UU Magee Taskforce - meeting minutes 5 November 2024
Expansion of Ulster University Derry~Londonderry Campus Taskforce
Meeting 8 - Minutes
Tuesday 5 November, 1000
AGENDA
- Welcome
- Discussion with Mark Patterson
- Conflict of interest
- Minutes from last meeting/update on action points
- Update on Magee Division progress
- Summary of previous meeting
- Future work plan and engagement
- Correspondence
- Cross-border collaboration
- Update on the Asks
- Any other business
- Date of next meeting
Taskforce members in attendance
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Stephen Kelly (Chair) (SK) | CEO, Manufacturing NI |
| Nicola Skelly (Vice-Chair) (NS) | Executive Director, Washington Ireland Programme |
| Prof. Paul Bartholomew (PB) | Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University |
| Moira Doherty (MD) | Deputy Secretary, Skills and Education Group, Department for the Economy |
| John Kelpie (JK) | Chief Executive, Derry City & Strabane District Council |
| Leo Murphy (LM) | Principal and Chief Executive, North West Regional College |
| Paul Hannigan (PH) | Head of College, Atlantic Technological University Donegal |
| Steven Lindsay (SL) | Deputy Vice President, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce |
| Alison Wallace (AW) | Strategy Manager, Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership |
| Ethan Davies (ED) | President, Ulster University Students Union |
| Gavin Killeen MBE (GK) | Managing Director, Nuprint Technologies Limited |
| Paddy Mackel (PM) | University and College Union |
| Ian McKenna (IK) | Principal Officer, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science |
| Dawn McLaughlin (DM) | Non-Executive Director, Invest NI |
| Mary MacIntyre OBE (MM) | Chartered Town Planner |
Apologies
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Prof. Paul Seawright OBE (PS) | Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University |
| Philip Rodgers (PR) | Director of Workforce Policy, Department of Health |
Welcome
SK welcomed attendees to the meeting.
Discussion with Mark Patterson
SK welcomed Mark Patterson to the meeting to present his thoughts for a new school or programme within Ulster University named in honour of local writers Brian Friel and Seamus Heaney.
Mark noted that there are several academic institutions around the world who have recognised the works of Seamus Heaney and dedicated lectures and events in his name. Mark outlined a proposal to develop a new writing programme which could appeal to global students.
Before opening the floor to the members SK thanked Mark for the presentation. PB felt that the proposal was persuasive and achievable but noted there could be some issues around economic viability
JK noted that Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) work in partnership with the National Trust and this proposal could be examined further with them to determine what the offering could look like going forward.
The Taskforce endorsed Mark’s proposal and noted the rich history of writers that are from the North West area.
Conflict of Interest
No further Conflict of Interest noted.
Minutes from last meeting/update on action points
All Taskforce members confirmed they were content, and no amendments were required to the minutes of the previous meeting. The secretariat advised that all the DfE owned Action Points have been completed.
Update on Magee Division progress
Director of Magee Expansion Division, Linda McGuinness (LMG), updated the Taskforce on the current and future work of the secretariat:
- The team are meeting with Brett Hannam, Chief Executive of The Strategic Investment Board following the Taskforce meeting to discuss provision of a specialist report.
- Responses from several Executive Departments had been received in response to the Ministerial Paper sent to all departments regarding the Interim Report, but that correspondence will need to go back on several of the responses.
- The Department for the Economy (DfE) initiated a Citizen Space survey to gather feedback from the public on the Interim Report. The results will be shared with the Taskforce.
- The work on the economic impact analysis has been awarded to KPMG. This will be split into 2 phases with the first phase due by end of November.
- A workshop between DfE and UU has been arranged for 18 November to further discuss the capital and academic plan to 10,000 students.
- Pat O’Neill from SIB had been appointed to lead on the governance piece for the action plan.
- Meetings have been arranged with Tourism NI/Ireland to further progress the Ask 4 of the Interim Report.
