Introduction

In September 2021 I was appointed as President of University College Cork, having served as Interim President since September 2020.

In this role I led the development of UCC's Strategic Plan 2023 - 2028: Securing our Future which sets out the vision for University College Cork to 2028 across the five pillars of: Research & Innovation; Student Success; Global Engagement; Our Staff & Culture; and Our Place & Footprint.

Previously I had led the refreshing of the previous University Strategic Plan through a collaborative strategic prioritisation exercise – leading to the launch of UCC 2022 – Delivering A Connected University. The implementation of this plan ienjoyed significant staff engagement across the University and delivered transformative changes in response to geopolitical challenges, the climate crisis and societal and economic pressures associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic, while positioning UCC for long‐term success. 

During the challenges of COVID-19 I provided strategic leadership and direction on a university-wide programme of transformation in both student services and capital development (Hub, Sports and IT Infrastructure) through the Connected University Programme. This delivered UCC’s new Hub building, a new student focussed centralised student academic services Student Central and an engaging digital hub for students Ask UCC. Although COVID-19 caused significant global disruption, other disruptors such as climate change continued, and I was proud to continue to lead the implementation of UCC’s sustainability agenda and of our position as first in Ireland in the inaugural QS Sustainability Rankings, at 62nd globally in the Time Higher Education Impact Rankings and 6th globally in the UI Greenmetric World University Rankings (further detail below).

I previously served as Deputy President & Registrar, and was responsibile for academic affairs at UCC, including the development and implementation of our first ever Academic Strategy. In that role I was supported by a team of more than 250 dedicated professionals who deliver academic services to all students at UCC. I chaired UCC’s Athena SWAN Steering Group, and developed an implementation plan which led to the renewal of UCC’s Bronze Athena Swan Award. As Chief Academic Officer of the University I, along with the Academic Leadership Forum, led the implementation of an academic transformation to enable UCC to deliver on our academic mission during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of this transformation was extensive and included learning and teaching, assessment, placement, international travel, student experience and wellbeing. Just prior to the COVID-19 crisis I led the review of the University through an Institutional Evaluation Programme by European University Association (EUA), a process which provided a detailed review of our institutional process. This rich engagement with an external panel from the EUA not only supported us in the development of UCC 2022, but informed the preparation of our institutional strategic plan. 

Between 2014 and 2018 I served as Vice-President for Teaching & Learning at UCC. In this role I was charged with the re-structuring of the Office of the Vice-President for Teaching & Learning (OVPTL) to support staff in the provision of high quality teaching and student experience in line with the strategic objectives of UCC. To this end the Centre for Adult Continuing Education (ACE) was incorporated into the OVPTL. Ionad Baire, the former Teaching & Learning Centre at UCC, and the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching & Learning (NAIRTL) were merged to create the new Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching & Learning (CIRTL) to meet the needs of UCC in the areas of staff training, course provision and the scholarship of teaching and learning. The Quercus Talented Students' Programme was created to provide scholarships for UCC students who demonstrate excellence in areas in addition to their academic performance. Finally, the Centre for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) was established to provide a central portal to CPD courses provided by UCC and to support for Schools and Colleges in the provision of CPD courses. A Teaching & Learning Space Committee was created to improve the teaching infrastructure in classrooms, laboratories and online and to provide guidance for strategic investment in this area.

In 2022 I completed the Harvard Seminar for new Presidents at Harvard Graduate School and I am a member of the Top Management Programme Professional Reference Group with AdvanceHE. In 2014 I undertook the Top Management Programme for Leaders in Higher Education, and in 2011 I completed the Head of School Leaders Development Programme with the Leadership Foundation. The Top Management Programme works with senior managers in higher education to equip them to actively shape their universities, and to achieve higher day-to-day performance through individuals and teams. Prior to that I had completed their Heads of Schools leadership programme.

Digital Transformation

I am particularly interested in the use of technology cto advance teaching and learning and I have collaborated across UCC to develop online and blended learning programmes. To drive the digital transformation at UCC I established a Centre for Digital Education in 2015 to support the appropriate use of new technologies for teaching, both in the classroom and online. I also launched UCC Online, a platform providing access to online courses offered by UCC in a number of key areas, as a launch pad for innovation in the area of online education. 

In response to a staff survey on Technology Enhanced Learning at UCC undertaken during the summer of 2014, I launched a series of training courses for staff at UCC who wished to use technology in their teaching. I also hosted a series of Digital Days where UCC staff could find out more about the potential for the use of technology to enhance their teaching and where those already using innovative teaching methods could showcase their work.

Student-centred Education

Feedback from student surveys is critical to the ambition at UCC to continue to improve the student experience by providing students with a positive, enjoyable experience which meets their needs. Following detailed reviews of student engagement and student surveys at UCC I established a dedicated Student Surveys Office to connect with and listen to our students and place their perspective at the heart of decision making in UCC. This incudes the Irish Survey of Student Engagement. Effective student surveys deeply engage students in their experience, allowing them to reflect and provide feeback that enables us to consider their needs and identify areas that require improvement to better focus our efforts. It is important that we not just use the data collected by these surveys to listen to our students, but also to implement change based on the feedback collected. In February 2016 I co-hosted the inagural Student Experience Survey workshop at UCC to review the data and to close the loop between the issues raised and the follow-up in collaboration with the students. Information on developments in this area can be found at the You Said and We are Doing Together webpage.