Teaching quality by example

NOT FOR Pat Fottrell a dusty grove of academe or an ivory tower for abstract reflection. The recently-appointed president of UCG plans to combine his new job with a small amount of teaching - all the better to keep in touch with his students.

It's an unusual decision for the head of an institution with 8,000 students to make, but one that is very much in line with the practical bent of Fottrell's career to date.

A biochemist who has spent 31 years in UCG, his research has always tended to have applications in the wider community.

Back in the I980s, he tackled the problem of female infertility, mindful of the fact that one out of every eight couples are unable to conceive. Fottrell helped develop technology which tested women's hormones from saliva samples, rather than blood tests. A campus company set up in 1983 to exploit the development is still thriving.

Fottrell was also involved in the development of rapid and cheap HIV tests for use in the developing world. He has travelled widely in Zimbabwe and Zambia over 10 years, and says that in some areas of Harare one out of every three pregnant women is testing HIV positive.

In other research, he has investigated coeliac disease, which affects one in 500 people in Ireland - the highest incidence in the world. Within this country, the incidence is highest in the west, so it's perhaps appropriate that his research is being conducted in UCG.

Fottrell emerged as something of a compromise candidate in the election for president of UCG last April. He is a popular figure in college and as a former registrar, he was well-positioned to succeed Colm O hEocha. However, at 62, he has less than three years to serve before reaching retirement age, so the other aspirants can look forward to a second chance soon enough.

The president brings his scientific background with him to his new job. A primary aim will be to increase the amount of research being carried out on Irish campuses, he says.

"It is easy to forget the importance of research to maintain high teaching standards. How unfortunate it is that in Ireland we're at the bottom of European pile in terms of support for research."

Fottrell hopes the heads of the Irish universities will persuade the Government to redirect more money to the third-level campuses. He points out that industry receives £200 million in support for capital equipment, but only £2 million finds its way to the universities. "All we're asking for is a reasonable balance."

Another aim is to continue the development of the UCG campus. "We're lucky enough to have one of the best sites in the country, but I want to make the campus even more attractive in terms of sports and student facilities, and to further develop links between `town and gown'."

Irish language activists have been heard to bemoan the decline of Irish-taught courses in UCG, but Fottrell rejects this criticism. The college is still the best location in the country for Irish studies, he maintains, pointing to new courses in communications involving Raidio na Gaeltachta.

The new president has already been acquainting himself with Irish-American circles in the US in the search for additional funding. It's a beat which few college heads like, but at least Fottrell can draw on his research links with Harvard, where he is still a visiting professor.

A native of Youghal in Co. Cork, he attended North Mon CBS in Cork before studying at UCC. After obtaining his PhD in Glasgow, he spent time at Harvard before returning to Ireland to work with the old An Foras Taluntais. In 1965, he "came to UCG for a year and fell in love with the place".

The Universities Bill will grant greater autonomy to UCG, transforming it into the National University of Ireland, Galway. But Fottrell, in line with his colleagues in the Council of Heads of Irish Universities, finds many of the provisions "too intrusive and bureaucratic".

He compares unfavourably the strictures proposed to those which apply in semi-state organisations and suggests these are not appropriate for a university environment.

Universities should be left to develop their own quality assurance procedures, rather than introducing a "cigire" mentality from outside, he says.

Already in UCG's maths department, a pilot scheme is up and running which allows students to evaluate the performance and availability of their lecturers, the quality of textbooks and handouts and the quality of information provided about courses.

Although he faces considerable challenges at work, Fottrell makes it clear he feels lucky in his choice of career. "Above all, it is a great privilege to be an academic. I always thought it marvellous to be able to interact with young people."