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9th Level Ireland is now at 9thlevel.ie.

TUI backs Croke Park second ballot endorses deal

“The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has voted to back the Croke Park deal in a reballot. Overall, 76% of TUI second-level members endorsed the deal. As expected, the vote was tighter at third-level where 55% backed the deal …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 24 March]

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Irish science achieves high ratings for research

“Measuring the quality of research in different countries can be a complex, controversial exercise, but the widely used bibliometrics system shows that Irish scientists are increasingly influential …” (more)

[Conor O’Carroll, Irish Times, 24 March]

Tansey scholar: Tralee student awarded

“A business student has become the first recipient of a University of Limerick scholarship set up in memory of the late Paul Tansey, who was economics editor of The Irish Times …” (more)

[Kathryn Hayes, Irish Times, 24 March]

College president denies Maynooth seminary to close

“The President of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Msgr Hugh Connolly, yesterday denied media speculation the college may shortly be closed …” (more)

[Paddy Agnew, Irish Times, 24 March]

Dublin universities take awards at ISDA festival

“Dublin universities swept the boards at The Irish Student Drama Association Awards which took place last Saturday in The Ardilaun on Taylor’s Hill …” (more)

[Kernan Andrews, Galway Advertiser, 24 March]

Academic Novels – latest

“Two books that I read recently are not academic novels sensu stricto, but contain academic characters: one whose academic career is central to the novel (Pym, by Mat Johnson) and one whose academic career is peripheral (The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, by Dinaw Mengestu). I liked both books a lot, especially the first 43% of Pym, but there are some odd things about the depiction of academics and academia in these books …” (more)

[FemaleScienceProfessor, 24 March]

Identity check: Vice-chancellors’ education and pay revealed

“In a time of unprecedented change for the UK’s academy, its leaders are under the spotlight as never before. Accordingly, Times Higher Education has augmented its annual survey of pay in the sector with an investigation into our v-cs’ educational backgrounds. John Morgan asks: who are these people and what do they earn? …” (more)

[Times Higher Education, 24 March]

Korea, Singapore threaten Australia’s standing in Nature publication rankings

“Pressure from rising stars Korea and Singapore could soon squeeze Australia out of its third place in a prestigious ranking of publication rates in the Nature suite of scientific journals. The Nature Publishing Index for Asia and the Pacific released today …” (more)

[Jill Rowbotham, The Australian, 24 March]

A Copyright Expert Who Spoke Up for Academic Authors Offers Insights on the Ruling

“Pamela Samuelson played a lead role in voicing academic authors’ concerns over the Google Books settlement. That advocacy made an impact: Judge Denny Chin cited her writing in his ruling rejecting Google’s deal with authors and publishers, who were represented by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers …” (more)

[Marc Parry, Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 March]

Dáil Éireann Written Answers – Higher Education Grants

“Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reverse the cuts to third level grants, the impact of which will force thousands of students out of college …” (more)

[Dáil Éireann – Written Answers, 22 March]

Google Decision Spurs Research Libraries to Rethink the Path to Digital Access

“Tuesday, a federal judge tossed out the proposed settlement in the lawsuit over Google’s vast book-digitization project. Still, research libraries with a stake in that work said they were undeterred …” (more)

[Jennifer Howard, Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 March]

UK Unearths £100 Million More for Research Infrastructure, Launches Agency to Eliminate Clinical Trial Red Tape

“The United Kingdom’s budget for 2011-12, announced today by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, has some good news for scientists with a £100 million boost in spending on capital projects as well as promised removal of red tape surrounding biomedical research and clinical trials …” (more)

[Daniel Clery, Science Insider, 23 March]

Manchester University to charge £9,000 tuition fees”

“As another institution announces it will charge students the maximum, there are fears that the government may be forced to cut university places …” (more)

[Jessica Shepherd, Guardian, 23 March]

Abramova: judicial deference and the litigious student

“Her case is the latest example of the increasingly frequent phenomenon of the litigious student, and it raises some very important legal issues …” (more)

[Eoin O’Dell, Cearta, 23 March]

Employment Control Framework – what it might mean for me

“I run a research group of somewhere between a half dozen and a dozen people. They are mostly post-graduate level students, but usually with a couple of post-doctoral researchers included in the group. The funding for post-docs has come both from national funding sources – HEA PRTLI, Science Foundation Ireland, etc. – and from international sources such as the EU ‘Marie Curie’ programme …” (more)

[Science, society, stuff …, 23 March]

Maynooth seminary responds to closure claim

“A report in the Irish Catholic newspaper saying St Patrick’s Seminary in Maynooth could be closed was based on unfounded speculation, a spokesman has said …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 23 March]

College backs down from conferring fees threat

“UCC has finally agreed to back down from the threat of a €65 fee to be levied on graduating students of the college, after the university’s finance committee discussed the issue Mon. night and decided against introducing the hotly opposed fee …” (more)

[Cork Student News, 23 March]

Engineering vs. Liberal Arts: Who’s Right — Bill or Steve?

“When students asked what subjects they should major in to become a tech entrepreneur, I used to say engineering, mathematics, and science—because an education in these fields is the prerequisite for innovation, and because engineers make the best entrepreneurs. That was several years ago …” (more)

[Vivek Wadhwa, TechCrunch, 21 March]

Students paid for fake results

“A scam involving a Perth university employee charging Indian students thousands of dollars for fake English test results stretched across the country, with one student flying from Queensland to obtain dodgy marks …” (more)

[Debbie Guest, The Australian, 24 March]