University pledges to retain the three campus model

ULSTER University has revealed plans for a £15m revamp of its Coleraine campus which includes demolition of the landmark tower block building.
But during a meeting with elected members of Causeway Coast and Glens Council last Tuesday, Vice Chancellor Prof Paul Bartholomew also delivered news that the Riverside Theatre’s future was ‘under review.’
Prof Bartholomew had been invited to the chamber primarily to brief councillors on plans for the Coleraine Campus amid fears that the university’s priorities lie elsewhere.
Among the topics discussed were stalled proposals for a new Veterinary School and a student-run hotel initiative for teaching skills required in the burgeoning hospitality sector.
Councillors learned there are currently 3,294 students studying in Coleraine with perhaps another 1000 ‘distance learners’ taking courses taught on the campus.
The Vice Chancellor assured elected members he remained committed to a three-campus model. The expansion of Magee college in Londonderry would not come at the expense of Coleraine, he said.

Read the full reports on the Vice Chancellor’s encounter with councillors in this week's Chronicle.