“The University of Ulster is giving its students the opportunity to study for a year in the South Pacific island of Tahiti as part of a new partnership with the University of French Polynesia (UFP). Three lucky undergraduate students studying Marine Science can spend a year of their studies on the island studying the exotic marine environments …” (more)
[University of Ulster, 31 July]
“… The south-east has an almost 4% higher rate of unemployment than the national average, she said, while it was ‘clear that third-level education is a contributing factor and it is imperative that a regional university is achieved’. Regarding a university in the south-east, Mr Hogan said he ‘will be doing everything possible to establish the structure of a steering group for this …'” (more)
[Ciaran Murphy, Irish Examiner, 31 May]
“The archaic CAO college admissions system may be fixed in time for the year 2020, according to media reports seen today. The breakneck timeframe for reform of the system, however, has allegedly already caused some disquiet in the public sector, with one anonymous civil servant telling Cork Student News that the rapid pace of progress proposed had only been reluctantly agreed at the last minute …” (more)
[Cork Student News, 31 May]
“Justice Minister Alan Shatter has announced details of Ireland’s involvement in an international plan to tackle cyber crime. The €4m EU strategy, called ‘2Centre’ is part of the European Commission’s plan to safeguard governments, businesses and citizens. It will see a centre of excellence established at University College Dublin …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 31 May]
“DIT wants a single campus for its 20,000 students and 2,000 staff, but its grand vision faces economic challenges. The plan is to unite the 38 colleges and outposts of the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) on one campus at Grangegorman, in the north inner city. This will be a seismic shift for education in Ireland …” (more)
[CareersPortal.ie, 31 May]
“When Lawrence Golan picks up his baton here at the University of Denver, the musicians in his student orchestra see a genial conductor who corrects their mistakes without raising his voice in frustration. Yet Mr Golan is frustrated, not with the musicians, but with a copyright law that does them harm …” (more)
[Marc Parry, Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 May]
“How much are pre-election promises worth? Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn executed a U-turn on college fees yesterday. In the course of the election campaign, Mr Quinn – then Labour Party spokesman on education – opposed a €500 increase in the student contribution fee. He went further; saying that he would reverse the increase once in office. Less than 100 days later, Mr Quinn is refusing to rule out new student fees and/or additional student charges …” (more)
[Irish Times, 31 May]
“Education Minister Ruairi Quinn performed a U-turn on a key election promise last night by admitting he wouldn’t reverse a €500 hike in college registration fees. And the minister refused to rule out the introduction of third-level fees and further student charges – another pre-election pledge …” (more)
[Edel O’Connell, Independent, 31 May]
“The points system for selecting students for college could be replaced by the end of the decade under reform plans being initiated by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 31 May]
“One politician who continues to impress is Ireland’s new Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn. Yesterday I attended an event organised by the Royal Irish Academy at which the Minister outlined the issues facing higher education and addressed certain challenges to the academic community …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 31 May]
“The return of college and/or additional student charges is back on the political agenda after Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn refused to rule out these options …” (more)
[Sean Flynn, Irish Times, 31 May]
“Ireland’s bid to become a global software hub received a massive boost with news that Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) is to offer the world’s first degree in cloud computing …” (more)
[Niamh Hennessy, Irish Examiner, 31 May]
“College denies financial concerns are behind its failure to speak out over the arrest of medics after pro-democracy demonstrations …” (more)
[Jamie Smyth, Irish Times, 31 May]
“Up to 400 students hoping to study in one of the six agricultural colleges this autumn could be left disappointed, according to Teagasc. The stark reality arises as a direct result of the chronic shortage of teachers within agricultural colleges …” (more)
[Darragh McCullough, Independent, 31 May]
“I haven’t heard of an academic yet who is sad about the end of the ERA journal rankings, announced yesterday by Minster Kim Carr. Carr said in his press release: ‘There is clear and consistent evidence that the [ERA journal] rankings were being deployed inappropriately within some quarters of the sector, in ways that could produce harmful outcomes …'” (more)
[Skepticlawyer, 31 May]
“For anyone interested in assessing the options for higher education development, this could be a golden age. All over the developed world governments, major interest groups in society and the academy itself are voicing concern about the vitality or sustainability of the higher education sector, and are offering a bewildering array of solutions …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 31 May]
“IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, today welcomed the decision by the Minister of Education and Skills to proceed with the implementation the Hunt Report’s higher education strategy but warned that the process will be undermined unless the critical issue of funding is addressed …” (more)
[IBEC, 30 May]
“… It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone really that he didn’t follow through with that commitment, nor should it surprise anyone that a party that committed itself to the finance plan wouldn’t hold back with further attacks on the education budget. However, Quinn signed a pledge with the USI pre-election that Labour would not re-introduce fees. Following this the USI then encouraged their members to vote for the Labour Party. They had been warned that this reeked of Lib-Dem style betrayal and that would appear to be exactly what will happen. Do the USI care? Not an iota …” (discussion thread)
[Politics.ie, 30 May]
“The Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said today that the CAO (Central Applications Office) system needs to be reviewed to take into account the new profile of Irish third level entrants. In a major speech at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin on higher education, the Minister said the current system was designed around the dominant needs of full-time, school leaver applicants …” (more)
[Finfacts, 30 May]
“Good morning. I would like to thank Professor Drury and the Royal Irish Academy for inviting me today to address and listen to such a distinguished audience on the future of Irish higher education. This Academy, founded in the latter half of the eighteenth century, has witnessed massive social change over the course of its history. Our higher education system has both influenced and confronted those changes. And it has evolved beyond recognition in the face of them …” (more)
[Ruairí Quinn, Department of Education and Skills, 30 May]
