University College Dublin (UCD) is underperforming in several key areas, and requires a radical shake-up if it is to compete internationally, an expert group has found. Seán Flynn, Education Editor, reports.
The college, it says, is lagging behind competitors who are forging ahead.
In response to the report, the UCD president, Dr Hugh Brady, is set to propose a reform plan which could see some of UCD's 90 academic departments and 11 faculties merge or rationalise as the college sets new priorities.
The report from an academic think-tank, the Washington Advisory Group (WAG), blames the underperformance on several factors. These include:
UCD's overly-complex organisational structures;
Low levels of resources;
Lack of incentives to reward and promote academic staff.
These elements, it says, are significantly out of line with best practice elsewhere.
While praising the reform agenda of Dr Brady, it says progress must be faster as UCD seeks to secure a place among the top 30 universities in the EU.
The WAG report expresses concern at the "apparent lack of knowledge among the staff in general about how much farther and more rapidly other academic institutions are moving forward in their policies, practices and procedures".
The report says UCD "needs to move quickly and decisively to make up for time lost and take advantage of current opportunities such as Ireland's and the European Union's intention to invest in and advance research and education".
As a first step the report wants UCD to prioritise its activities as not all areas in its portfolio can or should be treated equally.
It also calls on the college to reorganise a cumbersome system of academic and administrative units to function efficiently and effectively and to support UCD priorities. It says many infrastructural resources require investment and attention, including IT services, laboratories, libraries and campus housing.
The report says the current academic structures inhibit collaboration and innovation. They also promote a rigid curriculum, and are unclear with regard to authority and accountability
The existing structures do not, they say, foster rapid and transparent decision-making or promote strategic planning.
It proposes a new structure where schools, the fundamental administrative and academic unit, are organised into a number of faculties or colleges (three to 10 in number), with research managed by separate but aligned research institutes (four to six).
In the coming weeks Dr Brady is to embark on an consultative process with staff as he prepares his reform plan.
In an e-mail to staff yesterday he said: "We must reform our organisational structures and processes so that they are aligned with our strategic priorities.
"Hand in hand with this, we will continue to develop our staff, and invest in the infrastructure required to enable us all to deliver on our academic mission of teaching and research excellence."