Waterford University discussion

imacman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119079322#Comment_119079322

Or maybe he understands there is no business case for a new campus in Wexford and that the funding should be pushed into the large-scale campuses in Waterford and Carlow. The local Wexford politicians and public delusions of grandeur is no basis to plough money into a campus that won't pay for itself and will become a financial drain on SETU just like it has been on ITcarlow for the last decade.

imacman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119079958#Comment_119079958

But nearly all the news stories on the SETU.ie website are Waterford stories, looks like there is a divergence there between who is running those platforms

invara

..... no sign of the PPP or crystal site

https://www.ndfa.ie/project/higher-education-ppp-programme-1

Finnbar01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119321162#Comment_119321162

Those things will go ahead when the other members of SETU are guaranteed their funding.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119321225#Comment_119321225

Couldn't be letting Waterford get ahead now could we?

invara

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119321225#Comment_119321225

There are no members of SETU, it is now a joint enterprise.

PPP was promised in 2007,9,17,20; Crystal site was promised on the floor of the Dáil as being a week or two away over a year ago. Both projects are needed to grow UG numbers and halt the brain drain. Another year lost in progressing them is another leaving cert group exported from their homes.

914

SETU only founded in May and is out performing the other TU's and IoTs on Horizon European funding for research.

Still a fair bit behind the traditional stand alone Universities.

One would have to imagine a large chunk of this was from the Walton Institute, which shows how strong WIT was performing prior to the merger.

BBM77

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119334296#Comment_119334296

“TU/IoT sector”, I thought TU's were an upgrade from IoT? Just more proof as if it is needed that the whole TU thing is about maintaining the status quo and denying Waterford and the south east it’s fair share of investment, nothing more.

imacman

The Wexford campus farce continues

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/news/compulsory-purchase-of-site-for-setu-wexford-campus-is-now-under-way-41807148.html

In that whole story there is no mention of any interaction with the college or new president.A load of parish pump Yokel councillors who think you can have a college once you have and field to put it in like it's a water treatment plant.

BBM77

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119354724#Comment_119354724

"we’ve been waiting 40 years to get to this stage." What in the name of god are they talking about?

mail

Why are Waterford so bitter to the counties surrounding them? And on the other hand complain that they don't support them developing an airport!

If its not Carlow taking their University its Wexford who don't deserve anything because they have illusions of grandeur or Kilkenny won't give them some of their land to extend their boundary or Tipp who are also taking from them or Cork who are trying to keep them down with their politicians and deny them an airport.

Relax, nobody have set out to deny Waterford of anything. Times have changed and all colleges are merging in the country, you must learn to share like all the other children! Learn to get on with your neighbours, these decisions have been made and they won't be reversed.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119355887#Comment_119355887

I gree that some of the cpmments are a bit pointed, but given the history, probably justified. The fact remains that Waterford has sought a university for nearly 100 years without any support from other south east counties. The SETU amalgamation is rightly seen as diluting what should have been delivered and which was almost achieved in 2006 to 2008. The research funding chart above tells some of the story. Many people here still think that it will not deliver what is necessary to challenge other regions. There has been a well documented campaign for a university like UL or DCU in Waterford, nrpadly based, with public support for many years. there was no such campaign in evidence to teh best of my knowledge anywhere else in the south east. You are obviously not familiar with the background to the whole issue, but suffice it say that TCD, UCC, UCD, UL and NUIG are merging with no one. At this stage Wexford will get some sprt of campus. How long it will take to develop and how successful it will be remains to be seen.

imacman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119355887#Comment_119355887

It's nothing to do with bitterness, it's a frustration at the folly of building a campus in Wexford when there is no need for one. The money that is "ringfenced" for Wexford should be spent improving the facilities on the Carlow and Waterford campuses. There is no business case for a new Wexford campus as the student numbers aren't there to support it and it's been a drain on IT Carlow for a decade. Thats the reason Carlow dodged the new campus question for the last 5 years.

