UCD Report of the President 2019-2020
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT SEPTEMBER 2019 – AUGUST 2020 REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT University College Dublin National University of Ireland, Dublin September 2019 – August 2020 For presentation to the Governing Authority of University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Dublin at its meeting on 10 December 2020. ISBN: 978-1-910963-47-0 UCD Report of the President 2019/20 001 CONTENTS 002 064 094 Overview by the Equality, Diversity College of Health and President and Inclusion Agricultural Sciences 010 069 098 University Response Finance and Capital College of Science to COVID-19 Development 102 019 078 College of Social UCD by Numbers Human Resources, Sciences and Law SIRC and Legal Affairs 024 106 082 Education University Awards College of Arts and Humanities 036 113 Research, Innovation 086 Appointments and Impact College of Business 114 060 090 Retirements Global Engagement College of Engineering and Architecture 002 Overview by the President OVERVIEW BY THE PRESIDENT I am pleased to present my seventh report as President of University College Dublin. This report highlights the many successes and achievements across the University this year. This was a year which did not follow any plan or turn out the way emerging from the themes, and will also proactively identify anyone expected. I am extraordinarily proud of the UCD Community opportunities for action across the themes. and how we have managed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some detail around how we responded to the challenges is outlined The Governing Authority agreed 12 high-level Key Performance in the next chapter of this report, and you will see evidence of our Indicators that will be used to track progress against the four Core contribution to the overall effort throughout each chapter. This Objectives of the Strategy. The GA has also agreed targets for each response, alongside our day-to-day activities, helps us to continue of those KPIs for the next five years. Progress against the targets to build our reputation as Ireland’s largest and most global university. and the targets themselves will be reviewed by the GA on at least an annual basis. Rising to the Future Following the extensive collaborative process undertaken to devise I want to thank the wider UCD Community for their collaboration UCD’s Strategy for 2020-2024, together with Marie O’Connor, Chair in the process and look forward to working together to see the of the Governing Authority and Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Minister many strands come to fruition. for Higher Education, I launched Rising to the Future in December in a packed O’Reilly Hall. This far-reaching, thought-provoking strategy Rankings has the potential to transform the experience of all members of our UCD tops the Irish universities as the number one ranked university community. in Ireland in the US News & World Report’s Best Global University Rankings. This reflects the research publications impact and Our strategic vision for UCD propels us onwards towards a post- international collaboration of our faculty. In November, UCD was pandemic future, guided by the four themes of Rising to the Future: named as the Sunday Times University of the Year for 2020, the Creating a Sustainable Global Society; Transforming through Digital third time we have won this accolade. Technology; Building a Healthy World; and Empowering Humanity. There will be a steering group for each theme, representative of all For the second year in a row, UCD has seen an improvement in sectors of the University community: faculty, staff, students and its position in the QS World University Rankings with an upward potentially alumni. movement of eight places to 177. We are ranked number 1 in Ireland in 15 subjects – up 2 from 13 in 2019, in the QS World To ensure full coordination and cooperation between the themes, University Rankings by Subject. We have four subjects in the and to ensure that the themes come together, an overarching top 50, 13 in the top 100 and 33 in the top 200. Strategy Steering Group consisting of the members of UMT together with the four theme Chairs and the Director of Strategic In 2020, for the third year in a row, UCD was ranked number one in Planning will retain oversight of the various activities and initiatives Ireland and in the top 1% of universities globally in the QS Graduate UCD Report of the President 2019/20 003 Employability Rankings. In awarding this ranking, QS commented // This was another year in which we that this is by virtue of the work we have done to forge work- placement and research partnerships with employers. remained the university of first choice for domestic undergraduate students, with The Executive MBA programme offered by the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School was ranked among the best in a 7% increase in first preferences and an the world, 32nd globally and 15th in Europe, according to the QS 11% increase in domestic taught graduate Executive MBA listings. This is just one of the many accolades for our graduate business education