Governor targets university status for institute of technology

A LEADING light in Waterford Wedgwood has made achieving university status for Waterford Institute of Technology his key focus.

Redmond O’Donoghue retired last year as group chief executive officer of Waterford Wedgwood plc after almost 20 years in senior positions with Waterford Crystal and its parent company. He has now been re-appointed as chairman of the governing body at WIT.

WIT director Kieran Byrne said: “The contribution that Redmond has made to Irish business life during his career is very substantial and we are fortunate at the institute to be able to draw on guidance from someone with his extensive international management and marketing expertise.

“Redmond brings tremendous energy and intelligence to all his undertakings and it is particularly fortuitous that he leads our governing body at a tremendously important time in the life of the institute as our application for university designation is considered.”

For his part, Mr O’Donoghue said that he looked forward to continuing to work with Prof Byrne and the wider institute community in advancing its agenda.

He said: “The figures for participation in higher education during 2004 that were published by the Higher Education Authority on March 2 again outline how vitally important it is to the south-east region that our application for university designation should succeed. Across the five counties of this region, just over one-in-five school-leavers go to university. The corresponding figure for Galway is over one-in-three - again highlighting the inequity that currently exists.”