In November 2016, Provost Patrick Prendergast, in a room full of academics at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy, raised an issue that is central to the future of Irish universities but seldom publicly discussed. To the former Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Tom Boland, Prendergast questioned levels of state regulation given the falling levels of state funding: “Can we continue with the current oversight model?”
While this dramatic drop in state funding to universities is well documented, significant work needs to be done to sway public sympathy towards our institutions. And if getting a positive result in securing extra funding is going to be a struggle, making progress in securing autonomy from the state, an issue that was unheard of in comparison until this week, will be next to impossible – particularly now that the sector is embroiled in a public scandal about senior staff misleading the Public Accounts Committee and multiple universities wasting millions in taxpayer money.
University heads are famously in favour of a loan scheme to fund higher education, at least partly to do with this issue of autonomy and fearing state interference in how they operate. But if universities can no longer be trusted to manage their own affairs, even reducing reliance on state monies may not be enough to make the case for universities operate under less state control.
For students, who, in contrast, mostly support a state-funded system, this comes as a blow too. The conflicting research presented to and reluctance of members of the Education and Skills committee to endorse loan schemes has represented hope as we inch closer to reaching a decision on a funding model. But with the cause still looking for ways to sway the taxpayer, any waste in public money makes it harder to convince that public.
When we want a decision from the government and support from the public, misleading a government committee over the spending of taxpayers money is one of the worst PR situations imaginable. After recent attempts to humble themselves and publicising the societal good of higher education, university presidents are now being accused of “arrogance”. While students and universities may want different things, these recent revelations could well hurt them both.
