WIT ‘already a university in everything but name’

WATERFORD Institute of Technology is functioning as a University in everything but name. But any University established there must meet the needs of the region, must be innovation-led and can’t be elitist, experts have warned.

It is now time for politicians and the community right across the south east to get behind the drive to ensure its status is upgraded, a panel of experts has urged.

The south east wants and needs a third and fourth level university, Kilkenny Industrial Development Company chairman Fergus Cronin said. WIT is the best place for this, he said, addressing yesterday’s WIT ‘New Futures’ conference.

“Waterford Institute of Technology is actually functioning as a university in everything but name. We need to get the politicians behind us on this issue. We need to get the community behind us and we need to send a message out loud and clear that we want and we need a university in the south east.”

WIT will meet any of the challenges set before it, director Professor Kieran R Byrne promised.

“The new university model must be innovation-led and its policies and programmes will have to enhance regional competitiveness.