Waterford University discussion

Two universities have 50m pools already, it's not a new thing for universities to have top class sports facilities. Is your objection to the facility or the fact that it's not in Waterford?

Fact, lads looking for a 50 meter pool and they haven't even laid a block yet.

There's not a hope of a 50 meter pool in SETU, had it have been a stand alone Uni then maybe as they could borrow to help fund it but as a TU not a hope.

Lets entertain the fact, if a 50m pool was a possibility then surely SETU Arena would be the preferred choice adding to the sports campus, either way there's not a hope and this just knows the lack of knowledge these politicians have.

I agree we should have top class sports facilites and a new pool should be part of the existing largest sports centre which is the SETU Arena in Waterford and the location with largest population base in the Southeast. It continues to amaze me the self importance of the local politicians in Wexford who seem to their small county town is equal of a city.

In fairness now, I don't think too many outside of Waterford would regard Waterford as being much bigger than Wexford though either. I agree with your statement on a pool. It certainly would be better suited to Waterford.

So anyone in the SE looking to become a teacher needs to leave the region, I thought TU's were to retain people in the region, 😏

Only good news for Wexford this week 🙄 ; https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/lifestyle/compulsory-purchase-of-wexford-campus-site-approved-by-an-bord-pleanala-now-the-ball-is-in-setus-court-42441572.html

Unless we see buildings on these new sites then it's no news.

How long is carriganore there, 25 ish years? Not one teaching building ever built there despite a master plan back in the early naught's.

Unless serious funding is provided, then the new Wexford site and crystal site in Waterford could be idle for years to come yet.

The article above says "it's up to SETU now", it's actually not it's up to government as TUs are at the mercy of government funding, that said Wexford vote smartly so they should always have an ear to the government.

Had this set up have been a stand alone Uni then things would be massively different, and new buildings would be popping up far quicker then we will see with TU's

No answer to that. Better ask John Cummins, he will surely know as it is an FG project, or maybe Mary Butler or Marc whatever his name is. Some of them might have an opinion or be able to tell us the truth.

Indeed. Its his relatively anonymity as a TD I was trying to draw attention to, not his use of the O'Cathasaigh form. Perhaps you might comment on the substance of the post rather than diverting attention on other issues?

Has anyone asked the politicans the question whether a new Wexford campus is actually viable . I was talking to a staff member on the Waterford campus who is deeply invloved in the merger and he was saying that Wexford has struggled for student numbers they are desperate to spend money on promotion to attract students. He said that Carlow staff are dismissive of Wexford as its just seen as a drain on resources that should be spent in Carlow and there is a lot of bad blood between them.There should be a cost benfit analysis done before any money is spent in Wexford campus to see if it's worth building or whether it will be a white elephant.

It’s parish politics at play. SETU is an absolute joke and I hold no faith in it. Maybe one day we will see it dismantled and a sensible University of Waterford formed. It was a forced marriage that nobody wanted.

I agree it will still be built with no consequences as it's a just a political stroke.

I have been on site in Carlow a few times and the campus is much better than Waterford. It's a lot more student friendly with lots of hang out spaces and much more modern. They have built 6 new buildings in the last 15 years and have a massive new admin building under construction (Which I have no doubt was planned to be the TU HQ building when Patricia Mulcahy had been made President, which didn't happen thank God) There was nothing built in Waterford in the same period of time.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail and indeed Labour are all culpable in the attempt made over past 15 years to ruin WIT. I doubt if SF will be any better. All parties mindful of Dail seats and feck every thing else.

SETU strategic plan launched today.

https://www.setu.ie/uploads/banner/SETU-Strategic-Plan-2023-2028_2023-05-19-111506_ijey.pdf

A lot of waffle in there but there is a commitment in there to build a university quarter on the crystal site. Another thing I noticed is there is little or no mention of Kilkenny in there, all I could find was paragraph which kicks the can down the road.

7.3.4 Establish a working group, to include Kilkenny County Council and Kilkenny Chamber, to explore how SETU can support specific activity based in Kilkenny in a manner that creates beneficial additionality to our portfolio and is sustainable long-term

Nice to see they didn't bow to the political pressure for a campus with 1000 students that the Kilkenny county council were looking for

https://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/home/917721/kilkenny-council-to-seek-setu-commitment-on-major-faculty-with-undergrad-campus-in-city.html

No the university quarter is the crystal site

Mary Roche on Twitter saying part of the five year plan is increasing students numbers from 19000 to 21000 over 5 years.

3k students between Waterford, Carlow and Wexford presumably, little to no expansion in that for Waterford

It's about politics not education, John Paul Phelan is not seeking re-election for Fine Gael at the next election so that leaves an open position. Fitzgerald is eyeing up that seat and getting in the paper with the message he is fighting for Kilkenny to get a campus could be a vote winner for him.

More Kilkenny delusions,

So, he doesn't support an animation course because its in Waterford and he wants it in Kilkenny even though is no facilities in Kilkenny

Kilkenny Politicians absolutely love to throw shade on Waterford, every chance they get.

This such a prime example of parish pump politics, I listened to the interview, and he was all over the place. He did mention he objected to the Waterford crystal site purchase, and he was told to be quiet and wait of the strategic plan for the plan for Kilkenny. Why would he object to a badly needed new campus site in Waterford, is that not good for the southeast and only 40 mins down the road from Kilkenny. Also I hate the way the Sue Nunn is so soft on the interview and never calls him out on his BS.

The devolved grant for universities was announced by Simon Harris yesterday. It funds maintenance & campus upgrades- in the austerity years it was cut to bone with Cork and DIT relatively protected.

Anyway, €20m pot for TUs. SETU ranks 3rd overall (behind ATU and TUD), but per head of student is way down, with only TUD behind it. TUD having a brand new Grangegorman campus funded by the Grangegorman Development Agency should not have too many maintenance issues.

It is really upsetting for people in SETU, we were told the merger would knock this kind of treatment on the head and that the Dept would treat us fairly. No sign of it yet.

And to add insult to injury that's a reannouncement of funds that were already given and are being spent at the moment on the dome conversion into offices and a few bits and pieces around campus. And you have to remember that 3,4 million is split between 3 campuses so it's only 1.1 million per campus. The existing main buildings on the Waterford campus have been so neglected through lack of funding over the last 20 years that money would get you a really cheap dome refurbishment and maybe fix a few holes in the roof arounf the place.

The creation of SETU has been a deeply dishonest and dysfunctional process since its inception. It has been cynically used to promote the leadership ambitions of Simon Harris in Fine Gael and little else. Seats for that party in the south east are all that matter. The failure to complete the purchase of the Glass factory or to build the engineering building which is on the cards for a decade and a half shows the extent of the ill will. Waterford has few friends in this process and our local TDs and senator, except Matt Shanahan, are desperate party hacks and slaves to Dublin. Even Mr Cullinane has been struck totally dumb on all Waterford subjects, including our hospital. He will sacrifice our city, SETU and UHW and all, to the greater political ambitions of Sinn Fein. I would dearly like someone to suggest what might be done next to move things on. We are in a difficult place..