Universities Funding Crisis

[blucey]

See http://www.independent.ie/education/thr ... 48752.html

One point of paticular interest

"TCD Provost John Hegarty said need it would take an extra €120m to restore universities, in real terms, to the levels of a decade ago. "This figure does not take account of the vastly increased complexity of today's university and the need to be internationally competitive," he said.

"Similarly, playing catch-up in undergraduate facilities we estimate will cost in the region of €1.7b," "

Basic point appears to be that the universities, again, are chronically underfunded. While this is agreed by all, the Govt seems to have little appitite for doing anything about it.

Another point of interest

Meanwhile, on Friday Education Minister Mary Hanafin will announce a €200m-plus package for research in colleges under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions. This will benefit research at post-graduate level.

This is to replace the previous PRTLI funding which runs out in September. Hardly a long lead time to plan, and impossible at this stage to get fourth level students to apply for positions that may be open under same.

[St Disibod]

I do think the only solution to this is to re-introduce fees. That is easy enough for me to say I suppose- I've just finished up in UCD this year. But I don't think I am being glib. I would quite happily take on a debt such as student debt is structured in the UK to have had a better educational experience in university.

More and closer contact with lecturers is required. For the last two years in college I enjoyed lectures and tutorials with an actual lecturer for one half of one half (i.e. a quarter) of my lessons. The difference in the breadth and quality of learning was astounding. Post-Grad tutors just don't cut the mustard. For all of first year and for three-quarters of the rest I would say we were learning at 20 per cent of the rate we could have learnt at with more resources. The degree mill mentality has to be ended and I have little doubt fees could do just that.

The deal would have to be structured to be fair, not to put people off going to third level, and to make sure that a better service is provided for the extra investment: i.e. the government would have to keep increasing investment and not just say "now that's their problem", the sum of fees would have to be added onto the total already spent, with more top-up, not merely used as a substitute for public funding.

[Utopian Hermit Monk]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0814/education.html

The Department of Education has confirmed that it is considering what is described as a 'forensic audit' of third-level spending.

It is understood Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe is to order a team of consultants to investigate how universities and other institutions are spending the €2bn they receive in funding each year, as part of an overall review of the sector.

General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, Mike Jennings, has welcomed the move.


Good!
About time!

[geraghd]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0814/education.html

The Department of Education has confirmed that it is considering what is described as a 'forensic audit' of third-level spending.

It is understood Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe is to order a team of consultants to investigate how universities and other institutions are spending the €2bn they receive in funding each year, as part of an overall review of the sector.

General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, Mike Jennings, has welcomed the move.


Good!
About time!

Isn't there a massive accross the board cut on consultancy fees?

[KingKane]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0814/education.html

The Department of Education has confirmed that it is considering what is described as a 'forensic audit' of third-level spending.

It is understood Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe is to order a team of consultants to investigate how universities and other institutions are spending the €2bn they receive in funding each year, as part of an overall review of the sector.

General Secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, Mike Jennings, has welcomed the move.


Good!
About time!

Isn't there a massive accross the board cut on consultancy fees?

Less ordering consultants, sounds more like he's hiring them.

[Utopian Hermit Monk]

IFUT
June 12th, 2008

IFUT exposes more secret pay agreements

IFUT condemns the decision by the HEA not to disclose details of the exceptionally high salaries paid to almost twenty senior personnel in six of the seven universities under its remit.

Earlier this year, IFUT, using the Freedom of Information Act, exposed the secret salary levels paid to certain senior personnel in UCD. Now, by further use of the FOI Act, IFUT has established that there are small numbers of similar secret pay arrangements in all of the other six universities.

“The HEA has provided us with the names of all of those who have been awarded exceptionally high levels of pay”, said Mike Jennings, General Secretary of IFUT. “However, despite the fact that all of these salaries are paid from public funds, the HEA is stubbornly refusing to reveal the money amounts involved”.

“This level of secrecy is unacceptable and is a direct attack on the principles of openness and transparency” said Mr Jennings.

