Ninth Level Ireland

“UCD President Andrew Deeks has said that students are not expected to receive any additional costs due to potential financial fallout in the university. He has also stressed delays in additional student supports and a negative short-term impact on UCD. This comes after Deeks warned staff of ‘very severe’ financial implications for the university due to COVID-19 …” (more)

[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 2 April]

“The below story follows the President of UCD on an average day in the office. It should be noted that due to the current COVID-19 restrictions and university shutdown, the President’s day is vastly different, with much of his work done online and from home …” (more)

[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 27 March]

“UCD President Andrew Deeks has said that the potential long-term impacts of COVID-19 for UCD could be ‘very serious’ and have a severe impact on the university’s commercial activities. The President has appealed to recruitment staff to ensure international students, who make up over 20% of UCD’s annual income, attend the university next year …” (more)

[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 24 March]

“UCD President Professor Andrew Deeks emailed students and staff this evening, detailing changes in response to the governments decision today to shut ‘schools, colleges and childcare facilities’ from tomorrow until the 29th of March …” (more)

[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 12 March]

“University College Dublin (UCD) students today attempted to storm the college’s Club Restaurant in protest at campus rent increases, with a tense standoff between students and security marking the latest in a series of demonstrations in recent weeks …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 4 March]

“The president of University College Dublin (UCD) has said that there is ‘no way’ that the college will reverse its decision to increase on-campus rent by 12% over the next three years, despite outrage from students. Speaking to the University Observer, Andrew Deeks said that ‘absolutely, there’s no way that we’re going to back down on the rent increase’, and that Dublin’s housing crisis ‘can’t be addressed by capping or reducing rents’ …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 24 February]

“Sir, – I was disappointed to read that the president of UCD said the students had reacted ’emotionally’ to large rent increases for UCD student accommodation (News, February 21st). An emotional response does not take from the validity of the students’ claim that the rent increases are unreasonable, and it appears that the students have good reason to be emotional …” (more)

[Letters, Irish Times, 22 February]

“Students in University College Dublin have reacted ’emotionally’ to a proposed increase of on-campus rents by 12 per cent, university president Professor Andrew Deeks has said. On Thursday students held a sit-down protest outside a meeting of the university’s governing authority over proposals to increase rents over the next three years by the maximum allowed under rent cap laws …” (more)

[Jack Power, Irish Times, 20 February]

“University College Dublin (UCD) students held a sit-down protest outside a meeting of the university’s governing authority, in protest over proposals to increase on-campus accommodation rents by 12% over the next three years. Students protested at the entrance to the meeting on Thursday morning holding placards with the slogans ‘Stop the 12%’ and ‘#NotaBusiness’ …” (more)

[Jack Power, Irish Times, 20 February]

“UCD has decided not to back down on the planned on-campus rent increases. In a letter to UCD Students’ Union regarding the rent hikes, University President Andrew Deeks has said that ‘it is in the best interests of our community overall to proceed’. This letter comes after over one hundred students marched on UCD’s Tierney’s building earlier this week, in protest of the on-campus rent increase of over 12% over the next three years …” (more)

[Hugh Dooley, College Tribune, 19 February]

“Various student groups have protested the recently announced rent hikes on campus. On Tuesday, February 18th, over one hundred students marched to UCD’s Tierney’s building. The protest coincided with a meeting of the University Management Team (UMT), who made the decision to increase the on-campus accommodation by 4% year on year for the next three years …” (more)

[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 18 February]

“University College Dublin (UCD) has spent several million euro buying premium south Dublin houses neighbouring its Belfield campus in recent years, as part of a long-term plan to expand the university’s boundaries. The university spent €5.5 million buying five properties between January 2017 and last September, according to figures released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act …” (more)

[Jack Power, Irish Times, 10 February]

“UCD has reported an increase in its annual surplus to €35.2 million for the financial year ending in September 2018 – up €3.1 million over the previous 12-month period. The university reported a successful financial year against a background of concern about funding for third-level education in the Republic …” (more)

[Seán McCárthaigh, Irish Times, 10 January]

“University College Dublin (UCD) President Andrew Deeks has called for more ‘flexibility’ from the government when it comes to the hiring of staff, in order to allow Ireland’s universities to compete with others around Europe …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 13 December]

“If there really is a funding crisis in higher education, you wouldn’t know it to look around UCD’s sprawling campus at Belfield, south Dublin. Cranes on the skyline are a sign that thousands of new student beds are under construction on campus …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 11 December]

“UCD is planning to enrol thousands of additional students and hire more than 500 academic staff over the coming years under expansion plans which, it says, will make it the largest third-level institution in Ireland. The university is projecting that its student numbers will grow by 25% over the next decade – up from about 25,000 to 32,000 – driven by a combination of domestic and international students …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 11 December]

“UCD has spent over €150,000 since 2017 on events held in University Lodge, the official residence of UCD President Andrew Deeks. The figures, obtained via a Freedom of Information Request, break down the spending for each year, as detailed in the table below …” (more)

[Gavin Tracey, University Observer, 26 November]

“Last April it was revealed by the Irish Times that UCD president Andrew Deeks’ new office in Ardmore house, which was set to cost €900,000, is actually going to cost €7,500,000. Not only that, but Deeks had approved the cost himself under ‘delegated authority’ between meetings of the finance committee …” (more)

[Nathan Young, University Observer, 24 September]

“A series of qualifications to improve the understanding of officials in digital policy creation are being developed by University College Dublin with support from Microsoft. The Republic’s first academic digital policy programme is going to be developed in partnership with senior policy officials in the public sector, industry representatives and with Microsoft’s backing …” (more)

[Peter Hamilton, Irish Times, 20 April]

“A novel international recruitment drive by UCD to employ 500 more academic staff is well under way as part of an ambitious five-year development plan at Ireland’s largest university. There has been huge interest for the first 65 positions, which the university hopes to fill by September …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 17 April]