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Trinity Today | WELCOME
Message from the Provost
(Photo of Dr John Hegarty)
Dear Graduate,
Since the last issue of Trinity Today, Ireland has experienced one of its most difficult years in many decades. As many of the stalwart policies and visible edifices of the Celtic Tiger have disintegrated in the global economic downturn, education stands out as one pillar whose importance is greater than ever before and for which people rightly have great expectations. I believe that our education sector must step up to the plate in new ways and lead the way to a stronger, more creative, Ireland.
There are two challenges for the University in Ireland. The first is no different to that facing every public institution in this country: survival with less public resources while keeping intact the achievements of the last decade.
The second challenge is the more important: How the University can help contribute to the economy and society more generally by innovative and accelerated actions, building on the strengths already in place, and taking inspiration from well-established core values.
Trinity College Dublin has never been better placed to meet these challenges.
Trinity has recently been ranked 43rd in the world and 13th in Europe, according to the Times Higher Education – QS world university rankings for 2009. This is an outstanding achievement reflecting the quality of our education, the excellence of our research and the calibre of our graduates. Most importantly, it signals the readiness and capacity of this University and our community of students, academics and graduates to rise to the challenges we face and lead the way to creating and achieving a better future.
We are now embarking on a new Strategic Plan for the five year period 2009-14*. More than ever, it is essential that our plan for the future speaks to and connects with the wider community, addressing today’s concerns and ambitions, both in Ireland and the rest of the world. The mission of the University in the Ireland of the 21st century must be three-fold: Teaching, Research, and Innovation, which includes commercialisation and employment creation.
Recognising that as Ireland’s leading university on the world stage we have an obligation to lead the development and delivery of Ireland’s knowledge society, an exciting part of our new plan is that knowledge transfer and innovation will be prioritised as an integral component of Trinity’s core mission along with education and research.
We have already taken some bold action this year in launching a visionary initiative with University College Dublin built around the Smart Economy. The TCD/UCD Innovation Alliance is a radical departure – building a partnership which will work with the education sector, the State, its agencies, and the business and venture capital communities, to develop a world-class ecosystem for innovation that will drive enterprise development and the creation of sustainable high value jobs. There are many other examples of Trinity’s innovative approach throughout this edition of Trinity Today.
It is worth remembering that Trinity is a vibrant and diverse community in which everyone, our students, staff and alumni, are passionate about exploring, learning and questioning in a challenging environment that promotes spontaneous and unconventional thinking. I am convinced that it is from creative environments like this that the surprising ideas come, where the unique perspective is found and where old assumptions are challenged.
I am pleased to report that we have plans to increase and improve our communication with you, our highly valued alumni, and in particular with recent graduates who may be finding it difficult to find employment. They need particular support.
Trinity College, the home of so many inspiring and creative graduates and scholars in the past, today has staff and students of the same calibre. I am confident that they will more than meet the current challenges and help drive the recovery of the economy, a rebalancing of societal values, and an uplift of the human spirit.
Dr John Hegarty
Provost
* Prof Patrick Prendergast, Vice Provost and Chief Academic Officer, describes the scope and ambitions of Trinity’s new strategic plan in an interview on page 22
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