Conferring ceremonies continued today (13 September 2006) at
University College Cork with over 500 undergraduate and postgraduate
students graduating from the College of Science, Engineering & Food
Science and College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences.
Three hundred and thirty six Bachelor of Science degrees were conferred
and 84 postgraduate degrees including 69 Master of Science and 15 PhDs.
One hundred and eight Bachelor of Arts degrees were conferred.
The Conferring addresses were given by Dr John Mitchell, former
President, Pfizer Global Manufacturing (see below) and Professor Áine
Hyland, Vice-President, UCC (see below).
______________________________
Address by Dr John Mitchell, former President, Pfizer Global Manufacturing
President, Head of the College, Graduates, Academics, Ladies and Gentlemen
I am deeply honored to have been invited to address you today.
As you can tell from my accent, I am from West Cork and am a great road
bowler. Seriously, I'm from New York, location of the largest St.
Patrick's Day parade and plenty of Irish pubs. But the Beamish and
Murphy's is not as good as it is here in Cork. On my first trip to
Ireland in 1988, I kissed the Blarney Stone, endured the snow at Cork
Airport and found my name on the monument at the end of the Grand
Parade. Perhaps I am somewhat of a rebel!
Congratulations to you, the new graduates. Today is a significant
milestone in your life. Take time to enjoy it and feel proud about your
accomplishments. And, recognize and thank your parents, families and
significant others for their support during your academic years.
I'm especially pleased to be speaking to science graduates. I was very
impressed to see the wide variety of courses of study for which you
have received your BSc degree - many more than when I graduated from
Yale University in Connecticut in 1960. This is certainly an example of
the breadth of educational opportunities here at UCC.
Science and Technology
Science and technology have always been catalysts for change. Today, the pace of change continues to accelerate.
Back in 1966, I was asked to fly to the UK to try to resolve a problem
with a product being supplied to the US market. While in the UK, I
needed to contact my office. I didn't take out my mobile phone. I
didn't access a wireless network to send an email from my laptop. I
went to my hotel room, picked up the phone and asked for the
international operator, who told me that a line would be available 4
hours later. So, I could take a nap! Today, there is little time for
naps!
And, today, the internet is a major revolutionary force, shrinking and
integrating the world and creating discontinuous change. For example,
will we at some point no longer read paper newspapers, but rather get
the news on line? That would be less expensive, reduce waste and be
good for the trees and the environment. This morning I read the full
edition of today's New York Times on my laptop at my hotel. And, when
in NY, I can read the full edition of the Irish Sunday Business Post on
my computer.
Science-driven change is not only in telecommunications or computers.
Think about the rapidly advancing knowledge in chemistry, biology and
medicine. During my lifetime, polio and small pox have been virtually
eliminated around the world. There has been significant progress in the
prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. And, in the last 40
years, the life expectancy in Ireland has increased from 69 to 78
years, about the same as in the U.S.
I take the Pfizer product Lipitor, produced here in Ireland, for my
high cholesterol, preventing the development of coronary artery
disease. We see the exciting work in stem cell research and the recent
news about early progress in treating melanoma with gene therapy. But,
there is much remaining to be accomplished - for example, tuberculosis,
malaria, HIV/AIDS - largely diseases of the developing part of the
world.
Some may wish for what they believe to be the good old days and resist
change driven by science and technology. The Luddites destroyed new
machinery being introduced into the textile industry in Britain in the
early 1800's. The British government reacted by passing a law making
destruction of machinery a capital offense. That certainly was a myopic
reaction. Today, it is incumbent on governments and society to find
ways to lessen the impact of discontinuous change, but not try to
prevent it from occurring, for they would be unsuccessful if they
tried.
I often say that things 10 years from now will be much more different
from today than today is from 10 years ago and just think about the
differences between 2006 and 1996 - certainly here in Ireland! And you
will be the new catalysts of change. Perhaps, someday your conferring
speaker will be here as a hologram.
Science and technology advancement is significantly impacting global
economics. Some nations continue to have comparative advantage due to
natural resources (for example, petroleum) or low wages, but these are
becoming fewer. The new comparative advantage goes to an educated
society with intellectual power in science and technology research,
development and application, enabled by supportive government policies
and public/private co-operation. That is what you are developing here
in Ireland. The second generation Celtic Tiger will result from your
intellectual capability in science and technology.
Personal Experiences and Learnings
During the last 10 years of my Pfizer career, I was responsible for
global manufacturing and logistics operations at 120 sites in 40
countries with 35,000 colleagues - including 5 sites and 1700
colleagues here in Ireland. I was a frequent traveler - in fact, some
joked that my real office was seat 3B on some airplane.
