Universities need ‘radical change’ to meet goals

IRISH universities must undertake radical changes to help Ireland prosper socially and economically, University College Cork president Professor Gerry Wrixon told a conference yesterday.

As chairman of the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities (CHIU), Prof Wrixon led criticisms of a 6% increase in current spending for universities announced in the government estimates last week.

But he said that ongoing structural and management changes already underway in some universities should be supported rather than opposed. Major reform plans have been unveiled to mixed internal reaction at UCC, University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin in the past year.