“… In an update sent to staff and students of both colleges this week, which was seen by the Cork Independent, said that the project team is working towards a designation date of 1 September 2020 and that this is subject to a final decision by the Minister for Education and Skills …” (more)
[Niamh Aine Ryan, Cork Independent, 24 October]
“Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has received an application from Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology to come together to form a new technological university for the region pursuant to the Technological University Act 2018; when a decision will be made thereon; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 22 October]
“The Department of Education has announced the allocation of funding aimed primarily at the creation and expansion of technological universities here. TU Dublin, which comprises the former Dublin, Blanchardstown and Tallaght Institutes of Technology, has received €3.8m from the almost €15m fund, a portion of which also goes towards the promotion of cross-border third level projects …” (more)
[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 18 October]
“The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD and Minister of State with responsibility for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today (18 October 2019) announced funding of €14.25 million to higher education institutions. The €14.25m fund was allocated under the Higher Education Authority 2019 call for submissions for higher education landscape restructuring, consolidation and collaborative projects …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 18 October]
“Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the mechanism by which a Cork Institute of Technology will not take on the debts of IT Tralee in the event that they merge to form a new university; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 15 October]
“Two more institutes of technology are coming together with a view to becoming a technological university (TU). Limerick IT and Athlone IT are forming a consortium to develop a Technological University for the Mid-West and Midlands …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 15 October]
“Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) has moved a step closer to developing a new technological university (TU) for the Mid-West region. LIT has announced that it is forming a consortium with Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) to form a new TU in the Mid-West and Midlands …” (more)
[Fintan Walsh, Limerick Leader, 15 October]
“John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has advised Waterford and Carlow Institutes of Technology of the way in which the projected combined deficit, debt and payroll costs of the planned technological university of the south east, reportedly estimated at €26 million by 2024-2025, will be addressed …” (more)
[Dáil written answers, 10 October]
“The President of Waterford IT says the Technological University for the South East has to happen within the next six to 12 months. The application from WIT and IT Carlow still hasn’t been submitted after a memorandum of understanding between both IT’s was rejected by the unions in Carlow …” (more)
[Eimear McKeown, WLR FM, 10 October]
“The Presidents of GMIT, IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT (Connacht-Ulster Alliance) welcome the announcement today (9 October 2019) by the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, of an increase of over €153 million for tertiary education including a multi-annual fund of €90 million to assist the development and progression of Technological Universities …” (more)
[GMIT, 9 October]
“The merging of CIT and IT Tralee has been officially postponed for at least six months by the Department of Education, the Cork Independent can reveal. Two letters were sent to the staff and students of both colleges on Tuesday. One was from the presidents of the colleges and the other was from Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh …” (more)
[Niamh Aine Ryan, Cork Independent, 2 October]
“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has spoken of his frustration with the protracted progress of the Waterford IT/IT Carlow submission to create a Technological University of the South East (TUSE) …” (more)
[Dermot Keyes, Waterford News and Star, 12 September]
“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says he is very frustrated at the lack of progress in the establishment of a Technological University in Waterford. The application for the TU South East from WIT and IT Carlow has still not been submitted after a memorandum of understanding between both IT’s was rejected by the unions in Carlow …” (more)
[Sinead Aherne, WLR FM, 9 September]
“IT Tralee and CIT are confident the state will cover the remaining integration costs associated with their merger. The Munster Technological University is the planned result of the merger between the Institute of Technology Tralee and Cork Institute of Technology, a process which was first mooted in 2009 …” (more)
[Radio Kerry News, 30 August]
“Investment at campus under Project Ireland 2040 for lecture space, library, offices and upgrade works. The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD has today (Sunday August 11) announced funding of €1.8m towards significant building upgrades at the School of Tourism at Letterkenny IT (LYIT) Killybegs Campus …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 11 August]
“It seems talks to try and resolve problems around the Technological University for the South East are on hold. At the end of June TUI members in IT Carlow voted against an agreement that had been reached at the Workplace Relations Commission. It’s expected talks will resume in September after progress came to a standstill over a month ago …” (more)
[KCLR 96FM, 5 August]
“Then Minister for Education Joe McHugh this week postponed the creation of Ireland’s second technological university until early 2020, alarm bells may have sounded for some in the higher education sector. For others, though, the news that Cork IT and IT Tralee are not yet ready to merge – despite provisional plans to do so this year – will have come as no surprise …” (more)
[University Times, 28 July]
“Government plans to award university status to institutes of technology may prove ‘problematic’ due to a lack of clarity over what constitutes research activity, according to an international panel of academics. The comment is contained in a report which found the Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and IT Tralee only partially met the criteria required to secure university status. It is likely the bid will be reconsidered in six months …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 23 July]
“A decision on the long-awaited Munster Technological University, has been set back to early 2020 amid financial concerns and a ‘lack of clear vision and strategy’. A bid by Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Institute of Technology Tralee (ITT) seeking to become Munster’s first technological university ‘leaves questions unanswered regarding the specifics of how the two applicant institutions are to become one’, an independent review has found …” (more)
[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 23 July]
“The creation of a Munster Technological University has been postponed until 2020, amid concerns over the debts of IT Tralee and a ‘lack of clear vision’ for what the new university will look like. An international panel that examined the proposed merger of IT Tralee and Cork IT found a lack of ‘integrated, coherent and effective governance structures’, and said it found ‘questions unanswered’ about ‘how the two applicant institutions are to become one’ …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 22 July]
