Waterford University discussion

and that is the problem with party politics and their Waterford TDs - always looking out for other counties and not their own constituency and electorate

Contracts signed on 6 Capital projects for 3rd level education today.

"The buildings, which are being delivered by Public Private Partnership (PPP), will cost approximately €250 million ex VAT to construct. They are located in the Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) Tallaght and Blanchardstown campuses;

Munster Technological University (MTU) campuses in Cork and Tralee,

the Athlone campus of Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) and in the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Dún Laoghaire."

When all 6 are complete it will provide an extra 5k student spaces. That gives me zero hope in a SETU campus in Waterford of ever having 20k student's.

No surprise SETU isn't in the list either, new eng building rumbles on into next year! 15 years and waiting!

Wexford CPO site gets the green light by the looks of things

https://twitter.com/cllrglawlor/status/1613069732961484800?t=-uAilyjt1qj223Vw-XpoFA&s=19

The Wexford campus has been a financial drain on IT Carlow since it was set it, the student numbers don't cover the cost of running it. Thats why Carlow have dragged their feet on a new campus for the last 5 years and now SETU will be saddled with the same problem going forward. I talked to a staff member from Carlow recently and the undergrad programs in Wexford are considered a joke internally with lecturers on full pay teaching 3 or 4 students in a class.

The money ringfenced for Wexford should be spent on the big campuses in Carlow and Waterford and the Wexford undergraduate programmes wound down and provide adult ed and springboard services there. We have seen in time and time again undergraduate programs don't work in small regional town campuses, undergraduate students want the big campus experience and the facilities that go with that.

But of course, millions will be spent on this white elephant to fulfil the delusions of grandeur of the Wexford local politicians and councillors.

Waterford should never have agreed to this debacle. Should have rejected it outright and left Carlow go alone.

University status for Waterford is gone finished never to be obtained, the "real" University's must be having some laugh at this mess.

We get what we vote for, only politician who made some noise was matt shanahan rest just toe the party line.

Useless shower that they are.

The Cork Road Campus really looks like it needs an upgrade. There's like a field surrounded by rusty fences there (Is this for the engineering building?)

Its hard to believe it until you see it written down in black and white like this. 14 years later and still no action.

I was in Limerick regularly with work before the pandemic and often went to UL campus. Fourteen new buildings probably appeared there in the same period in an incredible spurt of development, versus none at all in WIT over the same period . What Fine Gael politics and its ministerial leadership have done to Waterford on this is actually hard to believe, in a supposedly developed European country. Its beyond politics, with still no sign of any delivery either of the engineering building or the Waterford Glass site. Historically, it will be viewed as a deliberate, conscious and active suppression of Waterford city by Fine Gael and will taint them forever.

How does the Waterford young pretender canvas for FG support without actually blushing? Has he no shame? How does anyone in that party defend what has been done? They are actually viewed as toxic to Waterford city by a lot of people.

Fine Gael and Mr Varadkar know now that even if they do deliver anything to Waterford that they will get no thanks for it, because they have poisoned the issue so much. Delivery is even more unlikely going forward because of this, and because the Minister for Further Education and leader in waiting Simon Harris (?) does not give a hoot about Waterford.

"it will be viewed as a deliberate, conscious and active suppression of Waterford city by Fine Gael" Could not agree more. People in Waterford need to wake up to this. A lot still have not.

More worried about toeing the party line ensuring they try and obtain seats in Kilkenny Carlow and Wexford.

He has been a huge let down regarding a "University of Waterford"

Famous words of Big Phil! Him and Howlin could have changed this region for the best but of course parish politics took center stage!

The chance of a university for Waterford is comparable with a snowflake's chance in hell.

I believe someday there will be an independent 'University of Waterford'.

Unfortunately that someday will probably now not be in our lifetimes because that locomotive most of us on here champion, and legions have advocated, agitated, lobbied and marched for, over decades, has been shunted into a siding rebranded SETU Waterford, hitched to freshly repainted and pimped up SETU Carlow, some caboose called SETU Wicklow and the phantom bandwagons SETU Wexford and Kilkenny.

Eventually, demographics coupled with common sense and an opportune political moment will create the tipping point and (final railway analogy) put our train back on the right track.

Just not anytime soon.

Didn't mean to come across as being smart. Just meant that if people say it is never going to happen we are doing exactly what the people opposed to Waterford having a full university want. Waterford people need to send a strong message to government through our TD's and senator, who are part of the problem, that TUSE has not addressed the university issue in Waterford. I listened back to the Oireachtas debate on WLR during the week. John Cummins and Mary Butler in particular are a disgrace on this issue. They keep pushing blatant lies about what the TUSE is. It is all just down the road stuff at best.

Was driving down Collins Avenue Dublin recently and nearly crashed the car passing DCU when I saw the new building at the main entrance, which is after flying up, turns out is the NEW ENGINEERING BUILDING! 😮 T'would make you weep. 😪 How many years are we waiting now?

An absolute embarrassment at this stage! Complete failure to deliver this project.