As it's been shown so many times with the failure of small campuses ( Maynooth in Kilkenny , Castlebar , Clonmel etc) across the country undergraduate students don't want to go to small town regional campuses with small facilities, they want the big campus experience and all that goes with that. So, let's invest in Waterford and Carlow and build what those students want and not a white elephant of a Wexford campus so a load of parish pump politicians can say on the election posters they brought a university to Wexford. There should Springboard , Part time and Adult ed centres in Wexford and Kilkenny as there is a need for that but undergrad courses need to be on the big campuses.

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot

One for everybody in the audience once again. Satellite Campus's have never worked across the country. We should be building on the main Waterford & Carlow Campus's and fleshing those out, not diluting the offering even further.

BBM77

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119355887#Comment_119355887

“nobody have set out to deny Waterford of anything” would you ever f*&k off for yourself. Seriously, most ill informed and clueless post I have seen in a long time.

914

I know it's summer but the lack of investment or at least talk of investment is staggering. Not a word on new engineering, crystal site......

Although we got 3.5 million to make the campuses greener! That should close the gap in the education sector!

BBM77

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119484726#Comment_119484726

It is not staggering at all just a standard government strategy. Talk about all the stuff you are going to get once what they want happens. Then after it happens, nothing. The government only said one thing on TUSE Waterford. We will expand the footprint. That is all. They did not commit to a thing other than that.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119486225#Comment_119486225

Agree with all the above, I just felt they might have at least drove on with the new engineering building and try and sell it as a win.

Unfortunately I feel it will definitely plan out as many of us predicted.

Dunmoreroader

The Wikipedia entry for SETU has the main address listed as Carlow; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_East_Technological_University

Who decided that?

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119616156#Comment_119616156

Any word on the HQ?

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119616156#Comment_119616156

Anybody can edit Wiki, so I just fixed it there now

Finnbar01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119617712#Comment_119617712

I hope this is not going to turn out like the flag issue on Mount Misery

imacman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119616968#Comment_119616968

From my source inside the college, the new president has decided Waterford is the HQ but its softly, softly at the moment. The new university letterhead has the Waterford campus as the HQ address on it and there is a big announcement on the Crystal site coming soon

invara

According to minutes of the governing body meetings (12th May) the formal address is Waterford for the first two years of the new institution, and then the Carlow campus for 2 years. Available here for all the true SE university wonks😁 https://www.setu.ie/about/setu-governing-body

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119619953#Comment_119619953

Rolling HQ one would imagine so

azimuth17

One Carlow, One Kilkenny,One Wexford member of the board versus two Waterford. be prepared to be dismembered.

Dunmoreroader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119619953#Comment_119619953

What a crock of sh1te. We've had all this raiméis with the City & County Council trapsing up and back to Dungarvan for meetings/ Council sessions. This sounds even more farcical. Are any of the other lumped together new Uni.'s following this policy?

imacman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119633274#Comment_119633274

As far I know no other of the TU's have a headquarters listed publicly or mentioned anywhere. Even TU Dublin where the old DIT is by far the biggest organisation doesn't do it. I think it's too contentious everywhere and the approach is we are all the equals, and they avoid the question with the presidents splitting their time between campuses. So, the Simon Harris proclamation the HQ would be in Waterford was complete guff as he knew there never would be a permanent HQ to begin with.

imacman

This is the crazy world of local parish pump politics

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

Imagine the cheek of them demanding a campus with 1000 undergraduate students . It's such a stupid and arrogant demand its laughable but I hope SETU won't be bullied into this by national politicians

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119655375#Comment_119655375

Its laughable really, do they not see how bad a 'one for everybody in the audience' university is for the region. What student wants to go to a university spread across a 100km radius with only 1/4 of the students in each campus. That's not the big university experience students want when they apply to UCD, UCC etc.

It's all pointless until details of funding and financing options are released. Very telling that nothing has been said by Harris on this yet, I'm not optimistic.