Waterford University discussion

imacman

invara wrote: »

So two news stories about issues with WIT's Governing Body in the week that WIT's Governing Body tries to push through the merger.

My hot take is that there was no smoking gun in the CAG report- basically tighten up processes. Deeply unfair to WIT in three ways- we do not have the funds to have UCD's standard of corporate governance (with Arthur Cox on speed-dial). The 15% shareholding is a university standard where professors get funding for the research.... all TSSG funding was won in competitive processes and that should be reflected in the equity stakes. Finally no mention in the report of the rounds of VC funding that diluted the WIT shareholding.

The KB case is in front of courts, so I will not say much other than I hope the Minister's role in explored publically.... https://www.irishtimes.com/news/wit-board-refuses-to-extend-term-of-president-1.569768

The beatings continue until WIT succumbs, both minor distractions to the main show which is the TUSE, a glorified plan to put WIT back in the RTC/IOT box.

Great post

TheQuietFella

https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2018/1113/1010717-waterford-it-sale/

engiweirdo

TheQuietFella wrote: »

https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2018/1113/1010717-waterford-it-sale/

To be fair this all looks like henpecking and no small measure of jealousy. Feedhenry- that became Red Hat mobile- has to one of the most successful spin out ventures by an Irish 3rd level institute. I'm sure there's plenty in certain circles not best pleased that grubby little Waterford could produce something they couldn't. So the bones will be thoroughly picked.

Taxburden carrier

engiweirdo wrote: »

To be fair this all looks like henpecking and no small measure of jealousy. Feedhenry- that became Red Hat mobile- has to one of the most successful spin out ventures by an Irish 3rd level institute. I'm sure there's plenty in certain circles not best pleased that grubby little Waterford could produce something they couldn't. So the bones will be thoroughly picked.

It’s a C&AG report not a Carlow IT one.

engiweirdo

Taxburden carrier wrote: »

engiweirdo wrote: »

To be fair this all looks like henpecking and no small measure of jealousy. Feedhenry- that became Red Hat mobile- has to one of the most successful spin out ventures by an Irish 3rd level institute. I'm sure there's plenty in certain circles not best pleased that grubby little Waterford could produce something they couldn't. So the bones will be thoroughly picked.

It’s a C&AG report not a Carlow IT one.

You dont think vested interests can corrupt any office in this spick and span little nation of ours?

Muttley79

Passed by Carlow IT the other day,huge development and building going on there

yassal

engiweirdo wrote: »

To be fair this all looks like henpecking and no small measure of jealousy. Feedhenry- that became Red Hat mobile- has to one of the most successful spin out ventures by an Irish 3rd level institute. I'm sure there's plenty in certain circles not best pleased that grubby little Waterford could produce something they couldn't. So the bones will be thoroughly picked.

Yeah in Sinn Fein circles. David Cullinane is driving this. Watch any of the PAC videos and you can see him in all his glory

comeraghs

Waterford's politicians are useless.

Butler & Deasy have no drive to promote Waterford. Is Deasy even in Ireland anymore?

They all know Halligan's threats are empty

Cullinane seems intent on damaging WIT, maybe he thinks college graduates don't vote SF.

& John Paul Phelan who lives in the suburbs of Waterford would rather see Kilkenny people leave for Dublin or Cork rather than see Waterford do well.

JupiterKid

There should be thousands of people on the streets protesting over the fiasco of WIT and the complete failure to articulate its own role as driver of growth for the south east.

A Waterford University is absolutely critical for the city to develop as hub for its hinterland and to achieve its potential. As someone who teaches and researches at third level, I cannot emphasise this enough.

As for our seemingly inept TDs, well the voters of Waterford know what to do : show them the door at the next General Election.

Harry Palmr

The lack of chatter among the unwashed about the future of WIT is striking. It needs to be made an election issue front and centre.

engiweirdo

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The lack of chatter among the unwashed about the future of WIT is striking. It needs to be made an election issue front and centre.

Not seen as important enough. Educational achievement is not strong in Waterford and without trying to be too rude about it, I'd wager even most local politicians wouldnt be educated beyond second level. Another wonderful by-product of festering in Irelands doldrums for generations.

It's probably the single biggest issue affecting the city (yes even more than cardiac care) yet doesnt really register with most people.

