Ulster University at Coleraine
# Ulster University at Coleraine

The Ulster University at Coleraine (Irish: Ollscoil Uladh i gCúil Raithin) is a campus of Ulster University in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It houses the administrative headquarters of the university and is the most traditional in outlook, with a focus on science and the humanities. It was founded in 1968 as the New University of Ulster and was later known as the University of Ulster at Coleraine until October 2014 when it was rebranded with the rest of the university to be known as Ulster University at Coleraine. The Coleraine campus is situated on the banks of the River Bann in Coleraine with views to the Causeway Coast and the hills of County Donegal to the West.

## History

    See also University of Ulster history

Originally, the concept of a new university was well received by many nationalists in Northern Ireland. This was due to a feeling of bias that unionist communities, or towns, received better facilities and investment. As a result, the initial desire of nationalists was to form a new university institution at the already well established Magee College in Derry, County Londonderry, a predominantly nationalist community. Some thought at the time that the reasoning for establishing the university in Coleraine over Derry was a desire to pull population towards the East of Northern Ireland as the university would strengthen the 'Belfast-Coleraine-Portadown' economic triangle, which happened to form the edge of the nationalist/unionist communities.

It was suggested that this was part of a unionist agenda by Terence O'Neill, the then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, to draw nationalist communities from the West into the East and to help break them up. There was no substantial evidence to back up this claim, however it was the idea that led to a number of protests and rallying in opposition. As violent protests continued, the result was that the recommendation of the Lockwood Report (named after the chairman of the committee which produced it, Sir John Francis Lockwood, Master of Birkbeck College, London and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of London) was accepted by vote. The Troubles began shortly afterwards, and resulted in O'Neill leaving the office of Prime Minister, allegedly after being forced to resign.

The campus was founded as the New University of Ulster in 1968 as Northern Ireland's second university, its establishment being inspired by the 1965 Lockwood Report. In 1969, Magee College was incorporated into the university, making Coleraine the primary campus of a multi-centre university. After the university opened it was decided that students at Magee College studying their degrees would not transfer to Coleraine as they had previously done after two years of study with Trinity College Dublin.

To meet demand, subjects like French and German were offered in a separate subject called West European Studies. A number of other similar arts subjects were intended to commence at Coleraine, such as East European Studies, Irish Studies, Asian Studies and American Studies. These subject areas typically included history, two or more languages, social sciences and geography. However, these subject areas were never fully developed and were offered only as short courses. However, individual subjects in Asian and American Literature and History were developed.

In 1984, Coleraine retained the headquarters role in a merger with the Ulster Polytechnic at Jordanstown.

## Location

The campus is located just north of the market town of Coleraine in County Londonderry and near to the coastal resorts of Portstewart and Portrush. Together these three towns make up an area known as the 'Triangle'. The campus is also a short drive from the spectacular Causeway Coast; one of the most scenic stretches of coastline in Europe. The Causeway Coast is an area of outstanding beauty, which boasts the Giant's Causeway (UNESCO World Heritage site), the oldest whiskey distillery in the world (Old Bushmills Distillery), blue flag beaches and championship golf courses. There are also ample opportunities for hiking, fishing and boating. The towns of Portstewart and Portrush are where most students reside and where the nightlife and entertainment is centred. These lively towns have plenty of pubs and clubs attracting tourists and students alike.

## Campus

The campus is situated on 300 acres (1.2 $km^2)$ of parklands with landscaped grounds that include tranquil garden areas and a well-developed arboretum. Within this most attractive landscape lie up-to-date, custom-built facilities for teaching, learning and research. These core activities are supported by extensive residential, catering, sporting and cultural facilities, including the Riverside Theatre, Coleraine, the third-largest professionally built theatre in Northern Ireland. The current Provost is Professor Karise Hutchinson.

The campus currently has over 5,050 students (undergraduate and postgraduate, and full-time and part-time) and around 1,300 employees, making it by far the largest economic and institutional entity in the north of the province.

### Portrush site

The Portrush site was closed in 2008, and the School of Hotel, Leisure and Tourism (formerly "Northern Ireland Hotel and Catering College") was relocated to both the Coleraine & Belfast campuses.