A large part of the success of the Pfizer manufacturing organization
resulted from the development, with global input, of a short statement
of Purpose, Vision, Mission and Values. The values are Quality,
Integrity, Customer Focus, Respect for People, Innovation, Community,
Teamwork, Leadership and Performance. This statement was translated
into the many languages of the organization and was a major focus of
each operational review meeting held at sites around the world and
enabled the integration of the global team.
My experience and travels also taught me the power of diversity -
diversity of culture, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, nationality,
race, sexual orientation, education - in shaping an effective
organization. The unique perspectives and experiences of colleagues in
a diverse organization create that positive tension from which great
ideas, strategies and accomplishments flow. Just think how boring it
would be if every person was just like me!
Travel is in the Irish blood - I think I'm right about that.
Perhaps that comes from being an island nation - from the wild geese
and those seeking a better life in times of famine and economic
distress to those seeking the sun in Spain and the Canary Islands or a
summer job on Cape Cod, Massachusetts or opportunities in distant
lands.
When Pfizer decided to build a new plant in Singapore, we posted the
project jobs globally. By far, the most applicants were from Ireland.
Many were accepted and went to the other side of the globe and
contributed their expertise to a very successful project and plant
startup. And, they also learned about Singapore, its people and
culture, won some golf matches and even played Irish football!
In line with my interest in science, technology and education, I am
currently the Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of the
Pharma/Biopharma Training Partnership, based in the new School of
Pharmacy here at UCC. The partnership consists of UCC, CIT, FAS and the
pharmaceutical and biotech companies located in the Cork area. It will
develop programs in support of the development and training of
personnel in the industry and could serve as a model for other joint
academic, industry, government initiatives.
Personal Recipe for Success
I've tried to think about some of the key elements that led to success
in my business career which I might share with you, in case the shoe
might fit. Obviously, each person and situation is different.
Here they are:
Work hard at whatever you choose to do
Have fun doing it
Take well conceived risks
Be curious and ask lots of questions
Be an independent thinker
Create a vision statement
Develop and adhere to key values
Create and embrace change
Value and cultivate diversity
Travel and learn about other countries, cultures, history, etc.
Do the best you can on your current job or activity - the next job or opportunity will take care of itself.
Conclusion
Graduates, citizens of Ireland, citizens of the world -- you have
graduated at a time of great opportunity for Ireland, for the world and
for yourselves.
Your opportunities include further education, teaching at the primary
or secondary school or university level, work in research, industry or
government and, importantly, being an informed and engaged citizen.
Whatever route you choose, be an ambassador for science - for example,
support your university and appropriate government policies and
encourage children at the primary and secondary schools to explore
science.
As Mahatma Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world."
Go n-éirí an bóthar libh!
Go Raibh Maith Agaibh.
_______________________
Address by Professor Áine Hyland, Vice President, UCC
I add my congratulations to those of the Vice-Chancellor. To-day
is a day of celebration for all of you and for all of us - your
teachers and mentors in UCC. I wish you all the very best in the
years ahead. Whether you move into the world of work or continue
your studies to a higher level, I hope you will have a fulfilling and
happy life.
I want to talk briefly today about what has been achieved in Irish
education in the past half a century and to touch on the challenges
that lie ahead for the university sector.
Much has been achieved in Irish education since I sat the Leaving
Certificate in 1959. At that time only about half of our 12 and
13 year olds transferred from primary to second-level education.
About 40% completed junior cycle second level education and sat the
Group or the Intermediate Cert; less than 20% completed senior cycle
and were awarded the Leaving Certificate: less than 5% went on to
university. Total enrolment in higher education was less
than 15,000 students; one quarter of whom had home addresses "outside
the State" and less than 20% of university students were females.
The annual number of graduates in the whole country was 2,000. Of
these, less than 30% graduated with an honours degree. About 200
per annum graduated with a Masters or higher degree from all Irish
universities. Academic results required for entry to higher education
were low - more than half of those who entered professional disciplines
such as medicine, law and engineering in the early 1960s, would not be
accepted under to-day's points system. Entry to higher education in
Ireland before 1970 was based largely on ability to pay university fees
and to forego wages.
The situation has improved very significantly since then.
Enrolment in higher education in Ireland has increased more than
twelvefold since the early sixties. Over 55% of the population
now enter higher education. Achievement levels have improved
systematically over time with over 75% of students now graduating with
an honours degree. 60% of our undergraduates are female.
Participation rates in higher education have particularly improved
among groups who were traditionally under-represented e.g. mature
students, students with disabilities and students from lower
socio-economic backgrounds. While children of professionals and
of employers and managers continue to be the most highly represented in
our universities, recent research has shown that the gap between these
young people and the children of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled
workers has narrowed considerably in the past five to ten years.
