THE Dublin Institute of Technology is not recognised as a university, but "we want this very partisan view to end", Dr Brendan Goldsmith, president of DIT, has said in a submission to the Minister for Education.
A refusal to grant university status will be construed as an attempt to disadvantage DIT and what it stands for, he argues.
"University status is vital for both the long term development of our institution as well as the future of our students," he says in his submission.
The DIT was established by the Oireachtas in 1992 as an amalgamation of six colleges formerly administered by the City of Dublin VEC. The institute has since moved from a college based structure to a faculty base which has encouraged greater cohesion in the educational services.
With more than 22,500 students the DIT has the largest student population in the State.
"If we don't become a university at this stage, we will become this rather strange animal," says Dr Goldsmith. "Our multi level, access and range of programmes which extend to doctoral level, provide a service to students which is unsurpassed by any other educational establishment."
He points out that last year, the Higher Education Authority, at the request of the Minister of Education, appointed an international review group to review the quality assurance procedures in the institute. The group recommended, among other things, that the relevant authorities should consider whether key features of the proposed university legislation be extended to the DIT and its legislation be amended following such analysis.
"The review group recognised that the DIT is a university in everything but name and failure to recognise it as such militates against its students and graduates, both internationally and in the job market at home and abroad", Dr Goldsmith states.
The State's largest student union, representing 25,000 students from the Dublin Institute of Technology, yesterday started its campaign for university status.
It has called on the Government to support its campaign.
Mr Colin Joyce, student president at DIT, said: "This is a national issue, as DIT students represent the country as a whole and it is in the interest of thousands of families that the DIT is awarded status at the earliest possible date".