Malcolm Skilbeck's report, The University Challenged, which was disclosed in yesterday's Irish Times, should initiate a national debate about the future role of the universities in Ireland, writes Art Cosgrove
The image of the university as an ivory tower cut off from the rest of society has long been outdated, and society looks to the universities to underpin economic growth, improve the quality of life and strengthen the social fabric.
No one now questions the significance of the contribution made by the universities towards the country's recent economic development, and this was done at a time when, by international standards, they were seriously underfunded.
Public recognition of the new role of the universities in society brings with it new challenges, not only for the universities but also for the agencies with which they must co-operate to achieve their aims.
What are those aims? It is clear that the universities in Ireland must now compete internationally, and the benchmarks by which we are to be judged should be those accepted worldwide.
In the area of research the greatly increased funding made available under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and through the research councils has presented unprecedented opportunities for the development of world-class research, and the exploitation of those opportunities should demonstrate that separate dedicated research institutes are wasteful and unnecessary.
Changes in the composition of the student body will also bring new challenges. The decline in the numbers coming to university straight from school provides an opportunity to make up for past omissions and to increase the number of mature students in the system. However, if such participation is to happen on a large scale, it is clearly undesirable that they should leave the work-force.
Part-time and evening courses would be much more suitable for those remaining in employment, and it is clearly anomalous that those taking undergraduate courses on a part-time basis do not qualify for remission of fees.
There is also a need to increase the number of postgraduate students within the universities, and greater efforts will be required to attract such students from overseas. Indeed there is a strong case, both academically and financially, for attracting more students from outside the country and co-operation among the universities in the recruitment of such students could be fruitful.
The current efforts to enrol students from disadvantaged areas of society have been successful, but only on a small scale, and the universities must seek to build on this foundation.
With regard to quality assurance, it should be noted that there is in existence the Irish Universities Quality Steering Committee. It is now recommended that this will be replaced by a body called the Irish Universities Quality Council, which will identify good practice for maintaining and improving quality within the Irish University sector and promote the image of the sector in relation to quality assurance nationally and internationally.
The Irish universities are prepared to meet the other challenges outlined in the report; to strengthen links with industry, diversify funding sources and rethink the balance between competition and co-operation. They are also keenly aware of the impact of alternative sources for the provision of services traditionally offered by the universities.
However, if the challenge is to be met successfully the universities must be aided by others. Staff may legitimately ask: how, on the one hand, are we to become world-class researchers while, on the other, we must respond to the needs of a much more variegated student body, if there are no more resources available?
Government and industry must engage in the debate about the long-term needs of the universities, and in an election year it should be an issue for all political parties.
The seven universities are faced with the issue of where they should compete, where co-operate for the greater good of the society they serve, while preserving standards of excellence and the autonomy which will allow them to continue free inquiry and the disinterested pursuit of truth.
Dr Art Cosgrove is chairman of the conference of the Heads of Irish Universities, which commissioned the Skilbeck report together with the Higher Education Authority, and is president of UCD