Winds of change blowing up a storm at Trinity

Dr John Hegarty, provost of Trinity College Dublin, is proceeding with his radical reform plan for the university, writes John Downes. But the campaign against it is gaining momentum among the college academics.

There was standing room only at a meeting of Trinity's most senior academics - or Fellows - in the Senior Common Room late last month.

Unusually for a group which tends to do its arguing behind the scenes, or in writing, tempers were raised - and out in the open. At stake, the future development of TCD, Ireland's most hallowed university.

In the eye of the storm, a beleaguered Provost, Dr John Hegarty, whose proposed reform of the university's structures has led to an unprecedented outburst of hostility within the college.

Described by some as the "angriest and most forthright" Fellows meeting they had ever attended, Dr Hegarty will have come away with few doubts as to the strength of opposition to his plans.

During the meeting, he was told the law department was digging in its heels when it came to a merger with another department. Others expressed deep reservations about the proposed plans. There was scant evidence of support for the Hegarty plan.

For all that, some sort of change to TCD's structures appears inevitable if it is to continue to compete on the world stage. That was very much the message from the recent OECD report on third-level education, which advocated a more streamlined, hard-nosed approach. Similar reform plans are in train at UCC and UCD.

Trinity is under pressure. Faced with an effective 14 per cent cut in funding over the past two years, every department is being squeezed. This has led to a ban on recruitment of staff and the refusal to renew contracts, even for some essential personnel.

Which leads to the question - is this the right kind of reform package for a venerable institution like Trinity?

Much of the resistance within the college to the proposed changes can be attributed to a deeply-felt sense that the case for such monumental change - and the speed at which it is being introduced - has yet to be made.

"I'm not personally opposed to change once it is sensibly managed," says Prof David Singleton, chair of TCD's Fellows. "But people opposing the changes are worried about the rush and speed with which it is being done, and the top-down manner in which the changes are being implemented."

There are also fears about a lack of accountability if departmental heads are selected rather than elected by departments, he says. And the notion that departments will be forced to merge, regardless of their own thoughts on the matter, has also exercised his colleagues.

This is underlined by a recent decision of the TCD branch of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) to examine the possibility of industrial action, although this is unlikely to culminate in strike action.

"You need a consensus to implement radical change like this, but the strong impression is that these plans have no root support, and no real enthusiasm," Singleton says. "There is quite a lot of anger against this. And I am very concerned about the fact that the college is so deeply divided."

Similarly, Francis Kieran, president of TCD Students' Union (TCD SU), says the union is afraid that changes to the resource allocation model could lead to cutbacks in the library services at the college, with individual departments paying for library costs.

Other concerns include the criteria to be applied to particular subjects, and the risk that some, particularly in the arts area, will lose out in the race to attract funding. But TCD SU is waiting to see the final proposals before adopting a formal position on the issue, he says.

Both Singleton and Kieran limit themselves to pointing out the concerns of those they represent. Others are far more forthright.

They accuse some in the college leadership of undermining the best traditions of the university in the rush to modernisation and point to the dangers of reallocating resources when money is already tight. There are real fears that redundancies will be necessary to make this happen.

Dr Sean Barrett, the transport economist, is a vocal critic of the proposed plans. He says the college officers have not taken the "slightest notice" of opposition to their plans.

"It is like having a dialogue with a bulldozer," he says. "No matter what you say or the arguments you use, the thing just keeps on going." Barrett also fears that cost-effective departments could be scrapped in the rush to embrace reform.

In truth, any attempt to restructure TCD is likely to be met with strong resistance. Academics are notoriously conservative when it comes to change.

Prof Jane Ohlmeyer, head of TCD's department of modern history and a keen supporter of the plans, goes further.

She suggests that part of the resistance to change is a generational one. Many younger lecturers - whom she believes "represent the future of the college" - silently support the proposed changes. It can be intimidating to speak your mind when you are up against some of Ireland's most eminent and brilliant academics, she suggests.

Another supporter, Dean of Research Prof Ian Robertson, suggests there is a "silent majority" in the college who support the changes. He believes the proposed changes are essential to secure the long-term future of the college.

Critics of the Hegarty plan, and there are many, see all of this as just a positive spin on a bitterly divisive episode for the college.

For his part, Hegarty is unrepentant. The proposed changes are not looking to abolish disciplines, but rather to strengthen them, he told The Irish Times.

"The reason for doing this is to create new opportunities in education and research," he says. "We are trying to create the structures to enable that to happen." He also stresses that nothing is set in stone and that all contentious issues are still up for debate.

The Provost says the recent Fellows meeting is but one of several he has attended throughout the college as part of a wide-ranging consultation exercise. He also cites the supposed "silent majority" who recognise the need for change.

In the coming weeks, Hegarty needs to convince all of those with a vested interest in the university that he is acting to secure theirs and the college's future in the best way possible.

In building his case, he will continue to emphasise how he has consulted widely with the college community.

But if last month's meeting, and developments since, are any indication, change will not come easily to TCD.

Hegarty's challenge will be to harness greater support for his plans right across the college community - and to make the case for change.

There is much to be done. For now, the battle against his plans appears to be gaining momentum.