WHEN Jim Browne began his student days 30 years ago at what was then UCG, little did he realise he'd eventually return as the institution's president
WHEN PROFESSOR Jim Browne entered the gates of NUI Galway as an undergraduate student for the first time in 1970, he could scarcely have imagined that he would end up as head of the institution one day.
"I never would have believed it to be honest with you," he smiles. "I was a student here 30 years ago, and to be president 30 years later is quite incredible."
It has been a long time coming for Browne. He was actually the preferred candidate of the university assessment board when the presidency came up in 2000. However, the governing authority gave the job to Dr Iggy Ó Muircheartaigh instead. Browne is not looking back. "That was 10 years ago," he says decisively. "It's all history now."
Rather than dwelling on opportunities lost when the presidency slipped through his fingers, Browne stepped into the position of registrar and focused on that instead. "It gave me a great insight into what's happening in the university. I was registrar at a very good time, I know the academics very well here. I know what they're at and I know what they're good at."
A quiet presence, Browne is thoughtful in his answers, often unconsciously surveying the view of the college from his window when talking about the institution and its hinterland. From Athlone, he was educated in Summerhill College in Sligo, before studying engineering in what was then UCG. He worked both at home and abroad in industry before returning to academia and gaining a PhD from the University of Manchester. The call of the west was strong however and he returned to Galway in the early 1980s. "I've been here ever since," he says.
"It is interesting," he continues. "I was a student here, I did my bachelor's and master's degrees here. I spent a long time lecturing and a long time in research. I've seen it from all sides and that's very helpful. I feel I know the university very well."
With the impending economic troubles and as the debate continues over university restructuring and modernisation, Browne will need every bit of that knowledge in leading NUIG over the next decade. "The next three or four years will be very challenging in the downturn," Browne concedes. "I think we are going to be okay. The city is very quick to adapt. There are always going to be challenges, but we have shown ourselves to be able to cope with those in the past."
Browne believes that the slowdown will bring the third-level funding issue into sharp focus. "Taxation returns are down so a funding model has to be agreed. That's critical to us now." He maintains that those who benefit from university should pay for it in some way, but he thinks the debate has been "poisoned by the mention of fees" and that fees distract from the real need to discuss other possible funding options, such as loans, deferred taxation, a graduate tax and so-on. "There are many possibilities," he says. "Either way, the individual who is getting the benefit of third-level education should make some contribution towards it."
Modernisation is another thorny issue. The Irish Federation of University Teachers spoke earlier this year of the distrust between academics and university heads being at its worst ever. Browne claims that Galway has not had the same problems with restructuring because of an investment of time in the consultation process with staff beforehand.
He believes that modernisation itself is misunderstood - rather than being seen as a natural result of the changing nature of third-level education, it is being seen as a business model being imposed on the system. Student populations are larger and courses are interdisciplinary. And with increased funding for research, there is an increased requirement for accountability. These developments have prompted the need for restructuring, according to Browne.
"Research and teaching cannot be separated. The hallmark of a university is research-based teaching. If you don't have teachers involved in research inculcating a sense of enquiry in students, then it's not a university."
Over the next 10 years, Browne intends to lead NUIG onto the international stage. "In order to be successful, we have to focus on key areas," he explains. "Here in Galway, we have a set of strengths that are built on our hinterland. Our strength in biomedical engineering makes sense, for example, because of the biomedical companies in Galway. Our environmental research makes sense because the area is very rich environmentally. The population in the west of Ireland is unusual with its older age profile, so the work we do in social geratology also makes sense." These areas are some of a range of research priorities that have been agreed upon within the university.
As a university that is very much a part of its locality, the Irish language has naturally been a prominent feature of NUIG. As it happens one of the requirements for the job of president this year was to have an acceptable standard of Irish. This raised some eyebrows as people wondered if it was appropriate for a university that expects to be an international player to essentially disqualify top international talent from a leadership role because of a language requirement.
"Well, we've got away now from insisting on a knowledge of Irish for every post in the university," says Browne. "But that act was replaced by one that requires the university to take cognisance of the needs of Irish in its strategic plans. The university must decide from time to time what that means, so in the case of the president, this time they decided that the president should speak Irish. What they'll do in 10 years, I don't know."
With turbulent times ahead, Browne seems like a steady pair of hands. He has been a part of the development of the university for years now and, rather than making dramatic changes, is keen to see that development continue. "It's a tremendous thing to be head of your own institution," he says quietly. "I was a student here, my kids are students here. It's a wonderful thing."
