Ninth Level Ireland

“Five institutes of technology and 10 departments have been recognised for measures to improve gender equality in higher education in the latest round of Athena SWAN awards, announced today (31st March). The institutes of technology in Athlone, Dundalk, Galway-Mayo, Letterkenny and Sligo each receive a Bronze award, which recognises that the institutions have identified their key gender equality challenges and opportunities and have action plans to drive progress …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 30 March]

“University College Dublin (UCD) has received an Athena SWAN Bronze institutional award for its work towards gender equality, despite recent criticism concerning sexual misconduct towards its female academics. UCD first received the institutional award in 2017, which was renewed this month …” (more)

[Isobel Dunne, College Tribune, 30 September]

“Prof Kerstin Mey’s appointment as interim president of the University of Limerick (UL) earlier this week has – rightly – been lauded as historic. She is the first woman to lead one of Ireland’s universities in the 400 year-long history of third-level education in Ireland …” (more)

[University Times, 12 July]

“Trinity is pushing ahead at school level with applications for Athena SWAN – a ‘critical’ third-level gender equality scheme, with significant implications for College’s research funding – despite the coronavirus pandemic, a top official has said …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 13 May]

“The Higher Education Authority (HEA) welcomes The Future of Athena SWAN, the report of the Athena SWAN Charter (UK) Independent Review Steering Group published this week. The report is the result of an independent review of the Athena SWAN Charter in the United Kingdom, led by Professor Julia Buckingham CBE, Vice-Chancellor and President of Brunel University London …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 24 March]

“When Trinity wrote in its still-unpublished strategic plan that it aimed to have achieved a silver Athena SWAN award by 2025 – two years too late for crucial research funding deadlines – eyebrows must have been raised among those casting eyes over the document. Ireland’s universities have for years underwhelmed on Athena SWAN …” (more)

[University Times, 2 March]

“Trinity is to push ahead with plans to submit an application for an Athena SWAN silver medal by 2022, according to the College’s top gender equality official, despite an admission at College Board level that attempts so far have yielded ‘disappointing’ results …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 25 February]

“Trinity’s gender equality efforts are being ‘hampered by the fragmented structure’ in which many key stakeholders interact with each other, according to a confidential report obtained by The University Times. The report, which was published in May, also highlighted the lack of visible information on equality, diversity and inclusion in Trinity …” (more)

[Katy Amos, University Times, 8 November]

“Trinity rushed through the appointment of a top-ranking officer for gender equality, The University Times has learned, U-turning on an earlier decision not to create the position amid fears that its application for a new government equality initiative would be ‘seriously weakened’ without a senior equality advocate …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 5 November]

“Last November, The University Observer reported on UCD’s gender imbalance problem, specifically relating to the lack of women in senior-level staff positions. At the time, only 30% of UCD Heads of School were women and only 24% of UCD full professors were women. The target is a 40% balance …” (more)

[Jade Wilson, University Observer, 1 November]

“University College Dublin (UCD) today announced that the UCD School of Medicine, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science and UCD College of Engineering and Architecture (made up of a further six Schools), have received Athena SWAN Bronze awards for their commitment to gender equality …” (more)

[AlphaGalileo, 10 October]

“This week saw a sober assessment of the impact – both positive but also depressingly negative – of schemes to improve gender equality. As the Athena Swan Review Group wrestles with how to improve their own awards, it is important to learn from mistakes as well as successes. In years gone by I spoke up for Athena Swan …” (more)

[Athene Donald’s Blog, 22 June]

“The IUA welcomes the announcement of the Call for Proposals for the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI). Our member universities are enthusiastic about engaging in this positive initiative to address the gender imbalance at senior academic level …” (more)

[IUA, 21 June]

“As someone who studies academic organizations and their efforts to encourage equality, I believe that dedicated programmes to address inequalities are essential. I also worry they might not be designed to provide support to the very people who need it …” (more)

[Charikleia Tzanakou, Nature, 18 June]

“The Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) congratulates IT Carlow and CIT on the success of their submission for the Athena SWAN bronze award and congratulates the teams who worked on these …” (more)

[THEA, 6 May]

“Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has commenced its preparations to submit an application for the Athena SWAN Bronze Award – the gender quality benchmark – to the Advance Higher Education’s (HE) Gender Equality Charters Team. The submission is an institution-wide initiative led by the Research Office at DkIT …” (more)

[Talk of the Town, 13 April]

“On November 12th 2018, the Gender Equality Taskforce Action Plan for Higher Education 2018-2020 was launched by Irish Minister for Higher Education, Ms Mitchell O’Connor. In addition to this Action Plan, the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative has been launched, which foresees the creation of 45 senior academic posts for women in Higher Education colleges nationwide …” (more)

[ETUCE, 18 December]

“Following the 2016 National Review of Gender Equality in Irish Higher Education Institutes and the ‘exceptionally slow’ progress that has followed a Higher Education Authority (HEA) Expert Group report, Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD has introduced a Gender Action Plan that will create 45 female-only professorships …” (more)

[eolas, 10 December]

“The Irish Universities Association (IUA) today welcomed the Report of the Gender Equality Taskforce Action Plan 2018-2020. The IUA is fully committed to working with the Minister and Department of Education and Skills to implement the recommendations arising from the Report in order to bring about meaningful and sustainable change in gender equality in universities …” (more)

[IUA, 12 November]

“Despite the fact that more women complete undergraduate and postgraduate degrees than men, and 51% of lecturers in higher education are women, the gender imbalance in higher education leadership is particularly prevalent. According to reports by the Higher Education Authority, women are grossly underrepresented in senior academic positions at third level institutions …” (more)

[Jade Wilson, University Observer, 1 November]