2008 Press Releases
28.02.2008
Dr Michael Murphy, President, UCC, today (Thursday, February 28th 2008) launched the first formal LGBT staff network in an Irish university.
At a ceremony held in UCC's Glucksman Art Gallery, the President launched the new UCC LGBT Staff network and its website http://www.ucc.ie/en/hr/Equality/LGBTStaffNetwork/
In his speech launching the network, Dr Murphy said: "The initiative for the formation of the UCC Staff LGBT Network came from the university's Human Resources Department. As part of our equality strategy, in May last year our Equality Officer, Catherine Maguire, initiated a consultation process to discover how the needs of LGBT staff could best be met. The results highlighted the need for such a network and I am delighted to formally launch it and its website today."
Dr Joan McCarthy, Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, and Cathal Kerrigan, Subject Liaison Librarian, UCC Library are the joint co-chairs of the network.
Speaking at the launch on behalf of the network, Mr Kerrigan said: "This is a ground breaking commitment to genuine inclusiveness by the university and it deserves full recognition as such. We look forward to liaising with HR on employment and welfare issues that impact on the lives of LGBT staff and raising the visibility of LGBT staff and issues generally."
Dr Katherine O'Donnell, Lecturer, UCD Women's Education, Research and Resource Centre [WERRC] who was a guest speaker at the launch said: "While there are many similar networks in universities in North America and eleven such networks in Britain, I congratulate UCC on being the first LGBT staff network to be formally established in an Irish university. A fortnight ago we hosted the 15th Lesbian Lives conference in UCD and the papers presented showed clearly that workplace networks such as this are needed. The inclusion of everyone equally in employment and society generally will be to all our benefit."
In closing the proceedings as MC, Dr McCarthy said the network will set about its work immediately and would welcome input from everyone - from within UCC and outside - and she invited everyone to check out the new website at: http://www.ucc.ie/en/hr/Equality/LGBTStaffNetwork/
Photographed at the launch were: Cathal Kerrigan, Co-chair, UCC LGBT Staff Network, Dr Michael Murphy, President, UCC, Dr Katherine O'Donnell, Lecturer, Women's Education, Research and Resource Centre [WERRC], UCD and Dr. Joan McCarthy, Co-chair, UCC LGBT Staff Network.
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