programmes. recruitment // These awards are testament to the progress we have seen over the last number of years and is a credit to the whole UCD Since March 2020, the University’s ability to generate non-Exchequer community. sources of income has been adversely impacted, but as a result of healthy cash balances and continued tight cost control, we can sustain Finance operations in the current volatile environment. We are well positioned For the 2019/20 year, the University incurred a small deficit to recover quickly once the impact of the pandemic subsides. on HEA core-funded activities. The loss arose primarily from lower student fee income than expected. We also experienced Education a significant reduction in commercial income streams, such as This was another year in which we remained the university of first student residences, on-campus catering concessions and summer choice for domestic undergraduate students, with a 7% increase in business activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. first preferences and an 11% increase in domestic taught graduate recruitment. New academic regulations came into effect in September which is a significant enhancement to our programmes. The regulations will encourage greater flexibility in programmes, and for internships and international exchange within programmes, as d122m+ well as in assessment and provision of feedback for students. Research secured by UCD researchers in UCD researchers secured over ¤122 million in external research external research grants in 2019/20 grants in 2019/20. This is now the third year in a row for which Pictured are the UCD-Intel Scholarship awardees 2019-2020: (l-r) John Barry, Director of Major Strategic Partnerships, UCD; Bernie Capraro, Research Manager, Intel Research and Development Ireland Ltd; Ciaran O’Sullivan. Kallum Doyle; Stephen Sherin; Kyle Flynn; Séan O’Braonain; Ciaran McNamara; Brandon Blacoe; Emily White; Prof Andrew Deeks, UCD President; Eamonn Sinnott, General Manager Intel Ireland; Andrew Donohue; Ruth Quinn; Adam Atouani; Hazal Beceriklican; Janet Tsang; Briji Mary Joseph; and Chyna de los Angeles. 004 Overview by the President Pictured are the 2019 UCD Alumni Awardees with the UCD President (l-r): Noelle Walsh, Dr John Bell, Katie Mullan, Prof Andrew J Deeks, Shaun T. Kelly, Dr Barbara Dawson, Prof Mary Horgan, Caroline Keeling and Dr Sinéad Walsh and Alison Priestman, UCD Hockey Ladies Club Captain, surrounded by their peers. // A global engagement highlight for this year was UCD’s establishment of two new joint international colleges in China - Chang’an-Dublin International College of Transportation (CDIC), led by Professor Paul Fanning and the Guangzhou-Dublin International College of Life Sciences and Technology (GDIC) South, led by Professor Alex Evans // external research grants have exceeded ¤122 million, a figure that Global Engagement was a record for the University when first reached in 2017/18. A A global engagement highlight for this year was UCD’s particular highlight of 2019/20 in research funding was EU funding, establishment of two new joint international colleges in China – which was more than double the figure for the previous year, Chang’an-Dublin International College of Transportation (CDIC), with a number of European Research Council awards and major led by Professor Paul Fanning and the Guangzhou-Dublin collaborative projects in important topics such as trust in expertise, International College of Life Sciences and Technology (GDIC) obesity and diabetes. This is an important time for EU research South, led by Professor Alex Evans. UCD’s three international funding, with the arrival of the next funding programme Horizon colleges in China, including Beijing-Dublin International College Europe and with changes post-Brexit, and it is important for UCD (BDIC), CDIC and GDIC now enrol over 1,500 students in addition to establish a strong position. to a further 2,200 students in other transnational programmes. Campus Development Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Significant progress was made this year to deliver on the vision This year, we have worked collaboratively with the other higher set out in the UCD Strategic Campus Development Plan 2016- education institutions and the HEA to identify the ways in which 2021-2026. The plan outlines how the Belfield Campus will be the pandemic has a disproportionate effect on both employees developed with three distinct Character Areas: Education, Research and students who already experience inequalities. This work has and Innovation; Sports and Student Amenities; and Residential. The included recognition of the impacts of closure of schools and University has developed three exciting masterplans which present childcare facilities on those with caring responsibilities and putting a more detailed vision for the spaces within each Character Area. the relevant supports in place. Supporting mental health and These masterplans outline how each Character Area will grow and well-being was a particular priority and a new webpage providing develop over time, and how each will combine to form a coherent resources and information was developed to support employees.