Ninth Level Ireland

“Prof Brian MacCraith’s tenure as president of Dublin City University (DCU) ended today, after ten years in the role. In a tweet this evening, MacCraith said: ‘My overriding emotion is gratitude: Gratitude for the honour. Gratitude for the amazing students (& alumni) & wonderful staff who have shared the journey. Gratitude for all the friends I’ve made’ …” (more)

[Emma Donohoe, University Times, 13 July]

“Deputy President and Registrar of University College Dublin (UCD), Professor Mark Rogers, has this week outlined plans regarding on-campus student accommodation for the coming academic year. Despite ongoing concerns over the pandemic, UCD’s eight student residences, which remained open to some students throughout the lockdown period, will ‘be filled as normal’, with ‘additional special arrangements’ to ensure the safety of its occupants from September …” (more)

[Gemma Farrell, College Tribune, 12 July]

“On July 8th, Deputy President and Registrar of University College Dublin (UCD) Mark Rogers announced to current students via email the plan for the upcoming academic year, stating that ‘your education remains our top priority’ …” (more)

[Luke Murphy, College Tribune, 8 July]

“The uncertainty on what lies ahead for incoming first year college students is poignant with only three months left until they start third level education. For many it is very difficult during these times to decide what they want to study and where they want to study, as access to information is limited to online resources …” (more)

[Aoife Breslin, The College View, 21 June]

“Dublin City University has announced 15 additional scholarships for refugees, bringing the total number to 30 for the 2020 academic year. The announcement, which comes days before World Refugee Day, will allow more Irish-based refugees’ and asylum seekers to access higher education …” (more)

[Tadgh McNally, TheJournal.ie, 18 June]

“Students at DCU can avail of a new flexible housing system for the upcoming academic year. The university is delivering a hybrid model of teaching which includes online learning and on-campus lectures. DCU said it is highly unlikely that any student would need to be on campus for more than a small number of days per week, so the accommodation requirements will be very different …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 16 June]

“Almost all CAO applicants in a recent survey said they would take up a college place in autumn, despite the Covid-19 restrictions. However, many have concerns about adapting to an online learning environment and making friends …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 16 June]

“Dublin City University (DCU) has found it can only fit 48 students in a 500-seat lecture hall under the social distancing measures currently in place. The university, which will accept returning students in September, says large lectures are simply impossible, and plans are being put in place for a mixed online and face to face learning scheme …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 6 June]

“Students at Dublin City University have been offered flexible accommodation for the upcoming academic year as it is ‘highly unlikely’ they will be on campus for full weeks. With the university planning a mix of face-to-face lab classes, practical sessions and online lectures in the coming academic year, not all students will be on campus at the same time …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 29 May]

“A few weeks ago. Dublin City University president Brian MacCraith requested experts to advise on how the capacity of its largest lecture theatre would be affected by social-distancing rules. ‘We have a 500-seat, tiered lecture theatre here’, says MacCraith. ‘When we measured it, we realised it would only accommodate about 50 people’ …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 29 May]

“Let’s suppose your institution is promoting ideas that you believe are potentially damaging. What should you do? It’s a tricky question, especially if you have a certain degree of attachment to your institution, as I have …” (more)

[Tales from Academia, 25 May]

“In my school in DCU we spend an awful lot of time angsting about our students. We worry abut how much they study. We worry about their writing skills, their attention to detail and their numerical skills …” (more)

[Tales from Academia, 21 May]

“DCU has said it has seen a 183% increase in students looking for help from its Student Assistance Fund since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The Dublin university has today launched the Covid-19 Student Emergency Fund in response to the challenges and financial hardship facing students due to the Covid-19 global pandemic …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 20 May]

“DCU announced on Friday that there will be a combination of both online and face-to-face classes for the coming 2020/2021 academic year. In a statement, the university confirmed they would be providing a ‘hybrid delivery of programmes for students in [the] new academic year’ …” (more)

[Aoibhín Meghen, The College View, 16 May]

“Incoming first year university students should ‘not be admitted to a particular degree programme until the end of their first year in college’, according to an Associate Professor in Dublin City University. Dr Greg Foley, a historically outspoken Irish academic from DCU’s School of Biotechnology made the statements in a letter …” (more)

[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 16 May]

“Dublin City University (DCU) has set September 21 as the start date for first years, two weeks ahead of the general return of students on October 5. The September 21 date is provisional and will depend on the final timelines for the Leaving Cert results and CAO offers …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 15 May]

“DCU has established a new research hub focused entirely on finding solutions to challenges posed by Covid-19. Dublin City University (DCU) has established the Covid-19 Research and Innovation (R&I) Hub, which will support 16 multi-disciplinary projects focused exclusively on challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic …” (more)

[Colm Gorey, Silicon Republic, 13 May]

“Figures for Irish universities’ expenditure on exams have indicated that UCD spent €1.3 million on exams for the 2019/2020 academic year, according to figures revealed by The College Tribune in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. UCD’s spending on exams per student represented the largest in the country according to these figures …” (more)

[Alex Lohier, College Tribune, 7 May]

“Dublin City University (DCU) has said it is reversing a plan to increase the cost of on-campus accommodation from September. This follows a similar decision by Maynooth University which announced in late April it would reverse a proposed 3% rent increase and introduce a freeze …” (more)

[Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times, 3 May]

“DCU has reversed its decision to implement a 4% rent increase on campus accommodation for the 2020/2021 academic year, DCU Students’ Union announced. DCUSU posted on their social media pages that the university will not proceed with the initially planned rent increase. The increase of 4% would have meant that DCU’s on-campus accommodation would have been increased to the maximum amount legally allowed under rent legislation …” (more)

[Shauna Burdis, The College View, 1 May]