Madam, – We are concerned at the reported dissolution of the National University of Ireland (NUI) from which we hold degrees. Founded in 1908, the NUI predates the Irish State and is part of the national heritage. In its present configuration the university is constituted by co-equal colleges in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Maynooth, as well as several recognised colleges.
A proposal that appears to stratify the campuses, leaving a Dublin alliance and lesser entities, is unlikely to serve the best interests of the public and calls into question the value of degrees held by the many graduates of the NUI.
We ask that a process of consultation with all graduates of the NUI be instigated to determine their opinions and to more appropriately direct the future of a venerable national institution whose graduates may be found in many nations of the world as well as in Ireland. The dissolution of a university is not a trivial undertaking.
The late University of California president, Clark Kerr, once noted that universities are uniquely long-lived institutions. Seventy universities established prior to 1520, including Oxford, Cambridge, Bologna and Salamanca, continue to flourish.
We do not think that the Irish Government has the moral authority to disestablish the NUI. The reported token saving of €1 million to the national exchequer underlines the point. Only the graduates of the NUI have the right to approve the NUI’s disestablishment and they must have their say, given the potentially serious consequences for their degrees. – Yours, etc,