Harry Palmr

It's easily bigger than cardiac care or social housing - the sorts of things that do get people excited (correctly) - a university is a strategic matter and vital to wealth creation in the City and environs.

Deiseen

Harry Palmr wrote: »

It's easily bigger than cardiac care or social housing - the sorts of things that do get people excited (correctly) - a university is a strategic matter and vital to wealth creation in the City and environs.

Its been a top election issue for as long as i remember but the fight still rages on

imacman

Harry Palmr wrote: »

It's easily bigger than cardiac care or social housing - the sorts of things that do get people excited (correctly) - a university is a strategic matter and vital to wealth creation in the City and environs.

WIT is probably been taken for-granted by Waterford people, I talked to a few locals about the TU and they all have heard vaguely about it and welcomed the idea but the majority didn't know that Carlow were part of the process and nobody knew that the politicians in Carlow/Kilkenny where lining up Carlow to be the leaders of the TU with the headquarters in Carlow. They all reacted with angrily to that seeing it as another humiliation for Waterford.

They also didn't know that the chairman of WIT is a ex mayor of Wexford and in Carlows pocket pushing their agenda as they have deep ties with the ITCarlow Wexford campus. This will all be done and dusted before the people of Waterford realize that WIT has been decapitated as part of process

Harry Palmr

Deise AM talking about WIT right now. The political bias towards Carlow has been noted by the presenter.

Willy Donnelly interview was interesting for how non-committal he was about his own college's future.

Harry Palmr

With Lovely Leo in town to make an announcement of gubberment funding for the NQP someone needs to tackle him on the fake University.

imacman

Interesting piece in the Munster Express about the TU titled TU Bid is “Teetering”
http://www.munster-express.ie/front-page-news/tu-bid-is-teetering/
It looks like the wheels are starting to come off the whole process , I always thought the unions would be a major obstacle to this process and reading the piece it looks like they have good reason to block it. The whole steering committee approach seems to be a complete shambles, and from what I have heard to non-consultation with staff position comes from the ITCarlow Camp.

Deiseen

imacman wrote: »

Interesting piece in the Munster Express about the TU titled TU Bid is “Teetering”
http://www.munster-express.ie/front-page-news/tu-bid-is-teetering/
It looks like the wheels are starting to come off the whole process , I always thought the unions would be a major obstacle to this process and reading the piece it looks like they have good reason to block it. The whole steering committee approach seems to be a complete shambles, and from what I have heard to non-consultation with staff position comes from the ITCarlow Camp.

Can they still force it through?

Johnboy1951

imacman wrote: »

Interesting piece in the Munster Express about the TU titled TU Bid is “Teetering”
http://www.munster-express.ie/front-page-news/tu-bid-is-teetering/
It looks like the wheels are starting to come off the whole process , I always thought the unions would be a major obstacle to this process and reading the piece it looks like they have good reason to block it. The whole steering committee approach seems to be a complete shambles, and from what I have heard to non-consultation with staff position comes from the ITCarlow Camp.

So neither the WIT not CIT staff want to progress this without consultation.
Not an unreasonable request it would seem.

Bards

With nearly all rtc's/IT's being merged and renamed to Technical Universities... Is it worthwhile for WIT to remain an Institute of Technology to differentiate itself from the pack...just a thought

imacman

Deiseen wrote: »

Can they still force it through?

My guess is that they will , the TU bid is meant to be assessed by an international panel who visit both ITs. In the real world they would laugh this application out the door with zero staff consultation and industrial action going on.

But in the world of politics the government wants this to happen and couldn't care less about the actual workings of the merged entity, they just want to say they delivered a TU to the south east in the next year.Everything else is irreverent and it will just be a rubber stamp job no matter how chaotic the process is on the ground.

imacman

Bards wrote: »

With nearly all rtc's/IT's being merged and renamed to Technical Universities... Is it worthwhile for WIT to remain an Institute of Technology to differentiate itself from the pack...just a thought

They cant really go down that path and even if they did the government would use it as an excuse to fund WIT even less than it does at the moment.

imacman

Here are the steering group minutes, interesting to see they stopped at the end of September. https://www.tuse.ie/project/steering-group-minutes/ Having read through them for my sins there is very little in substance in there

invara

imacman wrote: »

Here are the steering group minutes, interesting to see they stopped at the end of September. https://www.tuse.ie/project/steering-group-minutes/ Having read through them for my sins there is very little in substance in there