Initiatives taken under the Access programmes in universities and
Institutes of Technology have contributed to this growth in
participation. And far from there being any "dumbing down of
standards" as some media commentators seem to suggest, the evidence
indicates that standards have not just been maintained but in many
cases have considerably improved. Cork and Kerry continue to be
among the counties with the highest participation rate in higher
education, with almost 70% of school leavers form Kerry entering higher
education last year.
However, we cannot be complacent. We must continue to ensure that
education is valued by the people of Ireland and that our young people
continue to have an opportunity to benefit from world-class university
education in this country. The Irish government has stated that
it is committed to placing the higher education system in the top rank
of the OECD in terms of both quality and levels of participation, and
within the past few months has emphasized that Ireland must be a world
leader not only in undergraduate or third level education, but also in
postgraduate or fourth level education. Speaking last December,
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern asserted that investing in third and fourth
level is a major national infra-structural priority. He said:
"Our higher education system has become crucial to Ireland's national
development objectives. We need to produce quality skilled
graduates that can meet the high value jobs needs of the emerging
sectors of the economy. We especially need to develop a fourth
level system of research which will be the engine of our future
growth".
He added "Producing high quality skilled graduates at third level and
producing cutting edge research and development at fourth level are
essential for protecting and creating jobs and retaining Ireland's
competitive edge in the new world economy".
However, in spite of the government's avowed support for higher
education, per capita government expenditure in the sector has fallen
significantly in real terms, leaving Irish higher education in a
vulnerable situation vis-à-vis its international competitors . A
recent newspaper article pointed out that whereas public spending on
primary and second-level education has increased by over 50% since the
year 2000, public spending on higher education has increased by only
17%. This imbalance will have to be redressed in the next few
budgets if there is to be any hope that Ireland can compete with other
OECD countries.
Irish universities are willing and poised to face the challenges of
higher education in the 21st century. The goal of doubling the number
of post-graduate students is achievable. Many of our Irish
universities, including University College Cork, have demonstrated the
capacity and the expertise to be leaders in world class research,
development and innovation, but the government must be consistent in
its research investment policy. The university sector has
suffered in the past few years from a stop-go approach to research
investment, and this has led to uncertainty and insecurity and to the
loss of some excellent researchers to overseas universities.
The lack of financial support by government for part-time students
(e.g. part-time students are not eligible for fee exemption or for
grants) has militated against a higher level of participation in higher
education by mature students and other under-represented groups.
Despite repeated calls from a wide range of groups and individuals in
the past decade, there has been no move to equalise conditions between
full-time and part-time students.
However, not all of the initiatives for change have to come from
government. Universities themselves must be pro-active in
responding to the changing needs and demands of society. For
example, ther is a growing need and demand for interdisciplinary
courses. But most Irish universities have to date been bound by
faculty boundaries at undergraduate level - interdisciplinary studies
are relatively rare, in particular interdisciplinary courses where
students can combine Science or Engineering or Medical studies with,
for example, a module in languages or History or Philosophy. In
the current climate where the boundaries of knowledge are increasingly
being extended and some of the most exciting research is being carried
out at the intersection of disciplinary boundaries, higher education
institutions should be more flexible in this regard. Even though
most courses in the universities have been modularised, the potential
of modularisation has not been exploited to enable Irish students to
cross disciplinary boundaries. In this regard, there has been a
degree of sluggishness in the system, contributed to by the internal
structures of universities. While collegiality and a consensus
approach to decision-making are laudable aims, sometimes a consensual
approach gives a veto to those who wish to prevent change. It is
important that a misguided concept of collegiality should not cut
across the best interests of the students. The Bologna
agreement provides the basis for a flexible and internationally
recognised credit transfer system and should be adopted more fully,
speedily and readily by Irish universities.
Finally a brief word about gender balance in Irish universities.
I mentioned earlier that there has been a total turn-around in the
proportion of female students in Irish universities in the past fifty
years - from 20% in the 1950s to 60% today - so much so that we are now
concerned about the under-representation of young men, particularly in
some subject areas. The number of female lecturers has also
increased significantly, especially at relatively junior levels.
However, only 10% of university professors are women and this % has
been very slow to change. The male-female imbalance is even
greater at management level, where in some Irish universities, there is
no woman on the top management group. Can we dare to hold out
hope that within the next few years, when a number of Irish
universities will be filling the post of President, a woman might be
appointed President in even one University? To date, there has
never been a woman president of an Irish university. As I step
towards retirement myself, this is one development I would like to see.
Again I would like to congratulate all of you and to wish you all the best in the future.
289MMcS
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