre, increasing economic footfall for local businesses.
“It is vital for Ulster University to work with council in the coming months to progress these plans and to demonstrate that Magee expansion is now moving to a more intense phase.
“We also discussed the need to work with ourselves and strategic partners in the Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the Dublin government to increase north-south collaboration on the wider expansion of further and higher educational provision.
“We look forward to engaging further with the Ulster University in the coming months to ensure that progress on all of these issues is maintained to allow Magee to reach its full potential.”
