Ninth Level Ireland

“The topic of consent has been brought to the fore in recent years, particularly in the wake of the Me Too movement which sparked discussions about the prevalence of sexual misconduct in all echelons of society. College campuses are in no ways exempt from a culture of misogyny, sexual assault, or victim blaming. While a broad cultural shift is needed to take on such ingrained societal attitudes, the least universities can do with regards to sexual assault is to have a robust policy in place that enables victims to report assault in a way in which they feel comfortable, and can be assured that due process will be guaranteed …” (more)

[Grace Gageby, Trinity News, 5 May]

“A new technological university has been announced for the Midlands and the Midwest, the Minister for Further Education has announced. Minister Simon Harris revealed that Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology would be joining together to form a new technological university …” (more)

[Brendan Kelly Palenque, Independent, 5 May]

“The arrival of thousands of students to live in Belfast city centre when the new Ulster University campus opens will provide a major catalyst for growth, a council boss has said. The Cathedral Quarter building is to open next year, four years behind schedule, with courses shifting from the Jordanstown campus …” (more)

[Margaret Canning, Belfast Telegraph, 5 May]

“Trinity College Dublin is set to spend €150,000 on the development of a new app for self-guided tours by tourists of the historic city centre campus. About one million people visited the campus each year before the Covid shutdown, to view the Book of Kells exhibition, generating €12.7 million in revenues. Of those, 87% were overseas visitors …” (more)

[Gordon Deegan, Irish Times, 4 May]

“… WIT’s governing body has signed off on the application and the allegedly apocryphal statement by Phil Hogan that ‘there will be a university in the South East and the name Waterford won’t be over the door’ will come to pass. I feel our city has been politically humiliated, distanced from its peers and betrayed by Fine Gael policy over the past decade to drive it into the realms of the county towns …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 4 May]

“Union of Students in Ireland (USI) President Lorna Fitzpatrick today described comments made by government ministers in the Irish Daily Mail about students receiving the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) as ‘offensive and misinformed’ …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 4 May]

“Administrative staff hired or promoted at NUI Galway no longer require a level of proficiency in the Irish language. The university has confirmed to the Galway City Tribune that the automatic requirement for all administrative grade one, two and three workers to have a level of Irish has been removed. The change was approved by Údarás na hOllscoile, its governing body, at a meeting last year …” (more)

[Dara Bradley, Connacht Tribune, 4 May]

“Student nurses, doctors and midwives who have not yet qualified are to be hired as vaccinators as the HSE ramps up the Covid-19 vaccination programme. The Ireland East Hospital Group (IEHG) is seeking nursing, midwifery and medical students who have not yet completed their studies to work as vaccinators …” (more)

[Laura Colgan, Irish Mirror, 4 May]

“Spending between the President of NUI Galway Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh and Vice-President and Registrar Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh has amounted to €22,173.10 over the last three years, according to documents released to SIN under the Freedom of Information Act. Professor Ó hÓgartaigh receives an annual salary of €201,155 per annum, while Vice-President Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh takes home a yearly rate of €165,406 …” (more)

[Valerie McHugh and Paddy Henry, SIN, 4 May]

“The great Renaissance humanist Erasmus said he longed to be a citizen of the world. I’ve always liked this quote because it sums up so much of the university ideal. Universities have been reaching out into the world for centuries – something that benefits both the institutions themselves and the country as a whole …” (more)

[Patrick Prendergast, Irish Times, 4 May]

“The Cabinet is expected on Tuesday to approve draft laws on university governance, which would increase centralised supervision and give a regulator the power to fine colleges for breaching rules. The laws, to be introduced by Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris, aim to redraw the relationship between government and the institutions for the first time since the 1970s …” (more)

[Pat Leahy and Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 4 May]

“The cost of the rebranding of University of Limerick (UL) has now risen to more than €172,000 in the past two years. It comes as UL returned to the black with a surplus of €3.9m amid the Covid-19 closure of the campus, according to new consolidated accounts. The university spent a combined €86,670 on ‘brand refresh’ and ‘brand implementation’ programmes last year. That amount followed a spend of €85,453 on the brand refresh project in 2019 …” (more)

[Gordon Deegan, Irish Examiner, 3 May]

“The Irish Government is set to launch plans to increase the number of Irish people being hired into the European Unions institutions amid concerns of a waning Irish influence and presence in powerful roles. The Government has drawn up the strategy in response to what is described as an impending ‘huge demographic cliff’, with many senior Irish figures in EU institutions about to retire …” (more)

[Naomi O’Leary, Irish Times, 3 May]

“Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) is urging Trinity against reopening the Book of Kells next month as students sit exams. Under the government’s phased plan to lift Covid-19 restrictions, cultural attractions can reopen from May 10, which also marks the start of two weeks of assessments for students …” (more)

[Lauren Boland, Trinity News, 30 April]

“Global university rankings may be distorted by the business activities of the ranker, including selling consulting, analytics and other services to universities, according to a new study from the University of California (UC), Berkeley’s Center for Studies in Higher Education …” (more)

[Brendan O’Malley, World University News, 1 May]

“A technological university for the south east has moved a step closer after Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and IT Carlow formally submitted an application to merge and create a new institution. The aim of the Technological University of South East Ireland consortium is that the new technological university – yet unnamed – will be established on January 1st next …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 30 April]

“Four WIT Branch Officers of the Teachers Union of Ireland have resigned in protest due to the decision of the Governing Body to proceed with the application for the Technological University of the South East, despite union members voting against the memorandum of understanding last week …” (more)

[Darren Skelton, Waterford News and Star, 30 April]

“Sinn Féin TD for Waterford David Cullinane has warmly welcomed news that Waterford Institute of Technology and IT Carlow have lodged an application to become a Technological University. Speaking this evening, Teachta Cullinane said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 30 April]

“The Government is to publish its plan for a return to in-person classes in third-level education in June. The Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said he will unveil the plan for an ‘enhanced campus experience’ for college students for the next academic year …” (more)

[Cate McCurry, Independent, 30 April]

“The Technological University for the South East looks set to go ahead now as both governing bodies of IT Carlow and Waterford IT have approved the merger. A key meeting of Carlow’s governing body was held today where they gave the go-ahead to proceed, after Waterford did the same on Tuesday …” (more)

[WLR FM, 29 April]