The Provost of Trinity College Dublin, Dr John Hegarty, is set to press ahead with a radical restructuring at the college, despite opposition from senior academics yesterday.
With two abstentions, the academics (or fellows) voted unanimously that the TCD board should delay any decision on the restructuring until the end of the year. They also want the college authorities to detail how it allocates funding.
The Hegarty plan would see the number of academic departments cut from over 60 to less than 20 and the number of faculties would also be halved, from six to three.
The proposals would also see open competition for all faculty deans. Last night, college sources said Dr Hegarty still hoped to secure agreement on the thrust of his proposals at a July 7th meeting of the Trinity board. They said revised proposals would reflect feedback from a series of consultations between Dr Hegarty and staff over the past month.
One source played down the importance of the fellows' meeting, attended by about 50 members of staff. "There are 2,000 staff members in the college. Some support the proposals, some oppose them. The college will endeavour to reflect all views."
But others say rejection of the proposals by some of the most venerable members of academic staff represents a public setback for Dr Hegarty.
His critics say the restructuring plan would undermine scholarship in TCD, and was part of a new "pro-business" agenda for the third-level sector. Dr Hegarty believes radical restructuring is required as the college struggles to cope with reduced State funding. His supporters say he is preparing the college for the forthcoming OECD review of third-level education in the Republic.
Meanwhile, TCD has confirmed that it is reviewing its admissions policy, in a move which may make it more difficult for students from Northern Ireland and Britain to gain entry to the college. A recent review benchmarked British A-levels against the Leaving Cert. The review found that Leaving Cert grades were worth about two-thirds of an A-level. At present, TCD awards say 190 points for an A1 in an A-level, compared to 100 for a similar result in the Leaving Cert.
