Madam, - Fergal Scully's erudite letter of November 11th does much in and of itself to give the lie to his own bleak prognosis for UCD and the education we offer.
In the enthusiasm of his critique, however, he has obviously forgotten or overlooked the fact that Dr Hugh Brady is the first UCD president to commit himself to providing a total academic career path, all the way to full professorship, for highly skilled teachers.
He is, furthermore, the first Irish university president to establish the office of a dedicated vice-president for students. Also obscured is the fact that one of the central events of the UCD 150 launch was a celebration for all UCD staff, from grounds staff to former presidents, with not a corporate executive in sight.
Finally, it might interest your readers to know that Dr Brady's 150th anniversary address contained an entire section on Newman's fifth discourse, "Knowledge is its own end". I have no doubt that the Newman scholar in Fergal Scully will approve when he reads it. - Yours, etc.,
Prof MARY CLAYTON, Vice-President for Students, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4