Ninth Level Ireland

“An international advisory panel of higher education experts is concluding its review of the Waterford IT (WIT)/IT Carlow (ITC) application for designation as a Technological University (TU) this afternoon. Since Monday, July 5 (and over seven days in total) the advisory panel, appointed by Further Education Minister Simon Harris (FG) has held three different daily sessions for six of those days, extending to one hour each …” (more)

[Dermot Keyes, Waterford News and Star, 15 July]

“Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the role his Department played in the appointment of a person (details supplied) to a position …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 8 July]

“David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the application for a technological university for the south-east; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 8 July]

“The vote of the WIT branch of the TUI to accept the TUSE and the merger with Carlow IT puts an end to our hopes for a university of similar status to UL in Waterford. Hope springs eternal and the case that Waterford had for full university designation has not gone away. Maybe a more enlightened government or a more forceful political push from this area will achieve what seemed to be within our grasp in 2006 …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 8 June]

“Following ballots of members of the WIT and Carlow IT branches this week, the Memorandum of Understanding between TUI and WIT management and IT Carlow management in relation to the Technological University of the South East Ireland (TUSEI) has been accepted. The results of the ballot were as follows: 79% voted in favour of the memorandum in WIT branch; 90% voted in favour of the memorandum in Carlow IT branch …” (more)

[Darren Skelton, Waterford News and Star, 27 May]

“Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the technological university for the south-east; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 20 May]

“So said the English economist John Maynard Keynes, whose ideas shifted the policies of governments during and after the Great Depression of the 1930s. Globally and locally, economic circumstances have never been more in flux and such are the extraordinary times we live in that the collapse of the supposed Saudi-backed investment in Waterford’s North Quays could actually open up an ideal ‘opportunity knocks’ scenario …” (more)

[Richard Finnegan, 20 May]

“… Why do we believe relativities have changed when Limerick, Cork and Galway now have two universities, a traditional high level one and a lower level Technological University, while Waterford will have, according to Simon Harris, a third of a TUSE? How does Prof Willie Donnelly of WIT or Ger Hurley of Waterford Chamber think this is a good idea? I have to believe that our politicians, Matt Shanahan excepted, see something in this hill of magic beans that is not obvious? …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 11 May]

“Following on from recent revelations that Waterford Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Carlow hired two consultants to drive on the TUSE application – at €1,000 per day – without advertising the tender as per European procurement rules, the Waterford News & Star can reveal that the two colleges involved in the Munster Technological University’s application did the same thing …” (more)

[Darren Skelton, Waterford News and Star, 5 May]

“… WIT’s governing body has signed off on the application and the allegedly apocryphal statement by Phil Hogan that ‘there will be a university in the South East and the name Waterford won’t be over the door’ will come to pass. I feel our city has been politically humiliated, distanced from its peers and betrayed by Fine Gael policy over the past decade to drive it into the realms of the county towns …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 4 May]

“A technological university for the south east has moved a step closer after Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) and IT Carlow formally submitted an application to merge and create a new institution. The aim of the Technological University of South East Ireland consortium is that the new technological university – yet unnamed – will be established on January 1st next …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 30 April]

“Four WIT Branch Officers of the Teachers Union of Ireland have resigned in protest due to the decision of the Governing Body to proceed with the application for the Technological University of the South East, despite union members voting against the memorandum of understanding last week …” (more)

[Darren Skelton, Waterford News and Star, 30 April]

“Sinn Féin TD for Waterford David Cullinane has warmly welcomed news that Waterford Institute of Technology and IT Carlow have lodged an application to become a Technological University. Speaking this evening, Teachta Cullinane said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 30 April]

“The Technological University for the South East looks set to go ahead now as both governing bodies of IT Carlow and Waterford IT have approved the merger. A key meeting of Carlow’s governing body was held today where they gave the go-ahead to proceed, after Waterford did the same on Tuesday …” (more)

[WLR FM, 29 April]

““… UL is not like the TUSE, which will be spread for base political reasons and nothing else, nothing else, around this region like margarine. No one has ever suggested that UL should be merged with NUI Galway or that the UL leadership might decant to Galway as a regional university HQ, while opening up an equal sized campus in Ennis to which some of the UL faculties would be moved along the way. Why are our ambitions stitched up in the Dunnes Stores bag and made available in every county town in Ireland? …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 27 April]

“A technological university in the south east took a step closer today as the governing body of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) approved the application for designation as a new-style higher education institution. The proposed technological university (TU) will involve a merger between Waterford IT and IT Carlow, whose governing body is expected to give the go-ahead to the application when it meets on Thursday …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 27 April]

“The Minister of State for Further Education has said that the TUI vote at WIT rejecting the terms for the proposed new new technological university is ‘hopefully’ only a minor setback. Fianna Fail’s Niall Collins, who is the Minister of State for Skills and Further Education, said what has happened is a bit of a ‘bump on the rollercoaster’ and hopefully, the Governing bodies of both WIT and IT Carlow will be able to find a way to move the process on when they have their respective meetings this week …” (more)

[Jennifer Long, WLR FM, 26 April]

“Waterford Institute of Technology and Institute of Technology Carlow are due to meet this week to decide whether they will submit an application to form a technological university for the southeast. It follows a setback to the plan last Friday when academic staff at WIT rejected terms for its proposed merger with IT Carlow …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 25 April]

“It seems the merger of Waterford IT and IT Carlow could be facing a further setback. Members of the Teachers Union of Ireland in WIT have voted to reject the new Memorandum of Understanding for the Technological University. Those involved in the union say they have ongoing concerns and little progress has been made to reassure them …” (more)

[WLR FM, 23 April]

“… Four Simon Harris appointees to a new TU board will meet in January 2022 and decide everything. Is Waterford, the oldest city in Ireland and largest urban settlement in the South East for the past 1,000 years, to play second fiddle to Carlow town? Our Oireachtas members and Chamber of Commerce are prepared to accept this …” (more)

[Waterford News and Star, 20 April]