Eating the Elephant – In Small Bits

Eating the Elephant – In Small Bits

Implementing a National Strategy –Higher Education in Ireland

Dr. Richard ThornEmeritus President, Institute of Technology,

Sligo11th February, 2013

• Background and Context• First Steps• Eating the Elephant in Small Bits• Moving the Big Rocks• A Configuration• Letters and Leaks• Moving On and Looking Back – Progress and

Problems

Background and Context – The Irish HE System

• 160,000 students (120k FT and 40k PT)

• Fragmented – 7 universities, 14 institutes of technology, 10+ publicly funded smaller colleges, c. 10 private colleges.

• Variable in size – 20,000 – 500• Underfunded compared to other

countries but performs well – very significant drops in funding recently.

• Little inter-institutional cooperation.• Quality generally good.• Research credibility good• Not very strong on international

recruitment (c. 10%)

Background and Context - OECD Review 2004

52 Recommendations

1. That the differentiation of mission between the university and the institute of technology sectors is preserved and that for the foreseeable future there be no further institutional transfers into the university sector;

2. That steps be taken to coordinate better the development of the tertiary education system by bringing the universities and the institutes under a new common Authority, the Tertiary Education Authority, but that machinery be established within the Authority to prevent mission drift;

Background and Context – ‘Hunt Report’

http://www.hea.ie/files/files/DES_Higher_Ed_Main_Report.pdf

Background and Context - Some National Strategy for Higher Education Principles

“…system needs to evolve within a clear framework that is aimed at developing a coherent set of higher education institutions, each of significant strength, scale and capacity and with complementary and diverse missions that together meet individual, enterprise and societal needs…”

“…The system should be strengthened by the development of regional clusters of collaborating institutions (universities, institutes of technology and other providers), and by institutional consolidation that will result in a smaller number of larger institutions. There should be a particular focus on encouraging the emergence of stronger amalgamated institutes of technology…”

“When, over time, the amalgamated institutes of technology demonstrate significant progress against stated performance criteria, some could potentially be re-designated as technological universities.”

“A new contractual relationship or service level agreement between the State

and the higher education institutions should be established, as part of a wider

strategic dialogue, and this should be used to ensure that the requirements for performance, autonomy and accountability are aligned.”

First Steps – 1st/2nd Quarter 2011

• Report published early 2011• New Chairperson of HEA early 2011• Oversight Implementation Group (DES in the Chair,

universities, institutes, HEA, ….)• HEA establishes an Implementation Task Force• End 2nd Quarter 2011 HEA approaches IOTI and

IUA for assistance.• Two staff given ‘on loan’ to HEA for 1st phase of

implementation

‘The Elephant’

The ‘National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030’ is not a strategy in the true sense; it was a

series of policy statements covering teaching, learning, research, engagement, and governance

issues.

Eating the Elephant – In Small Bits

Disaggregation

July – October, 2011One month of mind mapping and project

clarification followed by three months of getting agreement on a project plan

Using Milestones(Oversight Implementation Group)

Moving the Big Rocks

• HEA Reform• The Role of Private Providers• The Role of Part Time and Flexible Education• National Student and Employer Surveys• National Form for the Enhancement of Teaching and

Learningand• TU Criteria• The Landscape – Clusters, Alliances, Mergers,

Collaborations

"University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so

small."—Henry Kissinger

http://www.hea.ie/files/TowardsaFutureHigherEducationLandscape.pdf

System Configuration

‘The Landscape Document’http://www.hea.ie/files/TowardsaFutureHigherEducationLandscape.pdf

• The process to be followed• Criteria for TU• Guidelines for Clusters

Accompanied by detailed profiles of each HEI in the publicly funded part of the Irish HE system.

System Configuration– An analysis of student and labour market demand for higher

education conducted for the HEA by the ESRI. – Submissions from the higher education institutions laying out their

intentions– An analysis of the aggregated HEI responses against the objectives and

principles of the National Strategy and the ‘Landscape’ document.– A report of an international expert panel established by the HEA on an

‘optimal configuration’.

All to be completed by late August – they were!HEA to prepare advice to Minister by end 2012 – It didn’t!

https://share.hea.ie/Extranet/landscape-submissions

Policy Differences

Letters and LeaksTeacher's Pet – Tuesday November 20th, 2012SEÁN FLYNN

The talk of education What gives in the relationship between the Department of Education and the Higher Education

Authority? Over the past six months the HEA has taken on a huge workload as it seeks to modernise the third-level

sector. As part of this it has commissioned a series of reports from international and local experts and from the ESRI.

One might imagine that Minister Ruairí Quinn and the department would welcome this input and the subsequent debate on the future of the sector. But the opposite appears to be the case.

When the report from international experts recommending a UCD-TCD merger leaked in September, the Minister quickly rubbished it. The department has also worked behind the scenes to “nuance” the HEA reports before publication to ensure contentious material was erased.

To make matters worse, the HEA reports – some completed way back in July – were finally issued only late last Friday, in what was seen as an attempt to limit media coverage. Why is the department being so cautious?

On a related note, two leading academics worked on the HEA analysis of new higher-education structures published last Friday. But neither Dr Richard Thorn nor Prof Vin Massaro was credited in the final version “approved” by the department. All very strange.

A Policy Decision - Minister for Education and Skills, 22nd November, 2012

Priorities for future System Design and ReformMy four clear priorities are:• 1. Strengthening our university system.• 2. The development and consolidation of the Institute of Technology sector.• 3. The formation of regional clusters between universities, stronger institutes of technology and future

technological universities.• 4. Increased sustainability and capacity in the higher education system.

Priority 2 - Consolidation, strengthening and evolution of the IOT sector – why it is still so important• A core objective will, therefore, be to protect and enhance the role of the IOT sector in supporting

enterprise, underpinning diversity and promoting access and participation.• Some institutes of technology are on a developmental path towards becoming Technological

Universities. • I endorse the criteria set out by the HEA for the establishment of a Technological University.

Priority 3 – Achieving critical mass through Consolidation and Collaboration and the development of Regional Clusters

• There is need to achieve critical mass through consolidation and collaboration and the development of Regional Clusters.

What the Minister Wants….

Advice to Minister on Landscape Configuration – March 2013

Moving on and Looking BackNew structure and staffing arrangements for the HEA – Agreed and being

implementedCriteria for Technological Universities – ApprovedNational Student Survey – Pilot in 2nd Quarter 2013National Employers Survey – PublishedNational Forum for Teaching and Learning – EstablishedPolicy on Private Providers – ApprovedPolicy on Part Time and Flexible Provision – Approved4 out of 5 conferences planned have been held3 TU consortia established – yet to see if hey will all stay the course1 ‘Super IoT’ plannedMergers of colleges involved in Initial Teacher Education being implemented.Consolidation of Creative Arts provision in Dublin

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Thank You