Mayor honoured to welcome UMass Boston delegation to Derry

PICTURED ABOVE: The Mayor of Derry & Strabane, Councillor Lilian Senoi Barr presenting a civic gift to Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston, at a reception in the Guildhall. Included from left are Shaun Morgan, Executive Director, Office of Global Programmes, Michael Metzger, assistant Vice-Chancellor, UMass, Boston and Kevin O'Connor Head of Business. Derry City and Strabane District Council. (Photo: Lorcan Doherty)

A delegation from UMass Boston met with Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Cllr Lillian Seenoi Barr during a visit to the city at the weekend.

The delegation included the Chancellor UMass Boston Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and the Executive Director, Office of Global Programs, UMass Boston who visited Derry as part of a wider Northern Ireland visit.

Welcoming the delegation to the City, Mayor Barr said. “I was hugely honoured to extend a warm and heartfelt welcome to the esteemed Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston to our city. We were delighted to host him in our vibrant and historic city.

"This visit presented a valuable opportunity to explore potential collaborations in education, research, and cultural exchange between our region and UMass Boston. We deeply value the strong connections we share with Boston and look forward to fruitful discussions that will benefit both our communities and foster even closer ties in the years to come."

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In addition to attending a civic meeting with the Mayor, the group attended several engagements during their stay including a visit to Acorn Farm where they heard all about the work being done to deliver an urban food growing hub and the green skills academy.

They attended an Entrepreneurship & Innovation roundtable discussion on STEM entrepreneurship including student, academic & graduate entrepreneurship, research Collaboration &  Innovation including Derry City & Strabane’s City Region Growth Deal and community and citizen driven research and innovation before attending a Uniting Communities Celebration event hosted by the Manchester United Foundation in partnership with the International Fund for Ireland at the John and Pat Hume Building at Ulster University, Magee Campus.

The group attended a number of private meetings and availed of the opportunity to explore the city by taking part in a walking tour of the Derry Walls and the Guildhall.