What position do you hold at Uversity?
I became CEO of Uversity in June 2015. From my initial BA in Art History and American Studies at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, I was determined to work in the field of arts and culture. When I first arrived in Ireland 25 years ago, I volunteered in a lot of arts organisation, while doing a Masters in Irish Studies full-time. Eventually I landed a job in the National Museum of Ireland that was the start of my career in arts and culture in Ireland.
When I ended up in a management position I thought it was time to get a management qualification so enrolled on a MBA. I’ve held a range of positions in Ireland’s cultural, heritage and urban regeneration sectors. Prior to joining Uversity, I was Executive Director of the Ireland-United States [Fulbright] Commission for Educational Exchange.
What does the future hold for Uversity – any exciting new programs to share?
Having been established in 2012 and enrolled its first students in 2014, Uversity is at the start of its journey. Uversity is determined to provide an unrivalled, immersive, personalised learning experience for its students. We want our students to have a solid academic foundation, explore their own creative processes and potential and experience all that Ireland has to offer in the arts, heritage and culture while charting a future course for their creative careers.
We are constantly looking to see how we can enhance the Masters and are exploring short term and summer courses. In addition we are exploring how technology can enable teaching creativity and showcase Ireland’s artistic and academic riches.
Why is language learning and cultural immersion important to you?
Not many people realise that Ireland has two national languages, Irish and English. While English is the dominant language, the Irish language is one of the world’s oldest written languages. When I first moved to Ireland I heard it spoken in the Western part of the country and got intrigued enough to want to learn it. While nowhere near fluent, my competency in and willingness to learn the Irish language has helped me to understand how the English language is used in Ireland and how the Irish think about things. Irish has opened up a whole new window on Ireland, its history, society and cosmology.
What was your favorite traveling experience?
In 1991, I had the opportunity to Inter-rail around Continental Europe. It was a fantastic month filled with people, places, sounds and scenes that will stick with me forever. I was able to experience so many different cultures and Europe in a time of transition after the fall of the Berlin War and on the eve of the Yugoslavian conflicts. It instilled in me a respect for different cultures and a commitment to working internationally.
What does Ireland’s culture value that is taught in your program?
What struck me about Ireland when I first arrived and still does is the immediacy and fluidity of Irish society and culture. Perhaps because it is a small country you are never more than one contact away from someone that you should or could meet. Uversity’s Master of Arts in Creative Process capitalizes on these elements to ensure that our students get access to Ireland’s thriving artistic and academic communities. Ireland and Uversity thrive on lived not learned experiences.