Wow... these minutes are scary.
#1. Not one meeting had an equal representation of WIT and IT Carlow.... far more IT Carlow people that WIT at every meeting.
#2. Discussions appear to be about generating an application, not a merger or a new institution, and no evidence of any discussion about the nature of the new university.
#3. Totally bizarre discussion on consultation.... should the room be manned. Creepy, weird and demonstrates the anxiety is all around opening up the proposal for proper consultation. Also references to keeping the messaging positive in a few places...... not a great signal around academic freedom and open democratic university politics.
#4. Funny that there is no talk at all on the benefits of a TU and the benefits of a merger....
#5. As far as I know there are no other meetings, this is it. These 11 meetings are supposed to sort out a merger of two complex and fiercely independent institutions.

Also, surprised to see how involved Anne Marie Caufield is involved in driving this.

invara

It is hard to watch Mary Mitchell O'Connor lauding the creation of the TUD today, as the €1bn Grangegorman campus takes shape.
http://www.marymitchelloconnor.ie/minister-for-higher-education-welcomes-establishment-of-tu-dublin/

Another tough year for WIT politically, with not one ounce of support from our public representatives. Any chance 2019 will be better?

imacman

invara wrote: »

It is hard to watch Mary Mitchell O'Connor lauding the creation of the TUD today, as the €1bn Grangegorman campus takes shape.
http://www.marymitchelloconnor.ie/minister-for-higher-education-welcomes-establishment-of-tu-dublin/

Another tough year for WIT politically, with not one ounce of support from our public representatives. Any chance 2019 will be better?

2019 is going to be interesting, WIT seems to be be getting its mojo back after a number of hard years and needs to assert its self even more.The TU process between WIT and Carlow is now visibly the shambles we all thought it was with the TUI not engaging in any merger activities and voting no confidence in the steering committee.The steering committee minutes which were reluctantly published are embarrassing and show dysfunctional the process is with no real work done on the mechanics of a merger just tinkering around the edges.

Also the release of the TU application document to just a certain number of specially selected staff who had to book a time in a secured room to view it show how out of touch the steering committee is as they continue to alienate and disenfranchise staff when they should be trying to win over hearts and minds.

7upfree

imacman wrote: »

2019 is going to be interesting, WIT seems to be be getting its mojo back after a number of hard years and needs to assert its self even more.The TU process between WIT and Carlow is now visibly the shambles we all thought it was with the TUI not engaging in any merger activities and voting no confidence in the steering committee.The steering committee minutes which were reluctantly published are embarrassing and show dysfunctional the process is with no real work done on the mechanics of a merger just tinkering around the edges.

Also the release of the TU application document to just a certain number of specially selected staff who had to book a time in a secured room to view it show how out of touch the steering committee is as they continue to alienate and disenfranchise staff when they should be trying to win over hearts and minds.

Good news. A merger with Carlow would be utterly catastrophic for WIT.

azimuth17

I believe that neither Limerick IT, Athlone IT or Dundalk IT will have to merge with anyone for TU status. WIT has been relentlessly hounded by government and Higher Education Authority to prevent it going alone. The amount of building going on in Carlow at the minute seems like an attempt to increase size. How long is it since WIT had a new building?

imacman

azimuth17 wrote: »

I believe that neither Limerick IT, Athlone IT or Dundalk IT will have to merge with anyone for TU status. WIT has been relentlessly hounded by government and Higher Education Authority to prevent it going alone. The amount of building going on in Carlow at the minute seems like an attempt to increase size. How long is it since WIT had a new building?

It was 2009 , the nursing building .I agree that AIT, LIT and Dundalk won't have to merge and will be made me standalone TUs when it becomes politically beneficial.The AIT president confirned this at their conferring last year when he stated their goal was standalone TU by 2022 and is been backed by boxer Moran.WIT would be better off dragging out this process as long and possible and see where that goes.That said Carlow seem to have all the political backing with Leo constantly singing their praises.We need the Waterford politicians to start pushing on this in 2019.We could also do without David Cullinane bashing the institute at every turn at the PAC.What is he playing at , does he think there are votes in running down his local IT.

robtri

imacman wrote: »

We could also do without David Cullinane bashing the institute at every turn at the PAC.What is he playing at , does he think there are votes in running down his local IT.

maybe he believes there are issues in WIT that need public scrutiny