Eating the Elephant – In Small Bits

1. Eating the Elephant – In Small Bits

2. Implementing a National Strategy –Higher Education in Ireland Dr. Richard Thorn Emeritus President, Institute of Technology, Sligo 11th February, 2013

3. 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

4. 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%)

5. Background and Context - OECD Review 2004

6. 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;

7. Background and Context – ‘Hunt Report’ http://www.hea.ie/files/files/DES_Higher_Ed_Main_Report.pdf

8. 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.”

9. 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

10. ‘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.

11. Eating the Elephant – In Small Bits

12. Disaggregation

13. July – October, 2011 One month of mind mapping and project clarification followed by three months of getting agreement on a project plan

17. Using Milestones(Oversight Implementation Group)

18. Moving the Big Rocks

19. 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 Learning and • TU Criteria • The Landscape – Clusters, Alliances, Mergers, Collaborations

20. "University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small."—HenryKissinger

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

22. 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.

23. 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

25. Policy Differences

26. Letters and Leaks Teacher's Pet – Tuesday November 20th, 2012 SEÁN 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.

27. A Policy Decision - Minister for Education and Skills, 22nd November, 2012 Priorities for future System Design and Reform My 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.

28. What the Minister Wants…. Advice to Minister on Landscape Configuration – March 2013

30. Moving on and Looking Back New structure and staffing arrangements for the HEA – Agreed and being implemented Criteria for Technological Universities – Approved National Student Survey – Pilot in 2nd Quarter 2013 National Employers Survey – Published National Forum for Teaching and Learning – Established Policy on Private Providers – Approved Policy on Part Time and Flexible Provision – Approved 4 out of 5 conferences planned have been held 3 TU consortia established – yet to see if hey will all stay the course 1 ‘Super IoT’ planned Mergers of colleges involved in Initial Teacher Education being implemented. Consolidation of Creative Arts provision in Dublin

31. ` Thank You