University in Sligo ‘by January of 2022’
Application is now with Minister
SLIGO is set to become a university town on January 1 next year. IT Sligo, and hopefully by that stage also St Angela’s College, will be part of a new technological university for the west and North West, which will also include GMIT and Letterkenny IT.
A formal application for designation as a technological university was submitted to the Minister last Friday.
The proposed new university will be one of the largest multi-campus universities across the island of Ireland. It will bring together almost 600 academic programmes to a make up a student population of 20,000 spread across eight campuses.
Apart from attracting students to Sligo, it is hoped that it will also benefit the region by offering research and innovation opportunities to local businesses and will help to attract more multinational companies to the region.
A NEW technological university for the West and North West, which will include IT Sligo and St Angela’s College, could be established as early as next January.
The establishment of a new university for the region moved a significant step closer last Friday when the Connacht Ulster Alliance (CUA) of IT Sligo, GMIT and Letterkenny IT submitted a formal application to the Minister for Further & Higher Education Simon Harris for designation as a technological university.
This was described as “a significant day for all CUA students, staff and stakeholders, and marks the culmination of several years’ work”.
The proposed new university will be one of the largest multi-campus universities across the island of Ireland. It will bring together almost 600 academic programmes to a current student population of 20,000 students spread across eight campuses. In addition to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, it will offer upskilling and employee education and support enterprises, especially SMEs, through collaborative research and enabling technology transfer.
It will offer programmes from pre-degree to doctoral level on campus, online or as remote learning and programmes not currently available to students at IT Sligo.
The colleges involved also feel that it “will also build economic, cultural and social prosperity across a unique geographical region which has dispersed rural population and significant urban centres”.
They say it will support the needs of enterprises, especially SMEs, across the region “through collaborative research and enabling technology transfer to support economic and social prosperity”.
They also say that the new unoversity “will have the critical mass and academic depth to attract, educate, nurture and retain talent in the West, North West and cross-border region and will strengthen and benefit our region socially, economically and culturally”.
“As a TU (technological university) of scale, quality and impact, we will have greater capacity for collaboration with international partners and our graduates will have excellent employment potential nationally and internationally.”
On Friday, Minister Harris said it was “an important day for the West and North West and for higher education generally”.
He said the new technological university “would have the potential to further drive the development of higher education and regional growth in the West and North West with strong cross-border links”.
In a joint statement, the CUA Presidents, Dr Brendan McCormack (IT Sligo), Dr Orla Flynn (GMIT) and Paul Hannigan (Letterkenny IT), said the establishment of this new TU “is of critical importance to the region’s future prosperity, offering academic depth to attract, educate, nurture and retain talent in the West, North-West and cross-border region”.
“The three institutes have been and will continue as a merged TU to be immensely valuable to the regional economy and the new university will be a leader in the provision of apprenticeship, part-time, full-time, campusand work-based modes of learning.” Chair of the CUA Steering Group Martin Cronin described the submisson of the application as “a momentous occasion”.
“The development of a strong technological university in the region will enhance the capacity of the region to prosper in an ever more technology intensive world,” he said.
Pending the decision from Minister Harris, the CUA will undertake a naming and branding process for the new TU and intends to engage with the public and various stakeholders.
It is hoped the new TU will be legally established in January 2022.
Local politicians have all welcomed the news.
Minister for State at the Department of Health and local Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan said: “This really is exciting news for the future of education in the region, for the staff and students of IT Sligo and for County Sligo.”
He said that Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris will now appoint an international expert panel to examine the case for the proposed university, before it is considered by the Higher Education Authority and then decided upon by the Minister
early next year. He said that the ‘Connacht Ulster Alliance’ application was the result of years of hard work led by IT Sligo, its staff and president and the technological university will increase higher education access, drive enhanced regional development and increase opportunities for students, staff, business and enterprise, and local communities.
“It will also boost the local economy here and provide Sligo with international recognition as a university town,” he said.
Fianna Fáil Higher Education spokesperson and local TD Marc MacSharry has said the impact on the west and North West region “in terms of giving options for all from the region to attend a university in our region will be most welcome”. “The marketability of the region for foreign direct investment and the promotion of indigenous industry will be hugely significant and will significantly contribute to the the region’s ability to perform to potential,” he said.
Independent TD Marian Harkin said a technological university was “a very important piece of the jigsaw that is balanced regional development”.
“It will be a centre of innovation, a catalyst for economic and social development for this region, a place of learning and ideas for students, an online education hub with a national and international reach and a partner for cross border co-operation with Magee University in Derry,” she said. Sligo-based Sinn Féin MEP Chris MacManus said: “This is a hugely positive development for the West and North West, which will benefit students, SMEs and local communities across the region.
“Crucially, as one of the largest universities on the island, the new Technological university will give more of our young people the chance to live and study in the West of Ireland. This will allow us to educate, nurture and retain talent in the region which will be vital in tackling regional imbalance.” Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, has also welcomed the new university.
Seamus Hughes, Ibec’s North West regional president, said: “Businesses in the region will benefit from successive generations of high-quality Technological University graduates. It is ideally positioned to drive economic growth in the region stimulating education and skills provision and equipping new and existing students with the skills and opportunities that they will need to succeed in the post-Covid world. A technological university that matches the ambition of the region, will have a lasting positive impact on the North West, West and beyond.” A statement by students’ union presidents Jason Quinn (IT Sligo), Victor O’Loughlin (GMIT) and Mary Hernandez (LYIT) welcomed the announcement of the submission. They said that “this submission allows our members to become a part of a much larger inclusive, collaborative community which will empower them to reach their potential socially, academically and professionally”.