The Department of Education may not be right for the task of managing theuniversities. And the current round of spending cuts confirm this, says DCUpresident, Ferdinand Von Prondzynski. Seán Flynn, Education Editor reports

It is not just the English accent and the German background that makes Ferdinand Von Prondzynski seem like an outsider in the Irish third-level sector. Whereas most education chiefs pick their words carefully, Von Prondzynski likes to tell it like it is. The scale of the current cutbacks across the universities confirms his view that the Department of Education may not be right for the task of running the university sector - notwithstanding the very impressive group of civil servants dealing with the brief and a perceptive and determined Minister.

The Department, in a wider sense, does not, he says, sufficiently promote the needs and the requirements of the university sector in a competitive international environment.

"The management of the third-level sector is all over the place. The problem in the Department is that the third-level sector must take its place in the queue behind the primary and second-level sectors. The third-level sector is the third most important. . . we do not feature prominently," says Von Prondzynski.

The problem, he says, is that the Minister is publicly accountable for primary, second and third level. "The universities are seen as just another education service provider, but we are much more than this.

"Here at DCU, we are, in a very real sense, generators of investment in Ireland. We need to be put into a policy framework where the importance of the universities to national economic priorities is appreciated. If we were under the control of the Department of Enterprise and Employment, for example, there would be a keener appreciation of our role in job creation."

He continues: "As it is, the third-level sector is seen to be competing on a daily basis with, say, primary schools for funding. How can the universities ever win that battle when there are dilapidated classrooms and we are looking for millions of euro for research? We need a new platform, a new approach. It may be that we need a minister with specific responsibility for the the university sector."

He believes there are many in the university sector who share his view, but are reluctant to say so publicly.

Von Prondzynski also has provocative views about the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which handles the funding of the university sector. The HEA, he says, does a very good job in stimulating debate and reflection on the university sector, but, under current arrangements, its capacity to take decisions and make a real difference is limited. Take the recent cutbacks, the HEA may well have argued the universities case behind the scenes but it could not make any real difference, he says.

The scale of the cuts has come as a body blow to the entire third-level sector.

"Everyone knows we are in a period of retrenchment, but the Estimates mean we are dealing with an effective 10 per cent budget cut in the middle of our academic year."

It is, he says, "too early to tell," how the cuts will bite. "My intention is to avoid cutting jobs. It may be that we will have to leave some posts unfilled. We will have to impose severe limits on non-pay areas, back-up logistical and other supports and assistance for staff."

But, he says, the universities will maintain its strategy and prioritise its actions. "Universities will not gather public or government support by complaining that everyone is treating them badly. They need to rethink their strategy and be more entrepreneurial and innovative in their methods. They need to reform. Sometimes a body blow can be used to create opportunities. A reform agenda with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach may get support from government and industry".

He says the university will also have to find other ways of generating income.

"It may be that we will have to increase dramatically the number of overseas students. We will have to do something. The €80 increase in the student registration charge will make virtually no difference."

Ferdinand is three and half years into a 10-year stint at DCU in Glasnevin. Around the campus, no one calls him Professor von Prondzynski. Everyone just calls him "Ferdinand", which suits him just fine. In all, there are about 6,000 students on campus, plus some 1,500 post-graduates and 2,500 distance learners. On the staff side, there are about 600 full-time and about 1,000 part-time staff.

DCU is still something of an enfant terrible in the Irish third-level sector. Eyebrows were raised last year when the college attempted to impose a high points requirement for one computer studies course - even though the fall-off in student demand did not justify this. This year, a plan to give guaranteed accommodation to Leaving Cert students with over 500 points also attracted critical comment from other universities. The feeling among some in the university sector was that DCU was just being too pushy and too big for its boots.

Von Prondzynski does not sound very contrite about these and other controversies. In his strategic plan for the college he refers to DCU as a "renegade" university.

"I am very very proud of DCU. But we are different. Whereas other colleges value tradition and custom, our stress is on being modern and being innovative. For me, if something becomes a tradition in this university, then it is time to abolish it. We can never be satisfied. We must be pushing on."

DCU, he admits, still has something of an image problem among potential students. Yes, he agrees, it is seen as "less fun" than other colleges.

"We are seen as effective and hard-working, as an effective passport to a job." He hopes the soon-to-be-opened Sports Centre Extension will change perceptions. He reminds you that Helix Theatre on the complex also hosts The Dunphy Show for TV3 and You're a Star for RTÉ. DCU can be fun too, he says.

Von Prondzynski is not interested in DCU being a "catch-all" university offering a lengthy à la carte menu to students.

"We have identified certain areas where we can lead the field and we will concentrate on these. We do not wish to to do everything. We have an outstanding record in terms of research funding and we are a major generator of inward investment. Our recent successes in adaptive intelligence, sensors and biotechnology were achieved because of our focus on producing world class researchers. There is much to be proud of."