Waterford University discussion

invara

No Minister was in attendance as he was predisposed opening the MTU arena, a €22m sports hall in Cork. Meanwhile SETU are still repaying the Ruairi Quinn loan after dept insisted on halting construction and destroyed the funding model of our Arena- how the other half live.

We bought a field, one that might be hit with a vacant site levy. Business plan is the line govt use at the airport to say no, a process going on since the €25m grant was pulled for the runway extension in 2008. Where is the PPP?

Valhalla90

Nothing will change whilst FG are in power they are very anti Waterford. Weeds the size of trees growing in the site for the Engineering building. It’s an absolute disgrace and legacy for our TDs. WIT should have been an amazing university especially with the land bank at Carriganore. We need development not more sites! But we have to please Wexford/Carlow/Kilkenny dreams with no logic required.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121394952#Comment_121394952

We even have to have a business plan for how those KK/Car/Wx dreams are to be destroyed! Fine Gael has been toxic for Waterford city since 2011.

Finnbar01

I wonder what schools/departments will be allocated to the Wexford and Kilkenny campuses?

RichPersonInsideAPoor

Does anyone know if there’s a thread on here about SETU recruitment? I’m on the grade IV panel and I’m trying to get information on wether anyone has gotten offers from it yet.

invara

More good news for MTU: https://hea.ie/2023/12/04/minister-harris-announces-multi-million-euro-funding-approved-to-progress-two-key-student-learning-projects-for-munster-technological-university/

Two projects. The amounts were not announced as they are probably not tendered for. Surely there must be an announcement for SETU before the year's end.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121452514#Comment_121452514

The only announcement we will get in Waterford from Minister Harris will be "Happy Christmas'!

Valhalla90

They might re announce the Engineering building for 2035 completion. What’s another decade!

Finnbar01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121453178#Comment_121453178

Don't hold your breath!

914

The SE still a long way off in retaining students form the region, big difference with the South West, most likely due to having the option of MTU and UCC

https://waterford-news.ie/2023/12/15/64-of-south-east-students-study-outside-the-region/?fbclid=IwAR0W2yOvTIIC9xofKf5EDZ7p4ABDhuUGPmJIH0WhSIgVKU_TSJE4ZnwJGH4

Dum_Dum_2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121500898#Comment_121500898

Best, brightest and most ambitious forced out. Waterford remains a place to aspire out of.

It's government policy.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121502716#Comment_121502716

You're back. Same old tune.

Rustyman101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121396198#Comment_121396198

Espionage, subterfuge, propaganda and smoke n mirrors !

Big Phil got the lecturer gig in KK.

Little B got the WX gig.

Now if we actually had a uni in Waterford imagine the amount of lecturers we could supply from our local representatives for those courses !!!

Happy Christmas from the Deise......

Finnbar01

Something positive for a change.

https://m.independent.ie/regionals/waterford/news/major-boost-for-the-south-east-as-setu-is-awarded-136m-in-randd-funding/a450374090.html

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121746572#Comment_121746572

Major boost for all TUs and IoTs as they all received this R&D funding.

A breakdown of funding is as follows

ATU €19.6

MTU €14.6

DTU €13.6

SETU €13.6

TUS €12

DKIT €5

IADT €3.6

ATU is getting some serious funding this year, anytime funding is announced they always appear near the top end. Probably to enhance 3rd level education in the North West a region similar to the South East.

It would be great to see a breakdown in funding on a campus level in order to see where money is going and what it is being spent on

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121746626#Comment_121746626

It's also mad that IoTs receive TU funding, what's the advantage of being a TU if IoTs are in the same pot?

Remember the aul threat towards WIT "there is no plan B, this is it or nothing" yet IoTs get TU funding.

Just goes to show they wish to remain the two tier 3rd level education system and anyone that said delivering a TU for Waterford was delivering a University as in a traditional University were just telling lies.

TUs of this generation are IoTs of the previous generation and RTCs the generation before that

Dexpat

Thanks to 914 for constantly banging this drum. I don't have the time or energy but I don't believe Waterford has a university now despite the name over the door. It's window dressing. There's no funding evident for an institution justifying that name. It's important to make people aware of that fact.

The political legacy of Howlin and Hogan should include a recognition that they have prevented young people of Kilkenny and Wexford a chance of attending a university close to home at much lower cost than going to Dublin or Cork.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121748022#Comment_121748022

It is soul destroying and several times I have told myself "that's it, no need to get annoyed about it anymore" and then I see our politicians cheer leading any funding announcement no matter how small and the fact is, if TUs never became a thing all this funding would still be provided to the IoT sector.

Hogan and Howlin have ensured that the South East will continue to struggle.

Had they have backed WIT we might have seen a stand alone Uni in Waterford and a TU in Carlow putting the region on par with other other regions.

They could have even tried to get a University of Waterford campus in Kilkenny, aligned Carlow with Wexford and involved IADT.

Although this would probably not have worked as Carlow wasn't strong enough to form a TU, whereas WIT met TU criteria on its own in 2009!

