Ulster University denies rebranding Magee College, despite concerns it is 'airbrushing' history of the college with 'Derry~Londonderry' title

According to the BBC, staff have been told in emails to no longer use "Magee" in external communications.

The college was originally named after Mrs Martha Maria Magee, the widow of a Presbyterian minister. In 1846 she left £20,000 for the establishment of a Presbyterian College in Londonderry, which provided courses including both Arts and theology.

But in recent months "Derry~Londonderry" has appeared more frequently in university communications to refer to the Magee campus.

Foyle DUP MLA Gary Middleton said: “The decision by UIster University to drop the use of the name Magee, is an abandonment of nearly 180 years of history which appears to have been taken with no consultation with either staff, students or the wider community.”

He added: “The university’s claim that there has been no name change seems to be a further attempt to treat people like fools when they have instructed staff not to use that title. Corporate branding is obviously important to any organisation, but it shouldn’t have to require the airbrushing of history.”

Dr Adrian Grant, a University and College Union (UCU) representative and history lecturer at the university, told the News Letter of his concerns.

“We feel it is important that there is an open discussion and consultation about such a significant alteration to the way in which the historic campus is branded or referred to,” he said.

"Regardless of the merits of a name change or re-branding exercise to attract greater interest in the University, the Magee name is deeply engrained in the fabric of the campus and the surrounding neighbourhood. Many of our members, students and the wider community are passionate about the retention of this historic name and are calling for greater consultation and transparency.”

Ulster University responded there “has not been a renaming of the University’s campus in Derry~Londonderry”.

“We are a unitary institution, constituted under the name of University of Ulster and ‘trading’ under the name of Ulster University. We have multiple campuses and as such, we use the place as a campus identifier

for each of our locations in our brand and marketing materials: Ulster University – Derry~Londonderry; Ulster University - Belfast and Ulster University - Coleraine.”