2009 Press Releases

Conferring Ceremonies at University College Cork (UCC) - September 7th 2009
07.09.2009

Over 500 students graduated today (September 7th 2009) on the first day of UCC's week-long Autumn Conferring Ceremonies. Among the undergraduate and postgraduate students who graduated were 181 from the College of Business and Law, 153 from the College of Science, Engineering & Food Science and 184 from the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences.
The Conferring Addresses were delivered by Mr Pádraig O Riordáin, Managing Partner, Arthur Cox Solicitors; Mr Joe Walsh, former Minister for Agriculture (attached) and Professor Aine Hyland, former Professor of Education and Vice-President, UCC (attached).

Pádraig O Ríordáin in his speech congratulated the law graduates and addressed the challenges that Ireland is currently facing as they begin their careers. He emphasised the role for every graduate, each in their own way, to take ownership of these challenges and to face them with ambition and without fear, as each previous generation faced the particular issues of their day. He explained the transitory nature of our current economic problems and said that Ireland needed the new ideas and energy of our graduates, through which it would emerge stronger, with a greater return to the values that have traditionally defined us.

Professor Paul McSweeney was conferred with a Doctorate of Science (DSc) for published work. Paul is Associate Professor of Food Chemistry in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences and is the Dean of the Faculty of Food Science and Technology, UCC.

Citation delivered by Professor Kevin Cashman on the conferment of a DSc on Professor Paul McSweeney, September 7th 2009
Today is the fourth time that Paul has received a degree from UCC, as he already holds a BSc and PhD in Food Chemistry and a MA in Ancient Classics. 

The overall theme of his research is Dairy Biochemistry with particular reference to factors affecting the development of cheese flavour and texture during cheese maturation.  He has supervised/co-supervised 17 MSc and 14 PhD students registered in UCC and many visiting students.  He is the author/co-author/co-editor of ~180 research papers, reviews and book chapters, 30 full-length conference papers and in addition to well over 100 conference abstracts and posters.  In addition, he is co-editor or co-author of 8 books, including with Prof PF Fox the three volume Advanced Dairy Chemistry series published by Springer (New York).  With a total of nearly 3,000 pages and 66 chapters written by well in excess of one hundred scientists from 15 countries, the third edition of the Advanced Dairy Chemistry series is by far the most comprehensive treatise on the chemistry of milk and dairy products ever published.   
 
He is amongst the most highly cited dairy scientists in the world and member of the editorial board and reviewer for many peer-reviewed scientific journals in the dairy area.  In 2004, he was presented with the Marschall Danisco International Dairy Science Award of the American Dairy Science Association which is given annually to a researcher, working anywhere in the world except in the US and Canada, “to recognize outstanding accomplishments” in dairy science.

ENDS

Conferring Address by Mr Joe Walsh, retired Minister for Agriculture, Monday, September 7th 2009
President, Members of the University, new graduates and distinguished guests,
I am very honoured to speak to you today on such an auspicious occasion and I would like to thank the President of the University, Dr Michael Murphy for the invitation. I have refrained from public speaking since my retirement as Minister but a call from my alma mater certainly warrants an exception.
But this day belongs to you, the new graduates. Today marks a great achievement for you all and I would like to sincerely congratulate each and every one of you. It is also a proud day for your parents and families who have supported you along the way and who, I am sure you agree, deserve a special word of thanks.

Today marks the start of what I have no doubt will be an exciting journey into an ever more rapidly changing world, the future of which we can hardly foresee but you can certainly influence and shape.
 
Little did I know when I graduated from UCC of the journey that lay ahead. Politics and food, and indeed the politics of food, were to be my preoccupation and passion. If anything, this area of endeavour has come more to the fore in recent times as food production is now clearly recognised as central to the major global challenges confronting us all. Let me therefore share my thoughts with you as you assume the mantle of making this a better world.
 
Sustainable food production will play a key role in a world where climate change, energy and water scarcity are factors of universal concern.

The global economy has experienced a very severe shock in the past couple of years. All of us have had to adjust to that shock, some of us more so than others. Exceptionally unfavourable global economic and financial conditions coupled with a weakening in domestic demand meant that for 2009, the Irish economy is experiencing a second consecutive year of contraction and adjustment. As one of the most open economies in the world, heavily dependent upon international trade, Ireland is more exposed than most to changes in the world economy. The impact of the unfavourable international economic climate was compounded here in Ireland by an excessive dependence on the construction sector and a loss in international competitiveness in recent years.
 
The sudden, recent contraction in our economy followed a long period of exceptional economic growth that saw Ireland at the top of the OECD growth tables year after year, and saw Irish incomes catch up with, and eventually exceed, those of our neighbouring EU countries.
 
