“The economic crisis has affected European higher education systems in different ways and at different stages of the crisis, but the ensuing cuts are likely to lead to sweeping changes to higher education systems around Europe, according to a report by the European University Association …” (more)
[Brendan O’Malley, University World News, 16 January]
“… I want to argue, however, that the arts and human sciences, far from being luxuries to be discarded at the first sign of rain, are essential to the well-being of any society. Specifically, I believe that a real commitment to arts and humanities education is essential to the survival of a viable, pluralist democracy …” (more)
[Pádraic Conway, Sunday Business Post, 23 May]
“A cash-strapped university came close to not paying its staff wages last month, the BBC has learned …” (more)
[BBC News, 19 April]
“Madam, – At a time when children are being encouraged to take honours maths in the Leaving Cert and pursue studies in engineering and science, I would like to outline the fate of my family. Both my son and daughter took honours maths in the Leaving Cert and then went on to college …” (more)
[Marie Ruane, Irish Times, 14 April]
“I highly recommend a very interesting recent paper by John Aubrey Douglass of UC Berkeley, entitled Higher Education Budgets and the Global Recession: Tracking Varied National Responses and Their Consequences. He looks at the impacts of the current recession on education funding and policy in a number of OECD and other countries, including the US …” (more)
[Changing Higher Education, 11 April]
“The perfect higher education storm is developing in Ireland – a burgeoning population has forced enrolment projections upwards, a recession is driving more school leavers and adults into college and, at the same time, forcing cuts in budgets and staffing levels, as well as a political decision not to re-introduce tuition fees during the lifetime of the present government. Clearly, something has to give …” (more)
[John Walshe, University World News, 21 March]
“Spain’s economic crisis is beginning to bite, hitting top Spanish universities – including the Universidad Complutense which joined The Europaeum in 2003. The government’s austerity measures kicked in from January and, although education was to be protected, public universities are feeling the pressure as regional authorities propose substantial cuts that will hit higher education …” (more)
[University World News, 21 February]
“The financier responsible for Oxford University’s investment portfolio claimed more than £37,000 in expenses last year and saw her overall pay packet rise by 38 per cent, even though the value of the endowments she managed fell by nearly £50m …” (more)
[Tom Rowley, Independent, 19 February]
“… Here’s an excerpt about research conducted by Professor Till von Watcher; it will make interesting reading for current graduates. The message seems to be: get a job sooner rather than later; even if that means emigrating or working in a low-paid internship. Even then, there will still be a career disadvantage in many cases …” (more)
[Martin Ryan, Geary Behavioural Economics Blog, 13 September]
“Two news items yesterday indicate how it is possible for governments to take very different views as to how higher education should be handled in a recession. In Washington US President Barack Obama unveiled his administration’s $3.8 trillion budget proposals, and amongst these was a 7.8 per cent increase for education …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 2 February]
“California’s budget crisis came into stark focus in the halls of Sacramento State last week, where many students returning for spring semester were turned away from classes they had hoped to get into, or strained from hallways to hear lectures in classes that had enrolled way more students than there were seats …” (more)
[Laurel Rosenhall, The Sacramento Bee, 31 January]
“A union leader has described Tanaiste Mary Coughlan refusal to rule out further public sector pay cuts as ‘crazy’. Ms Coughlan told the Dail that trying to predict what cost-saving measures would be in next December’s Budget was impossible and for that reason she wouldn’t be ruling it out …” (more)
[Kevin Doyle, Herald, 28 January]
“… One interesting emerging trend in this context relates to the short-term strategies pursued by investors and speculators at a time of downturn. Many it seems have turned to students as a temporary source of rental income while they sit out the slump. This is reflected in several emergent trends. A number of property companies now have ‘products’ targeted at the student accommodation market …” (more)
[Michael Punch and Philip Lawton, Ireland after NAMA, 25 January]
“More than 65 per cent of recent graduates from the University of Limerick (UL) secured employment despite the economic downturn. The university’s president, Prof Don Barry, told a conferring ceremony yesterday that UL has one of the highest employment rates for students and is also ranked first in Ireland for degree completion …” (more)
[Sean Flynn, Irish Times, 21 January]
“… What mystifies me and tens of thousands of my fellow teachers in schools throughout Ireland is that if the State had such an excess of funds – one that resulted in the huge excess at FÁS and elsewhere – how is it that the basic facilities that teachers require to educate the children of the nation to the highest standards possible, were never provided during those years of plenty? …” (more)
[Brian Mooney, Irish Times, 19 January]
“… Curley, as senior principal engineer and global director of IT innovation and research at Intel and adjunct professor at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, sits comfortably in both worlds of academia and industry …” (more)
[Business and Leadership, 12 January]
“… In my department at NUI Maynooth, we have a huge challenge. We have about 850 students to be taught and we have only 15 permanent academics to do the teaching, with some of them absolved from teaching duties, this means that a LOT of teaching is going to be done by a small number of people …” (more)
[James McInerney, Science, society, stuff…, 8 January]
“The numbers entering the legal profession fell dramatically in 2009, according to the latest figures. According to figures obtained by The Irish Times, the number of new solicitors joining the roll of solicitors between 2008 and 2009 fell by 10 per cent, and the number joining the bar fell by 25 per cent …” (more)
[Carol Coulter, Irish Times, 8 January]
“When Paul Hennigan, president of Point Park University, in Pittsburgh, asked a room full of small-college presidents here whether they were nervous about meeting enrollment targets for the next academic year, the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’ …” (more)
[Robin Wilson, Chronicle of Higher Education, 6 January]
“The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland wrote down its net assets by €72 million in 2008 – a fall of 44 per cent on the previous year. In its annual report, the RCSI, which is a non-profit organisation, said the decrease was mainly due to the fall in the market values of ‘‘investment properties, an increase in the pension deficit and the operating deficit for the year’ …” (more)
[Susan Mitchell, Sunday Business Post, 3 January]
Ninth Level Ireland 