DPR News
Healthy Campus Update
The Healthy UCC steering committee met in person on 19 September 2025 to discuss plans for the year ahead. Chaired by Professor Stephen Byrne, committee members include the chairs and the deputy chairs of the action groups, representatives from the Students Union, People and Culture, EDI and Sustainability.
It was the first meeting of the committee under the new UCC Healthy Campus Lead, Professor Patricia Kearney. Patricia paid tribute to her predecessor Dr Michael Byrne’s leadership, his vision and long-standing commitment and contribution to the development of UCC as a health promoting university and his key role nationally in the development of the HEI’s Healthy Campus framework. With Michael’s leadership, UCC contributed to a range of initiatives that have shaped the national Healthy Campus agenda and informed the implementation of the HEA Healthy Campus Framework.
The committee discussed the work ahead in assessing and mapping UCC across the four key areas:
- Leadership, Strategy and Governance
- Campus Environment (Facilities and Services)
- Campus Culture and Communications
- Personal and Professional Development
These areas are set out in the framework. The critical importance of linking in with existing campus student and staff initiatives was noted. The committee agreed to work together on the self-assessment to develop evaluation indicators and inform plans by Healthy UCC action groups to strengthen how UCC’s learning environment and organisational culture enhance the health and wellbeing of our community.