What happens next? The journey to 2021 and opening the MTU

SECURING university status was an historic moment for both IT Tralee and Cork Institute of Technology but much work remains to be done before the two college’s formally merge to create the Munster Technological University.

That merger will officially take place in January 2021 and between now and the MTU consortium and management at the IT’s face a busy six months.

From issues surrounding staffing, courses and students to more mundane issue like branding there is much to prepare and a relatively short time to do it.

Much work has, of course, already been done but until Technological University status was actually secured many key tasks could not be completed.

The complex process of completing that work is now well underway and it will continue right up until the MTU opening ceremonies get underway.

Those most affected by the merger and the change from IT to TU are, obviously the students who will, from next January, be graduating from Tralee with University qualifications.

While current students and those beginning college in September will start the academic year as IT students from January onwards they will be enrolled as students of the Munster Technological University.

After January 2021 all students graduating from ITT and CIT, regardless of when they entered the college and started their studies, will leave as MTU graduates.

For a time there will, however, still be a degree of crossover between the IT and TU branding when it comes to CAO applications.

As the MTU won’t be formally created until January 2021 the MTU will not appear on next year’s CAO application forms and students hoping to attend the MTU will still be applying for places in ITT or CIT.

That situation will be resolved by 2020 when the new MTU ‘code’ will make its debut on CAO forms.

In terms of the actual merger process this is being overseen by the joint MTU Project Management Office that was set up by ITT and CIT in 2016.

As ‘Designation Day’ approaches working groups – involving staff and students – will progress the merger under a series of specific work programmes including academic affairs; student administration and support; corporate affairs; communications and change management and research and engagement

Discussions and engagement with staff, students and other stakeholders has been ongoing for the past number of years and this will also continue.

A number of staff industrial relations forums have been established and meet regularly while staff and students also receive weekly updates on the merger process by email from the project management office.

The two colleges’ Students Union Presidents are both involved at the highest level of project management and sit on the Executive teams from ITT and CIT.

The college presidents will also hold joint briefings (townhall events) for staff and students along with professional forums for external stakeholders.

Aside from key management and academic issues there is also the not insignificant issue of branding to consider.

With the identity of both colleges to change completely the ITT and CIT campuses will have to undergo a total rebrand the cost of which is likely to be considerable.

This will involve the changing of everything from external and interior signage to letterheads, websites, email adresses and stationary.

A tender for the creation of a new brand identity for the MTU was issued in late 2017 with Dublin based agency ZINC winning the contract in early 2018.

Initial work on the branding but this was halted in summer 2019 when then the outcome of the international expert panel’s merger assessment visit was announced.

With the latest positive announcement of TU status

Following the Government’s decision to goive the merger the green light the branding project is due to resume in the coming weeks and it is hoped it will be completed by Autumn 2020.

The new brand for the MTU will be unveiled on January 1 2021. After that an ITT spokesperson said a “phased approach” will be taken with the roll-out of the new brand (signage, website, emails, stationary etc) carried out gradually based on available budgets which are currently being negotiated.