Galway as gaeilge: a tongue too far?

When the advertisement for the post of NUI Galway president appeared in the national press a few weeks ago, tongues started to wag. What amazes many non-NUI Galway academics is that fact that the advertisement stipulates that the appointee must be competent to discharge the duties of the post through the medium of Irish. The belief is widespread among educators that by restricting itself to an Irish-speaking president, NUI Galway is unnecessarily limiting its choice. Rather than simply appointing the very best applicant available, one who can operate at worldclass level, the college is narrowing the field and will choose only the very best who happens to have a competence in Irish.

The fact that the university has opted to avoid using an international executive search company in its recruitment process, as other colleges have done, is also causing comment. Under the terms of the Irish Universities Act 1929, Galway is required to appoint staff who are competent to discharge their duties through the medium of the Irish language - provided a suitable person can be found. An extensive review of the Irish language requirement was undertaken during the 1990s, but proposals to change the Act were rejected by the governing authority. While many staff were delighted with the decision, others were disappointed. "The Irish language lobby is very tenacious. They're a bit like the Hizbollah," comments one source. "You get very disillusioned. Irish can be used in a very bullying way on the campus. Some people send out long memos entirely in Irish - you either like it or lump it. "Other people play lip service and revert to English when it suits them. There's a lot of hypocrisy."

"There are people who are very strongly opposed to the use of Irish - but they don't talk about it openly," says a staff member. "You'd be afraid to speak your mind." A former Galway academic agrees. "The Irish requirement creates a second class citizenship on campus. There's a snobbery about it - it can get people's backs up and affects non-nationalso in particular." However, another staff member defends the policy. "It's fair enough to expect staff to be competent in Irish. Our mission and our strategic plan include the development of bilingualism. The fact that we're the only university located in a Gaeltacht area is also significant." Whoever is shortlisted for the job of president of NUI Galway will have to undergo both written and oral exams in Irish. However, the assessments for suitability for the job and language competency are entirely separate, E&L has learned. "They're two wholly separate exercises and each is confidential," says a source, who describes the standard procedure for filling vacancies. "The suitability list goes to the governing authority first, followed by the report from the Irish board. If three people are deemed suitable and A is the first choice and none of the candidates has Irish, then A will get the job. But if A doesn't have Irish and B and C do, then either B or C will get the job."

However, for the position of president, the Irish requirement is absolute. The new president will succeed Dr Patrick Fottrell, who was appointed to the position in 1996, at age 63, then granted an extension in 1998. He is regarded by colleagues as having done a good job.

His successor must demonstrate a capacity for leadership and a record of academic excellence. He or she must be good at strategic planning, show a commitment to enriching the undergraduate and postgraduate experience and show a commitment to both national and regional needs.

Of great interest to observers in academia is the fact that unlike UL, UCC and DCU, which have all appointed new presidents in recent years, NUI Galway has opted to do without the services of international headhunters. Critics argue that Galway is missing out on the opportunity to conduct a truly international trawl. However, the university has established a search committee which includes external members.

Gavin Mackenzie, a consultant with the London-based executive search consultancy Saxton Bampfylde Hever, has been involved in the appointment of 30 university heads in Ireland and Britain in recent years. "Not one came through job advertisements," he says. There's no doubting that academics like the privacy and confidentiality that the headhunting process affords. "I'd never answer a job advertisement in this country," says one highly placed third-level source. "Ireland is too small and everyone would know about it." In order to compile a list of suitable candidates, executive search companies scour the world. "If a name is recommended to us three times, we approach the person," Mackenzie says.

"Each university has different needs at different stages," he says. "They may want someone with marketing or fundraising skills, for example. We zero in on that." Mackenzie says he interviews all candidates before a short list is forwarded to the university. Many opt to visit the institutions before making up their minds about applying.