There was a short discussion on the increase of tuition fees in GB. It was noted by SK that Minister Murphy has stressed previously that tuition fees would not be raised, and so other options must be considered for funding expansion.
Summary of previous meeting
SK provided a summary presentation of the previous meeting.
Future work plan and engagement
SK noted there had been significant engagement with Londonderry Chamber on 21 October at the tour of Ulster University’s Derry-Londonderry campus and the work of the Taskforce was well received.
SK stated that a Special Meeting of Council was held on 22 October to discuss the asks that were made of them in the Interim report. Several Taskforce members were in attendance and provided contributions. A motion was passed by the Council stating that they “endorse and commit to the asks of the Council in the Interim Report of the Magee Taskforce”.
SK stated that an additional Taskforce meeting has been scheduled for 22 November to brief Colum Eastwood MP and discuss how he will be able to contribute to the ongoing work of the Taskforce. NI Water have also been invited to the meeting to discuss ongoing infrastructure issues.
SK advised that Ulster University Students’ Union reissued the student survey that was previously run in the summer to capture the views of students on the proposed expansion of Magee. This closed on 31 October and results are being analysed and compiled into a paper for the Taskforce.
LMG and SK then shifted focus to the action plan and the proposed layout of the final report. Discussions ensued regarding Chapter 2 of the report and the need for Council support, which JK confirmed he was happy to provide. JK felt a meeting with all key partners would be helpful and he proposed to arrange.
Action Point 1 – Taskforce to review the responses to the Ministerial Paper to Executive Departments by end of November.
Action Point 2 – JK to arrange a meeting between UU, DfE and Council.
Correspondence
LMG informed the meeting that a letter has been received from DCSDC following the special sitting of the Council to discuss what was asked of them in the Interim Report.
LMG advised that representatives from NI Water Sara Venning, Ronan Larkin and Jo Aston have been invited to attend the Taskforce meeting on 22 November – no response currently received. Minister for Infrastructure John O’Dowd was also invited to attend the meeting but is unable to due to previous diary commitments.
Cross-border collaboration
IK presented on cross-border collaboration to the Taskforce. He highlighted Ireland’s International Education Strategy – Global Citizens 2030 and provided a brief outline of the six pillars to the strategy. He noted that pillar five: A new level of North-South and East-West collaboration, was particularly relevant. This would maximise the impact of the Shared Island Fund and PEACEPLUS to ensure learners gain experience in institutions across Ireland and the UK, build sustainable cross-border delivery structures and foster collaborations for all-island talent.
IK noted that the Irish Government would not be able to fund Graduate Entry Medical Students in NI as they do not fund them in Ireland. He also stressed that the Irish Government would like to see progress on the Shared Island building before further considerations would be made.
After the presentation SK opened the floor to members.
SK asked PH what Atlantic Technological University (ATU) is forecasting in growth at the university and if this will affect the expansion of Magee. PH responded that he fully supports the work of the Taskforce and the expansion, but it should not be at the expense of ATU. SK agreed that ATU and Magee should work in tandem to grow.
ED spoke in relation to student mobility and believed that financial support is not always transferable across the border for students with a disability, which may discourage students from Republic of Ireland studying in Northern Ireland and vice versa. IK was surprised to hear that this was the case and MD noted that DfE would investigate this student support issue and report back.
Action Point 3 – DfE to review student support options available to Northern Ireland students studying in Republic of Ireland, and vice versa.
Update on the asks
SK noted that updates on the asks were presented throughout the meeting.
Any other business
AW requested to attend the UU led programme on Community Benefit Framework. PB agreed to follow-up.
Date of next meeting
The date of the next meeting was confirmed for 22 November 2024.
Action Points
Action points from this meeting:
| No. | Action Point | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Taskforce to review the responses to the Ministerial Paper to Executive Departments by end of November. | Taskforce | |
| 2. | JK to arrange a meeting between UU, DfE and Council | DCSDC | |
| 3. | DfE to review student support options available to Northern Ireland students studying in Republic of Ireland, and vice versa. | DfE |