WIT Press Release
Title: Canada shows way for University of the South East – leading academic
Release date: Thu, May 29, 2008
A leading international academic has said the designation of new universities in a Canadian province with a similar population to the Republic of Ireland offers a roadmap for the Irish Government in dealing with the Waterford Institute of Technology application to be re-designated as University of the South East.
A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and author and editor of several books, Professor Ged Martin’s academic career included periods at the University of Cambridge; the Australian National University; University College Cork and the University of Edinburgh.
Prof Martin said changes to the University Act introduced within the last month are allowing the Canadian province of British Columbia (B.C.) which has a population of 4.4 million to create additional universities to give students greater access to university degree programmes as part of a commitment to make B.C. the best-educated and most literate jurisdiction on the entire continent of North America.
"The expansion of British Columbia's public university system responds – and this is important in an Irish context – to the Campus 2020 report released in the province just over a year ago that recommended the creation of regional universities. Indeed, this report on B.C.’s higher education system devotes considerable attention to addressing regional needs in a specific section titled 'Learning Where We Live'.
"Under the new legislation now being introduced in B.C., the University of the Fraser Valley; Kwantlen Polytechnic University; Vancouver Island University and Capilano University will be regional universities and continue to offer a broad range of developmental, trade, career, technical and academic programmes leading to certificates, diplomas, and baccalaureate and master’s degrees. In addition, the Emily Carr University of Art and Design will serve all of B.C., providing applied and professional programmes leading to baccalaureate and master’s degrees.
"This legislative move shows recognition on the part of the provincial government in British Columbia that university designation will create new opportunities for higher learning and allow the newly designated institutions to market themselves more effectively across Canada and overseas. It is also recognised that the changes will provide new clarity of purpose within B.C.’s higher education system and build on the excellent reputation these institutions – just like Waterford Institute of Technology - have earned for providing high quality degree programmes.
"This is especially important as the Irish Government strive towards increasing participation rates in higher education from 55 to 72 per cent of the school-leaving population and to double graduate output at the PhD level. The authorities in British Columbia clearly recognise the need to plan for growth and we must do the same in Ireland."
Prof Martin who now lives in Co Waterford said he is particularly familiar with the University of the Fraser Valley which is a newer institution than Waterford Institute of Technology having been established as Fraser Valley College in 1974 and secured university college status in 1991 just as Waterford became an Institute of Technology in 1997.
"There are considerable parallels to be drawn between the planned University of the South East and the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) which has three main campuses and two regional centres. In common with Waterford Institute of Technology, what is to become UFV has built up particular pinnacles of excellence in specific areas.
"The UCFV president Skip Bassford put it well when he spoke of how 'our new status will mean we can increase opportunities for our students while continuing to offer all of our current programmes' and how 'having an accessible university means we can make the entire region more competitive, attracting more professionals and keeping grads [school-leavers] closer to home'."
Concluding, Prof Martin said the southeast of Ireland cannot hope to compete successfully at national and international level if it continues to bear the "invidious distinction" of being the largest population centre in Britain and Ireland without ready access to a university. "This would be a deplorable situation that can be easily avoided by backing Waterford's claim to university designation – a move made all the more straightforward by reference to the model being rolled out by the Ministry of Advanced Education in British Columbia at this time."
