DCU chancellor cites new self-confidence

Dr T P Hardiman (right), more widely known as Tom, has been appointed first chancellor of DCU. In his inaugural address to the university on September 10th, he said DCU and UL - the first universities to be established since the foundation of the State - are "an expression of the renewal of self-confidence in Ireland and a recognition of the importance of highly educated young Irish people to the future of Irish society". Hardiman, who graduated from UCD in engineering and science, is a former director general of RTE. He is involved in a number of European Commission committees and in UNICE, the voice of European industry in Brussels. He was appointed to his new position by DCU's governing authority, which under the Universities Act 1997 is now required to include representatives of academic and non-academic staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students and graduates, as well as representatives from employers and trades unions.