IFUT has other serious concerns about the HEA’s scheme to provide for secret pay deals for a tiny minority of senior personnel.
The HEA approved scheme states that a pre-condition for the payment of exceptionally high salaries has to be that the person
involved “would not be prepared to work in the university if he/she did not get the salary offered”.
This gives rise to a classical “prodigal son” scenario whereby hardworking and loyal members of staff – who got a zero increase
under benchmarking – are treated as inferior to those who, by definition, would be quite happy to walk away from the university....


While our universities harp on about the need to offer world-class salaries in order to recruit and retain world-class academics and adminstrators, the reality of our universities' international status was pointed out in yesterday's Irish Independent:


AN Irish university has moved up an international rankings table of the top 500 colleges -- but Ireland still lags well behind the world's best.

University College Cork (UCC) has jumped from the lowest rung and joined University College Dublin (UCD) in a band spanning 303rd-401st place.

Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has held its place as the top Irish university, in a group ranked between 201st and 302nd place, and is Ireland's sole standard-bearer in Europe's top 100.

No Irish university has managed to crack the international top 200 in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) published this week.


The 2008 world rankings can be found here: http://www.arwu.org/

[ereeefoor]

bump up
lurk
?Thank you

??Doctor: Please open your mouth, madam.

??Lady: Thank you very much, doctor.

??Doctor: Why do you thank me?

??Lady: Because my husband always asked me to shut up.

final fantasy gil,everquest plat,eq2 plat,eq2 gold,everquest platinum,

[lowtaxireland]

bringing back fees does not go far enough....we should be looking at pumping billions into third/fourth level....we need private sector involvement, alliances with good Universities (ie. American ones), and we need taxation policies that incentivze the whole R&D infrastructure....

[tic tac man]

IFUT
June 12th, 2008

IFUT exposes more secret pay agreements

IFUT condemns the decision by the HEA not to disclose details of the exceptionally high salaries paid to almost twenty senior personnel in six of the seven universities under its remit.

Earlier this year, IFUT, using the Freedom of Information Act, exposed the secret salary levels paid to certain senior personnel in UCD. Now, by further use of the FOI Act, IFUT has established that there are small numbers of similar secret pay arrangements in all of the other six universities.

“The HEA has provided us with the names of all of those who have been awarded exceptionally high levels of pay”, said Mike Jennings, General Secretary of IFUT. “However, despite the fact that all of these salaries are paid from public funds, the HEA is stubbornly refusing to reveal the money amounts involved”.

“This level of secrecy is unacceptable and is a direct attack on the principles of openness and transparency” said Mr Jennings.

IFUT has other serious concerns about the HEA’s scheme to provide for secret pay deals for a tiny minority of senior personnel.
The HEA approved scheme states that a pre-condition for the payment of exceptionally high salaries has to be that the person
involved “would not be prepared to work in the university if he/she did not get the salary offered”.
This gives rise to a classical “prodigal son” scenario whereby hardworking and loyal members of staff – who got a zero increase
under benchmarking – are treated as inferior to those who, by definition, would be quite happy to walk away from the university....


While our universities harp on about the need to offer world-class salaries in order to recruit and retain world-class academics and adminstrators, the reality of our universities' international status was pointed out in yesterday's Irish Independent:


AN Irish university has moved up an international rankings table of the top 500 colleges -- but Ireland still lags well behind the world's best.

University College Cork (UCC) has jumped from the lowest rung and joined University College Dublin (UCD) in a band spanning 303rd-401st place.

Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has held its place as the top Irish university, in a group ranked between 201st and 302nd place, and is Ireland's sole standard-bearer in Europe's top 100.

No Irish university has managed to crack the international top 200 in the Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) published this week.


The 2008 world rankings can be found here: http://www.arwu.org/

But there is a problem with these rankings. They are based on very selective and arguably spurious criteria. IIRC, they award a huge rating to the presence of Nobel Laureates in a university, heavily favour science faculties and then measure the value of a science faculty by counting publications.

None of these criteria are irrelevent, but they don't measure educational output in any real way.