Shannonside university continues Limerick's ancient charter for success

One of Ireland's newest universities in one of its oldest cities, UL'sreputation has grown, but its research success is the thing. Anne Byrne reports

The sculpture at the entrance to UL's spacious campus is a brash statement of self-assertion, in keeping with the young university's desire to establish its presence on the national and international stage.

The two large "masts" were privately funded as is much else in the college. Dr Ed Walsh, the founding president, is widely seen as the man who perfected the art of tapping philanthropist dollars, and this despite the college's relative dearth of wealthy graduates.

Walsh's successor, Dr Roger Downer, says he inherited a "splendid foundation on which to build". And that seems to be have been what he has been doing, literally, for the past three and a half years, since he was appointed.

UL recently opened its 50-metre, Olympic-size swimming pool. It sits in the same building as a sports hall of enormous proportions and such luxuries as an elite weights room and a suspended three-lane running track.

On the day EL visits, the Munster-based players of the Irish rugby team are speed training on the indoor track and lifting hefty weights in the elite weights room. A PE teachers' class is using part of the sports hall. UL is the only college in the Republic to offer PE teaching, a much-sought-after option among school-leavers.

Further along the Shannon, a new 500-bed student village, shingled in Canadian cedar, is almost complete. And a new materials and surface science building, a computer science building, an extension to the student centre and a crèche have all sprung up.

UL's 203-acre campus on the Limerick side of the Shannon is almost complete (there are still development sites for phase two of the library and for a business studies school), so the college has purchased 130 acres on the Clare side. This will soon be home to a new nursing building and another student village (bringing the total to four, each accommodating about 500 students), and a staff common room, if the college can overcome the objections to the building of a bridge over the Shannon - soon to be the subject of a Bord Pleanala hearing.

For Dr Downer, UL is "first and foremost a college with responsibilities for providing the highest quality programmes in teaching and learning, as well as research." He notes the success of the co-operative education programme, where student participate in substantial work experience. Graduates "hit the ground running", says Downer. He has appointed a dean of teaching and learning, who has introduced a number of initiatives including workshops, assessment instruments, alumni surveys and a writing clinic.

On the research side, the college's lack of success in the past two rounds of PRTLI, and in the first round of SFI, the two major funding mechanisms introduced by the State, clearly galls. The college brought over some of the assessors involved in the British Research Assessment Exercise, to advise on an informal basis. "We are undergoing a major revision of our research funding. We have done very well on private funding. We have a very proud record of successful collaboration with industry. From the start, I recognised the need to increase the critical mass of postgraduate researchers." UL will concentrate on materials and surface science, ICT, biosciences, work, biosciences and social sciences, for research purposes. A new research scholars programme is designed to attract 20 researchers, at post-doctoral level.

At the other end of the academic scale, the college is involved in a number of access programmes, designed to attract primary and second-level students from socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Downer says: "We bring 10 and 11-year-olds on to our campus with a Soccer for Success programme. The deal is that they can't come if they haven't done their homework. We hope to expand the exercise. We also have homework clubs, organised with Mary Immaculate, where students help these pupils." A director of lifelong learning and a director of international programmes have been appointed within the past year.

UL has a long-established reputation in the technological subjects, particularly ICT. However, it is also home to the World Music Centre, which offers programmes such as an MA in chant and ritual song and an MA in classical string performance. The Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Daghda dance company are resident on the campus, which boasts a 1,000-seater concert hall.

As well as being a college, UL is also a corporation with corporate responsibility for "prudent management of financial, human and physical resources", says Downer. It is also a community and "as such, must recognise a responsibility to the 12,000 or so individuals who study and work as members of the community".

Unlike some academics, Downer says he is "delighted with Skilbeck (Malcolm Skilbeck's recently completed report, The University Challenged, commissioned by the Higher Education Authority and the Conference of Heads of Irish Universities). We developed our five-year strategic plan before Skilbeck was published, yet it is highly consistent with his recommendations."

Students Union president Mike Phelan says: "UL must have the best sports facilities in the State. It's got the river. It's an amazing campus - it's like Disneyland out there. It's kept very well. It's an impressive place to be.

"We have one of the best student-to-computer ratios, but the library could do with a lot more books, particularly in the humanities. The big problem for many students is that they may find themselves in very large classes. This can be impersonal, but the union tries to steer them towards clubs and societies."

Downer says UL is one of the youngest universities in the State, yet is located in one of the oldest cities. Limerick was granted a royal charter in 1197, before Dublin or London.

"We can respect all of the traditions of academic life from academic freedom and the opportunity to explore questions, yet we are young enough and brash enough to be able to embrace new technologies and to do some things differently," says Downer.