It was indeed fitting that the Millennium should be marked by a major conference on access, Challenges for the Millennium: A Vision of Higher Education. All parties involved in the planning and providing of higher education in Ireland have been particularly active in regard to the access issue in recent years and the papers given at this conference in May 2000 are testimony to this. The many facets of the complex issue of access are explained in these papers and responses suggested to the problems raised by the distinguished speakers.
The organisers of the conference, Dublin City University, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Waterford Institute of Technology and the Higher Education Equality Unit are to be congratulated in seeing the usefulness of such a conference and its particular relevance to Ireland. They displayed enterprise in drawing speakers from a wide range of higher education institutions and from bodies, national and international, and the social and economic sectors as well as higher education.
There is much to be gained from reading these papers in the light of policy developments since the Conference was held and measures now under consideration to advance the issue of access for all to higher education. I would like to commend all who were involved in the organisation of the conference and all those who participated whether in presenting papers or chairing sessions. In particular we are indebted to Ann O'Brien, Access Officer, NUI Maynooth, one of the originators of the Conference and who also collated the papers and the remarks of chairs of the various sessions for this publication. This is a most important time for higher education. With a reducing schoolÐleaving cohort there is now an opportunity for a sea change in access to higher education with a real opportunity for underÐrepresented groups in higher education to expand. The Authority was glad to assist in the organisation of the conference and in the publication of the proceedings on this central issue in higher education.