Seminar on the “National Strategy for Higher Education”, Trinity College Dublin, 19 April 2012

On Thursday, 19 April, the Cultures Academic Values and Education (CAVE) research group of the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin, hosted a Forum for open discussion on the ‘Hunt Report’ and the implications for higher education in Ireland. The Forum was introduced by Dr John Walsh, Usher Lecturer in Higher Education - one of the co-organisers with Dr Aidan Seery and Dr Andrew Loxley.

Professor Maria Slowey, Director of HERC, chaired the first panel discussion: ‘Who pays for college’: Expansion and sustainability in higher education with contributions from Mr. Mike Jennings (IFUT), Mr. Tony Donohue (IBEC), Mr. Ryan Bartlett (Trinity Students’ Union) and Dr. Erika Doyle (Trinity Research Staff Association). The panel stimulated lively debate including the effects of college fees on participation rates, barriers to access and the important societal question of ‘who will pay for the social and economic impact of people not going to higher education’?.