What is your career path so far?
I have over 30 years experience as an academic in the University sector in Ireland. During that time, I was Director of a Masters programme, Head of School, Director of a structured PhD programme and for the past seven years, Dean in University College Dublin (UCD). I also chaired the establishment of a Liberal Arts and Sciences Programme for international students, the first of its kind in Ireland, and mentored students on this programme.
All of these roles involved a great deal of direct contact with students at all stages of third level. This was an aspect of the role which I greatly enjoyed as there is nothing more satisfying than seeing students develop and flourish through their studies and, in the case of Uversity students, flourish through engagement with both the academic and practising arts community in Ireland.
What unique qualities does Uversity possess?
Uversity has now established itself with a unique role in the Higher Education Sector in Ireland. It brings together all that is best in arts education in Ireland through its partnership model involving so many of the higher education providers in the public and private sector. This means it can offer a student the learning experience to gain or not only depth in their chosen discipline but also breadth in exploring related fields that are pertinent to their creative development.
Thus, the Uversity student has the opportunity to develop an individualised programme of modules, guided by their academic and practice mentors, in addition to engaging in a core module on creative practice with their fellow students. Inbuilt to the programme is the opportunity for the student to engage with the arts in Ireland, both in their individual field/s of practice and in the wider artistic experiences that Ireland has to offer.
What is a time when you felt proud to be part of the Uversity team?
The highlight for any programme is seeing a successful cohort of students finishing their course and moving on into careers where they will utilise the knowledge and experience gained. This is why I felt particularly proud to be part of the Uversity team at the first conferring of the MA in Creative Process that took place in the splendid Georgian setting of Farmleigh, the official Irish State guest house, in October. I was so delighted that all the students had achieved excellent results.
The unique quality of Uversity that offers a student-centred, mentor-guided programme in a wide range of creative arts modules at Masters level was reflected in the ceremony, with partner institution representatives taking part in the academic procession for the first cohort of students being conferred. It was wonderful to take part in this National University of Ireland (NUI) conferring of the MA in Creative Process, a programme which showcases what the Irish Higher Education sector collectively has to offer as a venue for international students to develop their learning and expertise in the creative arts.
What does the future hold for Uversity?
It is the unique combination of the partnership model in the Higher Education sector in tandem with student-centred, mentor-guided learning within the context of the dynamic arts education and practice in Ireland which guarantees Uversity a key role in the provision of top quality educational provision for international students.
No one institution could provide such learning opportunities that offer the simultaneous development of breadth and depth in the furtherance of their artistic and academic development within their chosen field/s of practice. These qualities have attracted highly gifted and dedicated students, ready to make the most of the many learning opportunities, formal and informal, offered by the programme to engage with the arts in Ireland.
How have you changed/grown since working for Uversity?
The role of Director of Mentoring has given me the opportunity to draw in particular on my experience in working with Masters students and with international students in Higher Education in Ireland. I have always enjoyed working with students to identify and meet their learning needs and my academic career has been strongly focused on cross-disciplinary engagement.
This experience has served me well in taking up the role with Uversity, in the context of the challenges of the partnership model and setting up a new programme encompassing so many fields of practice. Such a programme can only be achieved through the willingness of all concerned to engage with its development; and it is a testament to such willingness that the MA in Creative Process is now fully operational and attracting high calibre students. Such students are a joy to work with but also provide a challenge to ensure that we offer them the best possible learning experience.