“Sir, – The academic societies we represent are dedicated to the study and promotion of medieval Irish culture and heritage in North America, Europe and across the globe. We are therefore greatly distressed to learn about pending cuts in medieval Irish history at NUI Galway …” (more)
[Westley Follett and Patrick Wadden, Irish Times, 8 May]
“These welcome fainéant days between Christmas and the New Year offer time for reflection and synthesis as well as an opportunity to envisage a fresh approach to activity in the coming calendar year. Higher education can look back with mixed feeling on the year just parting. The central challenge of funding remains unresolved. Given a minority government, it was never likely that the necessary consensus would be discovered to address the proposals of the expert group chaired by Peter Cassells that reported in 2016 …” (more)
[Joseph Ryan, Irish Times, 31 December]
“Irish universities lack the investment to benefit from Brexit – another fall out of gross underfunding of higher education by government, says UCC IFUT member, Rosarii Griffin. UCC Researchers recently organised a discussion on the plight of researchers on temporary contracts, a Researcher Career Framework, and the importance of research to the University life, both nationally and internationally …” (more)
[IFUT, 8 November]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) expresses its support and solidarity with Dublin Institute of Technology Students’ Union (DITSU) as they protest the severe and recurrent staffing shortages across their college, which have now had a hugely detrimental impact on library opening hours …” (more)
[USI, 17 October]
“Sir, – Dick Ahlstrom is correct (‘Funding plan for third level a recipe for disaster’, Science, Innovation, January 25th) in questioning the Department of Education’s proposals to alter the funding arrangements for higher education. The recent Cassells report on the sector revealed a continuing rapid increase in demand for third-level education, with 60% of school-leavers entering the system in 2015 …” (more)
[Joan Donegan, Irish Times, 26 January]
“The European university funding divide is getting wider, with many countries in Southern, Central and Eastern Europe failing to repair cuts to public spending made since the financial crisis despite an economic recovery, and so falling further behind better-funded systems in the north …” (more)
[David Matthews, Times Higher Education, 12 December]
“A European University Association analysis of public funding has revealed that many countries in Europe have failed to repair cuts made to higher education since the financial crisis, despite experiencing economic recovery. Spain, Italy and Ireland were among those with lower levels of direct public funding in 2016 than in 2008 …” (more)
[Kerrie Kennedy, The PIE News, 14 December]
“Ulster University is set to face , ‘critical’ funding cuts, according to its Vice-Chancellor. In a letter to politicians, Professor Paddy Nixon says the university has been advised by the Department of Economy it faces a 3.5% cut in 2018/19, and a 4.5% cut in 2019/20 …” (more)
[Michael Sheils McNamee, Belfast Telegraph, 25 November]
“Ulster University (UU) faces ‘critical’ funding cuts from the Department of the Economy (DfE) over the next two years. The warning comes in a letter from the university’s vice-chancellor to the leaders of Northern Ireland’s political parties and the secretary of state …” (more)
[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 24 November]
“Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on increasing public funding of third level colleges to reverse the cuts that have taken place since 2008 and to end reliance on private sector funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 25 October]
“There is a crisis in higher education funding, but you would be hard-pushed to believe it listening to Irish politicians. In the last decade — until it was reversed this year — a series of annual cuts saw State investment in higher education cut by a third. This drop in funding equated to close to €500m in annual income to the seven universities, 14 institutes of technology, and the handful of other colleges also directly funded by the taxpayer …” (more)
[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 3 October]
“Yet again UCU at Ulster hears of potential cuts to the university from the media. In Monday’s interview with the Irish News, VC Paddy Nixon says UU is ‘planning for budget cuts’ of between 2% and 12%. He has not said a word to UCU representatives about this …” (more)
[UCU, 29 September]
“Dance professionals have told of their sadness after Northern Ireland’s only third-level moving arts degree ended. Ulster University confirmed its BA Honours Dance course at Magee Campus in Londonderry has been discontinued …” (more)
[Lee Henry, Belfast Telegraph, 19 May]
“Irish university libraries have seen an average reduction of 22% in staffing levels since the recession, with UCD experiencing one of the largest staff cuts. While the declines began to occur in the late 2008s during the last recession, staff numbers are still slowly dropping in some institutions or just stabilising at others. The drop in staffing figures was revealed from records requested from each university library released under the Freedom of Information act …” (more)
[College Tribune, 11 April]
“DIT lost about €718,000 after a UK-based library subscription service, called SWETS, which it had prepaid, went into administration in 2014. DIT told the Irish Independent that the losses forced a range of cost-cutting measures, but that it did not impact on student services …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly and Chai Brady, Independent, 7 April]
“The promotion of academic staff to senior positions in Trinity will in future be determined by what College can afford, the latest sign of the financial constraints placed on the university by the funding crisis in higher education. The number of senior academic staff in Trinity were previously pegged to staff numbers …” (more)
[Eleanor O’Mahony, University Times, 25 March]
“Unlike previous years, 2016 has been a tough one for Queen’s University Belfast, as plans to cut course programmes in Sociology and Anthropology have been resisted by an alliance of staff and students. Undeterred by the decision to close the BA Sociology programme last month, the ‘Take Back Queen’s’ campaign held rallies and garnered opposition to the plans …” (more)
[The Last Round, 5 October]
“The UCD Library has witnessed dramatic cutbacks in resources in recent years, with both staff numbers and the amount spent on books and journals being sharply cut by the university. The Tribune can reveal the amount of staff in the UCD Library has declined year on year for more than five years …” (more)
[College Tribune, 27 September]
“Dundalk IT’s academic staff will ballot for strike action this week in opposition to the underfunding of the Institute of Technology sector. DkIT has suffered a 36% cut in funding since 2007 while student numbers have risen by over 30% during the same period. Recruitment restrictions have also seen workloads intensify while staffing levels have dropped by 10% …” (more)
[Talk of the Town, 24 September]
“The decision by senior managers at Queen’s University, Belfast, to close its single honours degree in sociology is an abdication of the university’s responsibility to offer students in Northern Ireland the broadest opportunity to study our society …” (more)
[Tony Trueman, Belfast Telegraph, 23 September]
