Ninth Level Ireland

“At todays Waterford City and County Council Plenary meeting a motion that I had submitted in January was finally debated and passed unanimously. The motion read ‘That Waterford City and County Council calls on the government to clarify the funding and configuration arrangements for their proposed Technological University before dissolving Waterford Institute of Technology’ …” (more)

[Cllr Mary Roche, 9 April]

“A €1,000-a-day job at the new Technological University of the South East was filled without regard to proper procurement procedures, which are supposed to apply to all positions over €25,000. Tom Boland was announced as executive director of the Technological University of the South East consortium by Higher Education Minister Simon Harris last July …” (more)

[Darren Skelton, Irish Examiner, 31 March]

“Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he is taking to ensure that the Institute of Technology Tralee and Cork Institute of Technology merger to Munster Technological University is balanced and fair; if reassurance will be given to all stakeholders that both former institutes are fairly represented now and in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 24 March]

“A meeting between Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, and representatives of IT Sligo and St Angela’s College will take place next week. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday next in relation to the possible merger of IT Sligo and St Angela’s College as well as the potential for a Technological University in the north west …” (more)

[Ocean FM, 18 March]

“Kilkenny’s unlikely to have a local campus as part of the new Technological University for the South East (TUSE) but it will still benefit from it. That’s the view of Minister of State and Carlow Kilkenny Green TD Malcolm Noonan …” (more)

[Edwina Grace, KCLR FM, 16 March]

“… Why is everything around TUSE so opaque? Can government ever just make a direct announcement in favour of Waterford city? Not while politicians from Wexford or Kilkenny are in power? We have been burned often enough to be wary lest the site becomes the grave of Waterford’s final separation from the other cities of Ireland. ‘Announcements’ about its purchase for WIT were recently imminent, but vanished like the snow of a few weeks ago, without trace. Why is everything around TUSE so opaque? …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 16 March]

“An application for the Technological University of the South East (TUSE) is set to be formally lodged on April 28th. The proposed merger of Waterford Institute of Technology and IT Carlow is set to have a significant campus in Wexford, according to Senator Malcolm Byrne. The project has been interrupted by COVID-19 as well as significant political tensions in recent weeks regarding the location of its headquarters …” (more)

[Jordan Norris, Munster Express, 16 March]

“A sufficiently funded and internationally recognised University is a must for the South East if Waterford City and its environs is to thrive as envisaged in the National Development Plan according to the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec). In its submission to the NDP’s mid-term review, Ibec references the city’s (minimum) projected 50 per cent population growth between now and 2040 …” (more)

[Dermot Keyes, Waterford News and Star, 11 March]

“The Minister for Higher Education says there will be no changes to the terms and conditions for staff at the new university in the south-east. The new technological university is expected to open early next year with the consortium to submit their application no later than April 28th …” (more)

[Sinead Aherne, WLR FM, 11 March]

“The South-East Technological University will come into being on January 1st 2022. That’s according to Wexford Senator Malcolm Byrne, who chaired a meeting this morning to decide the future plans for the university …” (more)

[Beat 102 103, 10 March]

“Some years ago during a few days in Bologna Italy, home since 1096AD to the oldest university in the world, I was privileged to see in its ancient library a copy of the 1662AD work of Robert Boyle, from Lismore. A university is for ever a piece of educational infrastructure, vital to the wellbeing of any city. Waterford has sought university designation for over 80 years without success …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 9 March]

“The south east of the country is increasingly likely to have its long-awaited university next January. An application for the Technological University of the South East (TUSE) will be lodged on April 28, many years after it was first mooted. The proposed university, based on a merger of Waterford Institute of Technology IT and IT Carlow, will have campuses in Waterford, Carlow and Wexford …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 10 March]

“The Chairman of the Piltown Municipal District has re-tabled a curiosity expressed by many stakeholders on both sides of the River Suir when it comes to the provision of third level education in the South East. Speaking at the conclusion of the District’s March meeting, Cllr Eamon Aylward (FF) stated: …” (more)

[Dermot Keyes, Waterford News and Star, 8 March]

“A number of TDs have criticsed the chatter emanating from some quarters regarding the location of the headquarters of the new South-east university, saying it is not helpful. At the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills, chair Paul Kehoe said people were doing ‘a considerable amount of damage’ to the TUSE …” (more)

[Sam Matthews, Kilkenny People, 4 March]

“Has Waterford become so desperate for success, any success, that we grab any TUSE kite, shadow or waffle in the hope that our university turn might come? Man up, be strong, accentuate the positive and believe in our manifest destiny: the words, signs and omens in the Ireland 2040 national plan actually mean what they say for us. Grab it while it’s going, no matter what it is, lest it be snatched away from us, say the Chamber of Commerce …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 2 March]

“Eleven Waterford Councillors say they will not support the application process for the Technological University of the South East (TUSE). The group, comprised of Independent and Labour Councillors from across the city and county, believe ‘it will not deliver the shift required to allow the region reach the targets outlined in Ireland 2040’. The Councillors made their announcement in a statement following a meeting held last Thursday February 25th …” (more)

[Kieran Foley, Munster Express, 2 March]

“Following a meeting with Waterford Oireachtas members and a selection of its members, Waterford Chamber has reconfirmed its commitment to the process of securing a Technological University of the South East. During the two-hour meeting, the elected officials heard from business representatives from various sectors and were also afforded the opportunity to address the concerns raised …” (more)

[Darren Skelton, Waterford News and Star, 24 February]

“It’s a line from a song in the film ‘Mahogany’ sung by Diana Ross. It goes, ‘Do you know where you’re going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you?’ It’s an appropriate ask for the TUSE process. Can anyone give a sensible rationale for where we’re going or why? Is the rush to get the word university over the door in any form supposed to make us all step into line regardless of the outcome? …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 23 February]

“Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of progress of capital works at Letterkenny Institute of Technology which were secured under the previous Government; the progress in relation to university status for the institute which also received a commitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 17 February]

“The Tánaiste said he is strongly of the view that the Technological University of the South-East should be centred in Waterford. Leo Varadkar was responding to Waterford Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane and Fianna Fail TD in Carlow/Kilkenny Jennifer Murnane O’Connor in the Dail. Both Deputies were making the case for the headquarters of the new entity to be in their respective areas …” (more)

[Sinead Aherne, WLR FM, 18 February]