University College Cork has appointed the first Professor of Adult and Continuing Education in the Republic. The Cork college has always placed emphasis on this sector and has made dramatic strides over the years to ensure that its campus was not exclusively the province of those who had most.
It has sought to embrace the wider community, - one is loathe to use the term less advantaged - and there has been a genuine effort to be inclusive and to persuade people that UCC is there for them, too. The former president of the college, Dr Michael Mortell, was adamant on this point, as is his successor, ProfGerry Wrixon.
Dr Mairtin O Fathaigh was given his new role recently by the governing body of UCC. The appointment will be announced within days. He has been director of adult and continuing education at UCC since 1991 and has published widely on the topic.
He also holds membership of international bodies dealing with the advancement of adult education and believes that in coming years there will be significant change in the way adult learners participate in diplomas and degrees. He welcomes the publication recently of the Green Paper on Lifelong Learning and says the partnership concept, inclusive of statutory and voluntary bodies, will be a dynamic force in the provision of Irish adult educational services.
This is a bold move by the college and proof that it really does believe in reaching out.