It is vitally important that we get the balance right in readjusting to the changed circumstances. Of course, the sector of particular interest to me - agriculture and food - has not been immune to the impacts of the global recession, particularly as Ireland exports most of its agricultural output. Both at home and abroad, there is no doubt that the industry is facing significant immediate challenges. On domestic and international markets the reduction in personal consumption is affecting the agri-food sector with consumers curtailing their spending. I speak about the sector not just because of its economic importance but because the reality is that it impacts on us all regardless of our particular discipline or background. The agri-food industry is and will remain our most important indigenous industry. It was often a cause of annoyance to me that some commentators did not seem to realise or appreciate the value of the agri-food sector to the Irish economy. Despite the growth of other sectors in recent years, it should not be forgotten that the food industry accounts, directly and indirectly, for 230,000 jobs in our economy. The value of agri-food exports amounted to almost €8.2 billion last year, despite the very challenging international environment. The net contribution of these exports to the economy is particularly significant because of the sector's exceptionally low dependence on imported inputs.

I was heartened to see recently the publication of independent analysis verifying that the sector contributes almost one third of net foreign earnings.
I have always believed that this country is capable of sustainably producing and exporting high quality food and drink products.

Despite the challenging market, currency fluctuations and turbulent export environment, the industry has the potential to boost export returns in the coming years and to help accelerate our economic recovery.

To benefit from any recovery in international markets, however, we here in Ireland have to ensure that we are fully competitive. Much more remains to be done by all of us on this front. Ensuring that we are fully competitive, and at the cutting edge of innovation, at every stage in the food production and distribution chain will remain an absolutely key priority for our future prosperity.

This dovetails into the broader blueprint for economic recovery, "Building Ireland's Smart Economy", published by the Government last December. It has been said that Ireland of the future will be a smart, high-value, export-led economy. Export-led manufacturing must play a crucial role in our economic recovery, and I am convinced agriculture and food will be at the heart of this.

Our own economic recovery will have to be achieved in a world affected by climate change. Unless the global community takes immediate action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere, the economic problems of today will pale in significance when compared to the difficulties we will face if global warming continues unabated.

Science tells us that if we are to avoid dangerous climate change, we have to keep average global warming to less than 2í Celsius above the pre-industrial temperature. That is just 1.2íC higher than today.

The Irish Government has strongly supported the lead taken by the European Union in seeking to limit the effects of global warming under the Kyoto protocol and is committed to playing its role cutting EU carbon emissions by 8% from their 1990 levels in the period 2008-2012.

Of course this has been superseded by the decision to increase the EUπs contribution to combating climate change, by cutting emissions by 20% by 2020, and, indeed, possibly to go further and make a 30% cut by 2020 in the event of a new global agreement.

As we come ever closer to an international agreement on global emissions reductions, it concerns me that there is insufficient focus on food security and the unique nature of emissions associated with food production. I am also concerned that the implementation of emissions reduction proposals should not result in unintended impacts in terms of global food supplies.

A few facts worth keeping in mind:
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that the number of hungry people in the world has increased by 11% last year to 1.02 Billion in 2009 or 1 in every 6 people on the planet today.

It forecasts that the financial crisis will tip even more people into hunger. The world's population is set to rise by 2.5 Billion, to 9.2 Billion by 2050. This increase alone is equivalent to the total size of the world's population in 1950.  To meet this dramatic increase in population, demand for food is expected to double in the same period.
 
With the numbers of people suffering from hunger are expected to rise an enormous global effort and concrete actions will be required if we are to meet, the Millennium goal; to halve the number of hungry people million by 2015. By comparison to the modest aims of the Millennium Goal, the challenge to double food production by 2050, even in the absence of any restriction on emissions from agriculture or land use would be enormous; but that is not even full the extent of the challenge before us. This task must be achieved whilst also reducing emissions from the most productive and sustainable food production systems in the world.

Balancing the need to meet the projected demand for food while achieving major emission reductions and respecting environmental priorities, such as land use change to support biomass to meet renewable energy targets and commitments on halting the loss of biodiversity is a daunting challenge. An agreed, coherent, EU and UN policy on food security, sustainable food production and access to affordable produced food for all is, I believe, essential. These issues must be addressed, as a priority, in the context of any international agreement on global emissions reductions.
 
Clearly, Europe will play a major role in the future as we face up to global challenges. Ireland has always protected and promoted our national interests in Europe by building a cohesive system of political alliances in Europe. I am acutely aware of how we managed this in relation to maximising the benefits for Irish agriculture over the years. We will need to continue to build alliances with like-minded Member States over the years ahead as we face the new challenges. To do that, we cannot risk isolating ourselves from them by negative signals on the Lisbon Treaty.
 
These are but some reflections on what I see as central issues likely to impact on the future.
 
Today can only inspire optimism with the release of energy and new thinking which you will undoubtedly apply in shaping that future. It is a day for celebration and looking forward with confidence. It has been said that when it comes to the future there are three kinds of people"those who let it happen, those who make it happen and those who wonder what happened".  Make it happen!
Let me congratulate you once again and wish you well.

Thank you.
ENDS

Conferring Address by Aine Hyland former Professor of Education and Vice President, UCC, Monday 7th and Tuesday, September 8th 2009
Today is a day of celebration for all of you, your families and friends, and for 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 future.

