Ninth Level Ireland

“Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Education and Skills the role being played in the educational system here with the development of Chinese Confucius Institutions; the funding streams available to universities and colleges through these institutions; if he will explain the detail, role, purpose and benefit of the Confucius Institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

“Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of all unauthorised allowances to each of the senior academics for the 2005 to 2011 period; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann, 15 May]

“The Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI) national ‘preferendum’ ran into a major technical hitch on its first day of operation after it emerged that former students had been able to vote on the poll, designed to assess current college students’ feeling towards how best to fund third level …” (more)

[StudentNews.ie, 16 May]

“Conference: University College Cork, June 5 & 6, 2012. These are testing times for universities and for those working in them. Staff are constantly exhorted to be more efficient without compromising quality; to compete with one another but also to collaborate; to be creative and be more accountable; and to foster autonomy in a regime of control. In short, public expectations of universities are confused and contradictory …” (more)

[Donncha Kavanagh, 13 May]

“New figures show universities paid almost €8 million in unauthorised allowances to senior academics over a six-year period. The allowances were paid between 2005 and 2011 without the approval of the Higher Education Authority (HEA). This is despite legislation that stipulates its approval must be sought …” (more)

[Carl O'Brien, Irish Times, 7 May]

“This year, the issue of funding for third level education has once again been at the forefront of student issues. UCCSU’s current position is that the third level sector should be fully funded by the state via taxation …” (more)

[Eoghan Healy, CollegeRoad.ie, 1 May]

“Thousands of university staff, including senior lecturers and college heads who earn six-figure salaries, are entitled to have their children’s college fees paid by the State as a perk of the job …” (more)

[Claire O’Sullivan, Irish Examiner, 30 April]

“FACTS: University College, Cork (the ‘appellant’) has brought this appeal pursuant to s. 15(6) of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003 (the ‘Act’) against Determination FTC/10/42 of the Labour Court made on 20th July 2011 …” (more)

[University College Cork v. Bushin [2012] IEHC 76]

“Irish colleges have spent over €3m buying live animals for experimentation since 2005. The number of animals used in tests in laboratories has rocketed 800% in this period, with welfare groups expressing concerns that Ireland is becoming a hub for animal experimentation …” (more)

[Conall Ó Fátharta, Irish Examiner, 23 April]

“A trained energy specialist, Dr Elmer Morrissey (32) was brought up in Glounthaune on the eastern outskirts of Cork city. From a tightknit family including his parents Michael and Ena, and sister Kelda, he studied at University College Cork from 1998 to 2004 where he achieved a BA in civil and environmental engineering before completing his masters …” (more)

[Independent, 17 April]

“Even in University College Cork’s music building, a former 19th Century monastery overlooking the River Lee, the Seomra Gamelan comes as some surprise …” (more)

[Peter Crawley, Irish Times, 12 April]

“A jury has recommended that Cork City Council carry out a review of all split-level sites in the city that pose a risk to the public following the death of an 18-year-old university student who died when he fell down a ten metre drop while on a night out …” (more)

[Barry Roche, Irish Times, 5 April]

“The continuing failure of some university presidents and other high-earning academic staff to take a voluntary pay cut has been criticised by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn …” (more)

[Sean Flynn, Irish Times, 5 April]

“The Government has invested €1.2m in a new research programme that it hopes will help make Ireland a world leader in cloud computing, creating jobs and boosting the economy. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton unveiled the programme today …” (more)

[Irish Times, 2 April]

“Cash-strapped universities are clocking up travel bills of more than €11m a year, new figures have revealed. At a time when third-level bosses have been warning of the impact of government funding cuts on education, Department of Education figures show universities’ bills for travel costs rose from €11.26m in 2010 to over €11.5m last year …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 2 April]

“Ladies football: University College Cork captured the prestigious O’Connor Cup for the first time since 1990 with a stunning 2-14 to 1-13 victory against University of Ulster, Jordanstown in yesterday’s final …” (more)

[Independent, 26 March]

“A referendum was recently held by the Students’ Union in University College Cork on UCCSU’s affiliation with the Union of Students in Ireland. The results showed that students in UCC wished to remain affiliated with the national representative body …” (more)

[College Tribune, 23 March]

“A near blanket lack of mobile phone coverage isn’t the only thing missing at UCC’s multi-million Euro Western Gateway Building (WGB), StudentNews.ie can this afternoon reveal. The hi-tech complex has also been plagued by an embarrassing litany of false fire alarms in recent months …” (more)

[Eóin O'Hara, Studentnews.ie, 22 March].

“A solicitor has challenged the alleged ‘censoring’ of names in an Equality Tribunal report that dismisses his complaint of gender discrimination by University College Cork in its recruitment of a woman to a position in the university’s law faculty …” (more)

[Irish Times, 14 March]

“… I get asked the same three questions all the time. First: ‘Are you a yank?’ I say, ‘Yes, but my family’s from Kerry’. Then: ‘Are you over here for the semester?’ ‘No, I’m studying here full-time.’ Third question is always: ‘Why?’ …” (more)

[Irish Times, 13 March]