SETU president reaffirms that Wexford campus is ‘a priority’

CONCERNS OVER FUNDING AND DELAYS ADDRESSED AT RECENT COUNTY COUNCIL MEETING

DISCUSSIONS around the delivery of a state of the art university campus for Wexford are nothing unusual in the chambers of Wexford County Council.

The debate stretches back years, has involved a number of different sites and has traversed the changeover from the now defunct IT Carlow to the South East Technological University (SETU) which was established two years ago.

During that time frustrations have been expressed over the pace of the delivery of a campus. Various stakeholders along the way have been accused of dragging their heels, of holding things up or even lacking the ambition and enthusiasm for the project.

But with Wexford County Council having taken the unprecedented move of acquiring land at Killeens on behalf of the university, its President Professor Veronica Campbell and Chair of SETU’s Governing Body Professor Patrick Prendergast arrived in the council chambers at the most recent meeting to reaffirm their commitment to Wexford and the new campus.

Professor Campbell pointed out that the Wexford campus is “a regional and national development priority” for SETU and that it will “complement the strong educational offering, research, and innovation being carried out across SETU in service to the region as a whole.”

It was outlined that the proposed campus will feature state-of-the-art teaching spaces, facilitating the delivery of SETU’s education and training programmes, as well as innovation facilities to drive forward pioneering research initiatives.

Additionally, business incubation facilities will be established to support specific strands of economic activity, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the region.

While the presentation was very positive and outlined the kind of facilities that had long been sought for the biggest county with the largest population in the region, there was one burning question once again – how long will this take?

The very first speaker, Cllr Garry Laffan, took the opportunity to ask just that.

When he was in the role of Minister for Higher Education, prior to becoming Taoiseach, Simon Harris was non-committal on a concrete date for when Wexford students can expect to attend courses on a new campus.

Again, there was no definitive answer on this occasion either, aside from saying that “SETU’s commitment to developing physical infrastructure on land being acquired by Wexford County Council at Killeens forms part of the University’s Strategic Plan” which runs up to 2028.

Although not quite as forceful on the subject as he has been in the past, Labour councillor George Lawlor did present a letter dated October 7, 2015, which stated that €1.8 million had been signed off by the Higher Education Authority for the purchase of a site for IT Carlow, then on Newtown Road.

This deal subsequently fell through, but Cllr Lawlor used the letter to highlight the frustrations felt around how long Wexford has been waiting for this campus.

“You may have read irate comments from this chamber in the local media pertaining to the pace of delivery of this campus,” he said. “That’s certainly not aimed at yourselves, but this letter gives some context to our frustrations as a council.”

Cllr Lawlor then asked if SETU were still confident that the funding will be available when it comes to developing the campus.

A Wexford native himself, Professor Prendergast replied: “We don’t perceive any dwindling in support. The current Minister and department are behind this just as much as they ever were and there’s broad political support for the development of SETU in all campuses.”

The Chair of SETU’s governing body did, however, warn of the time-consuming nature of navigating governance procedures, but highlighted SETU’s commitment to upholding rigorous standards.

“First and foremost, we won’t get money until the purchase of the campus (from Wexford County Council) is complete and the site is in our ownership,” he said.

“That’s more in your hands than ours. If one governance step doesn’t go to plan here, it could set the campus back years. But we need to keep pushing forward and build on the momentum we currently have.

“With the development of the campus in Wexford we have an opportunity to establish SETU’s presence in Wexford as a destination campus with a focus on topics that address regional needs and present national leadership opportunities.” Professor Campbell added: “I’d be optimistic on funding. While we appreciate the work the county council has done in securing the land, we do need a significant tranche of capital funding to build on the site.

“I am confident though. The government is expecting these applications. We just need to keep the pressure on.”

Cllr John Hegarty stressed that everyone involved needs to be clear on the messaging.

“I would love to tell people it will be two years, as I’m sure you would too,” he said. “But if it’s going to be five years, then let’s tell people it will be five.”

Noting the support that Taoiseach Simon Harris had for the campus while in his role of Minister for Higher Education, Cllr Willie Kavanagh stressed that time was of the essence.

“I’d urge you all to progress this as fast as you can,” he said. “We have great support from the office of the Taoiseach on this at the moment. If there’s a change in government, the whole project could be kicked into touch.”

It was also noted in the meeting that SETU continues to produce graduates from its Wexford campus as we speak, albeit from cramped quarters at St Peter’s College.

“The new campus will seek to make a wider regional impact while benefiting Wexford town and the surrounding area. It will build on the strengths of SETU’s existing Wexford offering and the expertise of staff, while enhancing our offering in new areas,” Professor Campbell said.

It was revealed that SETU intends to establish an ‘Arts Imaginarium’ which will seek to build on a strong track record of art-related education in Wexford and expanding on relationships between the university and the likes of Wexford Arts Centre and The National Opera House.

ween SETU, the Wexford Arts Centre and the National Opera House.

“It will provide a multi-disciplinary lens to reflect on pertinent issues, including Ireland’s green transition and our rural economy,” said Prof. Campbell.

Given the industrial profile, geographical situation, and emerging regional requirements, it was outlined that the SETU campus in Wexford will have a focus on sustainable coastal communities.

With the development of the offshore renewable energy sector now of critical importance to the region, SETU is actively working with the South East Offshore Renewable Energy Taskforce, which aims to explore how the region can be established as a pivotal and credible hub for Ireland’s offshore wind energy industry.

As the presentation concluded, it was clear that there was no lack of appetite and enthusiasm within the chamber for the establishment of the long-awaited campus and all the opportunities it brings with it.

The challenge for those involved is ensuring the continued buy-in and optimism of the Wexford public for a project that will still take some years to bear fruit and has already seen a number of false dawns.

THERE’S BROAD POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SETU IN ALL CAMPUSES