30th May, 2011 - Delivering the Strategy for Higher Education. Address by Minister for Education and Skills, Mr Ruairí Quinn, T.D. Excerpts from the speech below- full text available at http://tinyurl.com/3nwr7wz The Context; I want this morning to talk about the challenges ahead. As a member of government of a country in effective receivership, I am all too aware of the scale of the task of restoring Ireland’s economic and social well being. In the education sector, these challenges have to be faced against a demographic background of continuing growth in demand. The new challenges ahead are intense and they are global. Higher education will be the engine for the new ideas that will sustain and underpin enterprises of the future. One of the key features of the 21st century will be the universalisation of higher learning opportunities and it will be the quality of the various education and learning eco- systems that will ultimately determine the quality of national economic and civic life. The challenge for Irish higher education therefore, in a climate of constrained resources, is to address these simultaneous demands for greater quantity and greater quality. Quality I welcome the priority given in the strategy to the topic of improving the Quality of the Student Experience. I particularly endorse the focus on providing a better first year experience with a stronger emphasis on general academic induction and preparation for future study and more opportunities to study across disciplines....The teaching environment in higher education should facilitate free discourse between student and teacher, stimulating the student to think critically; engage in higher order analysis; and learn to communicate and accommodate the views of others with tolerance. It is important that our students find their voice, engage fully in their own learning and clearly articulate their needs and opinion. An important element of this will be a full engagement of students with the development of feedback mechanisms at institutional and national level as they are implemented. I see a structural role here for the USI and the Students Unions in each institution. Return on research investment Our future research investment strategy will be grounded on maintaining a broad base of knowledge across all disciplines while at the same time selecting priority areas for concentrated strategic investment. The current national research prioritisation exercise will be important in giving direction on this. In sustaining that broad base of knowledge, I want to be clear about the expectation that all teaching staff will be research-informed or research- active and that all researchers will be active in teaching. Engagement Higher education draws its relevance and its importance from the strength of its connection to the needs of the society it serves. But those interactions don't just happen of their own accord - at least not on the levels needed. We need to think about creating the necessary structures, incentives and opportunities that can strengthen these interactions with enterprise and with communities - regionally and nationally. And we need to support our higher education institutions in their engagement endeavours internationally - where they can be a window to deepening Ireland’s strategic relationships in a changing world economy. System Changes and Funding We need to ensure that the form and structures of the architecture of the system are designed to enhance the true functions of institutions of higher learning rather than to inhibit. I will be giving further consideration over the coming months to some of the legislative issues that arise around institutional and system governance and funding - including for example the composition of governing bodies and the Higher Education Authority. ..We also need to ensure that we are extracting the full value and potential of all of the existing resources available to the sector - to 'do better with less'. And we must deliver on the reforms committed to under Croke Park, including contract reviews, as an important starting point. A Diverse System Our entire higher education system is the same size as some of the larger American universities. The strategy sets out a number of objectives for the system which can only be met by significant structural reform, by consolidation and concentration and by closer collaboration and clustering. ...I welcome the readiness shown by the institutes of technology to actively engage in discussions leading to alliances and consolidation. Accountability and Autonomy The State invests about 2 billion per annum in Irish higher education. We have a collective public duty to be able to demonstrate in a more transparent way what we are delivering for this investment and support. ...I have no hesitation in firmly endorsing the need for our institutions to enjoy strong levels of autonomy over their operations in order to deliver desired levels of innovation and responsiveness. However, this needs to be balanced with the requirements of public accountability for performance. The recommended process of strategic dialogue will be the principle mechanism for this, allied to a funding model that directly addresses institutional performance in specific key areas. ... The broader accountability requirements on institutions will need to extend to individual performance accountability. The development of workload allocation models, and wider Croke Park reforms, will provide important building blocks. Concluding remarks Rather than limiting our ambitions by what we know others have done let us set out to create a higher education system that responds to Irish needs and that sets the tone and pace of higher education reform internationally. As the 20th century Russian writer Kornei Chukovsky wrote - "The present belongs to the sober, the cautious, the routine-prone but the future belongs to those who do not rein in their imaginations" Staff Service Awards 2011 On Friday last, staff members with long service, 25 years and 40 years, were honoured at a ceremony in the Blackbox Theatre. Staff were presented with awards by Frank Carney, now retired from DkIT, but who was the first member of staff appointed at DkIT 40 years ago. At the same ceremony a Lifetime Service Award was made to Christy McAreavey. Group Photo; Back Row left to right; Cathal Kearney, Bernie Brosnan, Noel Stapleton, Ann Leacy, Colman Ledwith, Brendan McQuillan, Pat McCaul. Tony McCarron, Eugene Roe, Frank O Brien (Governing Body Representative) Front row, left to right; Frank Carney, Brendan Johnston, Christy McAreavey, Concepta Woods, Denis Cummins, Peter Carolan, Brid Moloney, Linda Graham. Pictured above: Left to right; Brendan Johnston, Christy McAreavey, Concepta Woods and Peter Carolan. The Fís 11 exhibition, launched last night in the PJ Carroll Building on Dundalk Institute of Technology Main Campus, will showcase final year work from students of the BA (Hons) in Communications in Creative Media BA in Communications in Creative Multimedia BA (Hons) in Video and Film Production BA in Video and Film Production The exhibition will also be open from today, Thursday 2nd June, from 12 midday to 9pm and on Friday 3rd June from 2pm to 7pm. This celebration marks the 10th year of Creative Media programmes at Dundalk Institute of Technology. You can also look at blogs by the CMDkIT students that document their work for the exhibition: BA (Hons) in Communications in Creative Media http://audiolise.wordpress.com http://kingjohnsproject.blogspot.com http://teamtimeghost.wordpress.com http://dmad2011.blogspot.com http://delatura1011.wordpress.com http://habitsdkit.wordpress.com BA in Communications in Creative Multimedia http://the101agency.blogspot.com http://jungle010.blogspot.com http://metlowbell.wordpress.com http://megamundo123.wordpress.com http://osoreru-osoreru.blogspot.com http://replayforest.blogspot.com http://sensespinners2010.wordpress.com http://loopzdkit.blogspot.com http://obsurveillance.blogspot.com http://ecouniversedkit.blogspot.com Music and Multimedia Summer Camp Dundalk Institute of Technology June 27-July 1 An exciting and challenging opportunity to participate in an intensive five-day summer camp in the Dundalk Institute of Technology’s Carroll's Creative Media Centre is open to young people, aged 17+. The camp is a unique opportunity to learn basic skills, at NVQ level IV, in the latest equipment and technologies at the recently opened Centre. Sample the latest technologies Animation, digital media, audio technologies and editing are some of the key competencies that will be developed during the week. The Institute is opening the facilities to enable those with an interest in creative media and music technologies to increase their competencies while considering a pathway to degree and postgraduate degree courses at the Institute, or a pathway to employment in this rapidly expanding sector. Pathway to Further Education or Employment The spacious, state-of-the-art facilities at the centre, located on the expansive campus offers young people an opportunity to sample studying at this prestigious third level Institute, which now offers a wide range of undergraduate, Masters and Ph.D. awards. "We are delighted to offer this opportunity to young people in the Border Counties and Northern Ireland to sample the fantastic new facilities we have just opened on the campus. The creative industries will be a key element of the economic recovery, and we want to ensure that all young people have an opportunity to consider, at