What followed was years of starvation for funding for WIT, and money being pumped into Carlow left right and centre. Despite all the funding for Carlow they still massively lagged behind in critical areas such as R&D.

WIT the only non National University of Ireland to have an institute of research, the only IoT to have onsite accommodation, met TU criteria in 2009 and it's reward, starved of funding in order to form a Technology University of the South East.

Before his departure Willie Donnelly stated that SETU needed €500 million, €200 for Waterford and €250 for Carlow.

The last I read the current president stated that SETU needs €250 million, half of what the previous president suggested. Divide that by three campuses, in Waterford that's the new eng building (first planned in 2009), a building in the crystal site (probably half owned by Frisby), a new campus in Wexford and some change left for Carlow, rearranging the jigsaw pieces is all.

So when I have enough of this topic and decide not to let it bother me anymore, I see some politician smirking about a great day for SETU with X funding announcement and all the above rage comes flooding back!

azimuth17

914 "So when I have enough of this topic and decide not to let it bother me anymore, I see some politician smirking about a great day for SETU with X funding announcement and all the above rage comes flooding back!"

A lot of people feel the same. Your point about the IoTs still in the funding stream is particularly important.

FG,FF and Green reps have failed us and the SF opposition rep is silent. I believe that Fine Gael bear the biggest responsibility for this charade and yet people will vote for John Cummins. It may not be his fault, but he is of the party and selling their s##t like snake oil . When they had two TDs they still were ubable to make a Waterford decision.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121748886#Comment_121748886

You'd think with our growing population and the increase in people going on to 3rd level, that there would be a need for a university in the SE.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121749357#Comment_121749357

Here's the problem they now tell us that we have a "university" in the region.

The region needed a stand alone Uni and a TU, it was the only thing that was needed and made sense

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121749645#Comment_121749645

I agree.

Proximities important also for 3rd level.

If you're from a low income family, being able to live at home reduces costs a lot.

Population of Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford (460,000) is enough to necessitate a university.

That's a lot of people who have to travel now for their degree.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121749768#Comment_121749768

They have had access to degree level education up to doctorate in many disciplines for over 20 years in WIT. Hundreds if not thousands of kids from across the south east. It is the failure to build on something that was deemed ready for university status by independent analysis, but was instead royally shagged by the system and silly politicians in Wexford and Kilkenny, that really rankles. They used the proximity argument to convince people that a half hour journey into Waterford city was way too much. so we have ended up with something that is now trying to put a campus in Rathhnew in Co Wicklow. Amazing that TCD never felt the need to decentralise!

Politicians from the region hurt the region in an terrible example of self harm.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121750016#Comment_121750016

Oh I know but ambitious people will choose one of the proper universities. No offence to WIT but it's true.

I agree though it should have its own university and then the SETU can be for the ITs.

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121750043#Comment_121750043

No argument there, however lost opportunity stinks.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121750129#Comment_121750129

I think we had a record number of CAO applicants or LC students last year or the year before, so maybe we do need another university in the SE. Maybe the traditional universities are just able to expand to keep up with demand.

Proximity's also important for people with disabilities as it's probably better to live at home.

azimuth17

Record numbers, proximity important, but sure lets not do anything except allow the traditional universities expand courses and student accommodation at an unprecedented rate in order to undermine the obvious need for a university in Waterford. The policies being pursued by Harris, the Higher Education Authority and the traditional universities are seriously undermining the Tech Uni sector. But thats the plan I presume. As 914 said above TUs of this generation are IoTs of the previous generation and RTCs the generation before that

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121750183#Comment_121750183

Traditional universities can expand as the can borrow money, had IoTs have been allowed to borrow money through the 90s and 00s, WIT would most likely be twice the size that it is now or at worse half, bolstering 15k students give or take.

By borrowing they could have built student accommodation which would have funded new teaching buildings.

Just take a visit to UL and see the level of development there, it's a fantastic campus all funding by government and loans and the advantage of being a NUI

azimuth17

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121750836#Comment_121750836

Went on hols through Limerick and Galway to Mayo last summer. Stopped off to see both unis. Very chastening stuff. Its extremely hard to understand what south east politicians are thinking. Then again, maybe its not. ABW?

imacman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121750412#Comment_121750412

The problem is the Waterford and Carlow applicant numbers are both down from premerger with Waterford having the biggest decrease as the Carlow numbers have been on the slide since 2018. This is a trend across all the TUs so that shows the TU concept isn't appealing to students who are confused about what they are, which campus they will be studying on etc .TUDublin which received nearly a billion from the government for Grangegorman admittied last year their numbers where down and they are the most established and well-funded TU's of them all

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2023/08/02/tu-dublin-faces-10m-funding-deficit-as-student-numbers-drop-by-almost-2500/

We have lost 50 years of name recognition for a merged entity that is difficult to understand for the school leaver and they are voting with their CAO choices, sad to say but Waterford was a better place before the merger.