I sat my Leaving Certificate in 1959 and entered the Civil Service as an Executive Officer in the Department of Education that autumn. I did not become a university student until later when the marriage ban required me to leave the Civil Service and I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate studies when my children were young and the marriage ban precluded me from taking up full-time work. I have spent the last 50 years involved in education in various capacities as civil servant, research assistant, parent activist, teacher, lecturer, professor of education, and until three years ago Vice-President of UCC.  I continue to have an avid interest and an involvement in education nationally and internationally, and I would like 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.

Half a century ago, only 50% 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 (universities, colleges of education and other HE colleges) was less than 15,000 students; one quarter of whom had home addresses "outside the State" and less than 20% of whom 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 each year 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. And Ireland was a poor country in the 1950s - unemployment was very high; emigration was rife and poverty was widespread.

In spite of the recent economic downturn and the rising unemployment and poverty levels, Ireland is a much better country today.  Enrolment in higher education in Ireland has increased more than twelvefold in the past 50 years.  Almost 60% 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, 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.

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 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.  

But in spite of the government's avowed support for higher education, per capita government expenditure in the sector has fallen significantly in real terms in recent years, leaving Irish higher education in a vulnerable situation vis-à-vis its international competitors.  The recent report of the National Competitiveness Council published last month, pointed out that at all levels of education, Ireland invests less money per student than other countries in the EU-15 and in the OECD.  For example, whereas the average spending on higher education in the U.S. is $24,000 per student, in Ireland the equivalent figure is much less than half that - only $10,500 per student.  Similarly Ireland spends less per student in higher education than other OECD countries - where the average spend is over $16,000.  In spite of that glaring discrepancy, the recent report of An Bord Snip has targeted the university sector for further cuts - suggesting a cut of 10% in staff numbers and budget. Such a cut would be a disaster for higher education and for Ireland's competitiveness internationally.

Irish universities are willing and poised to face the challenges of higher education in the 21st century. In spite of cut-backs and financial constraints, we are well on the way to achieving the target of doubling the number of post-graduate students by 2013.  Excellent work is being done in the area of Graduate Education by UCC - led by Professor John O'Halloran who chairs the Graduate Studies Committee of Academic Council and by Professor Alan Kelly, Dean of Graduate Studies.  I can say this with confidence as co-ordinator of the US based Carnegie Foundation's CASTL Graduate Education Network of which UCC is a member. Other universities in this network include Rutgers in New Jersey, Michigan State University, the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the Central European University in Budapest and UCC's achievements in the past three years have been very impressive indeed.

UCC has also been in the forefront in ensuring that teaching and learning at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels is research-informed and researched.  There is no dichotomy between research and teaching, and some of the best university teachers both in UCC and in universities around the world are also renowned researchers.  It is not uncommon in the U.S. to find that the winner of the U.S. Professor/Teacher of the Year is also an outstanding researcher - even a Nobel prize-winner.  UCC's commitment to the integration of Research and Teaching and Learning is manifest in that it is the lead institution in the National Academy for the Integration of Research and Teaching and Learning - an initiative that has done impressive work since it was set up two years ago.

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 in Ireland.  Ireland has one of the lowest levels of part-time participation in the world in higher education at less than 12% - the majority of whom are in Institutes of Technology. Only 3% of undergraduate students in the university sector are part-time students.  Our older population are among the least well educated in the OECD countries and if our higher education system were more flexible, many of them would like to upgrade their educational qualifications, especially in these recessionary times.   There may be some light on the horizon in this regard.  I was involved recently in a report on Open and Distance Learning, chaired by Malcolm Skilbeck, which recommended that the Irish government remove the funding anomalies between full-time and part-time students. I understand that this recommendation was accepted by the HEA - and it will now be a matter for the Strategy Group on Higher Education to include this recommendation in its forthcoming report to government.   

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, Irish universities need to develop policies and practices in relation to the recognition and accreditation of Prior Learning, both formal and informal, which will enable mature people to get due recognition of their prior learning - however achieved. Universities also need to introduce greater flexibility in provision - to enable students to access learning both on-campus and off-campus.  I know that some individual professors and lecturers have been very creative in this regard in spite of institutional obstacles - but it is time for flexible learning to be embedded in university policy.  

There is also a growing need and demand for interdisciplinary courses.  Most Irish universities have to date been bound by faculty boundaries at undergraduate level - interdisciplinary studies are relatively rare, in particular interdisciplinary courses which cross faculty boundaries.  In the current climate where knowledge is increasingly being extended and some of the most exciting research is being carried out at the intersection of disciplinary boundaries, higher education institutions need to be more flexible in this regard.  Even though HE courses in Ireland have been modularised, in line with the Bologna declaration, the potential of modularisation has not been fully exploited to enable Irish students to cross disciplinary boundaries.

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 about 15% 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.  This is one development I would thoroughly welcome in my lifetime.

Again I would like to congratulate all of you and to wish you all the best in the future.

Picture shows Elaine O'Connor (LLB) (left) and Anne Keane (LLB) who were conferred today (September 7th 2009).

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