8 minute read
Reaching out to our Future Students
CUA at the Irish Times Higher Options Virtual Open Day
This year the Higher Options Open Day took place virtuality. The annual event brings together representatives from all higher education institutions in Ireland, the UK and the European Union. It gives students the opportunity to explore their further education options. There were approximately 4,200 virtual attendees this year. The three Students’ Unions (SU) from GMIT, IT Sligo and LYIT have been working together for the last three years towards the establishment of a new TU SU.
Our three institutes had their virtual stands located under our common CUA banner. The institutes provided extensive video content, which ensured visitors to the stands could experience all of our campuses, the student supports in place, get a taste of our portfolio of programmes and excellent facilities. Staff were available live to answer student’s queries. Cleo Devaney, Marketing and Student Recruitment Officer at IT Sligo says of the event: “Our team worked collaboratively with our counterparts in GMIT and LYIT to ensure that we presented our stands as part of the CUA, with each institute placing the CUA banner at the front of their stands. An alert also went out to all attendees at the Conference to inform them of our forthcoming TU.”
This was the 2nd year the event was held virtually and while we are all getting used to this type of event, we are definitely missing the buzz of a live event and seeing the faces of all the teachers and students visiting our stands. The GMIT virtual stand was designed to reflect our new exciting GMIT prospectus and along with our counterparts in IT Sligo and LYIT we all incorporated the CUA banner at the front of their stands.
Lorraine Cunningham, School Liaison Officer, GMIT
Come and See Us - CUA Open Days/ Evenings for 2022
GMIT - For more information go to openday.gmit.ie
Thursday, 20th January, 6-8pm Information Evening for Further Education, PLC, Mature, Graduate and Professional Development Students
Saturday, 12th March, 10am-1pm Five Campus Open Day
Wednesday - Thursday, 11th - 12th May Transition Year Taster Days
LYIT - For more information go to openday.lyit.ie
Wednesday, 19th January Open Evening
Thursday, 5th May
Wednesday, 17th August Open Evening
Information Day
IT Sligo - For more information go to www.itsligo.ie
Tuesday, 18th January Make your Choice (Virtual)
Students Supporting Students: The New TU’s Students’ Union
A CUA Students’ Union Subgroup was established in November 2018 and held its first meeting in December 2018. The subgroup is comprised of the CUA SU Presidents and SU Officers. The SU Managers/ Administrators were invited to join the group, in August 2020, to provide continuity as the SU officers change on an annual basis.
The subgroup has engaged in a range of collaborative projects which support student engagement, welfare, and academic activities across the CUA and will serve as a strong foundation for the new TU Students’ Union.
Identifying Potential Collaborative Projects
Review of Students' Union Structures and Finance
Development and Delivery of a Cross Campus Mental Health Awareness Campaign Drafting a new Technology University Students' Union Constitution
Students’ Union Subgroup
New SU Constitution Update
The three Students’ Unions met in Letterkenny on the 5th of September 2021 with external consultant, Mike Day and worked on the new constitution. They also discussed election policies and staffing structures for the new TU SU. The group are now busy finalising the democratic structure of the new SU, developing a staffing structure, and negotiating a funding model with the parent institutes. They are also working on a new structure for class representative councils and officers.
Meet our Students’ Unions
GMIT SU Team, pictured left to right, Ricorda Bolle, Deputy President for Education, Emily Walsh, VP Welfare, Emily McGrory, VP Mayo Campus, and Colin Kearney, President.
LYIT SU Team, pictured left to right, Edward Grant, Welfare and Equality Officer, Adam O Flaherty, President and Eanna McDermott, Education and Communications Officer. IT Sligo SU Team, pictured left to right, Saskia Dooley, Welfare Officer, Dáire Martin, President, Keelan Kennoy, Education Officer.
Mesage from the Students’ Unions’ Presidents
Are you wondering how being part of a new TU will affect you?
For a start you’ll no longer be graduating from LYIT, IT Sligo or GMIT and you’ll be getting a university degree. The democratic structure that represents you will change. You’ll no longer have three to four fulltime student union officers representing you. You’ll have eleven. The changes we’re proposing will give all students equal representation across the new TU campuses. The vision of the new TU SU is to ensure that every student has a voice, and your voice will be listened to and acted upon. The mission of the future SU is to encourage students to contribute to the community of their new TU and to facilitate belonging and engagement, be that in the democratic process or something small like providing you with clubs and societies that you can join. We want to act in an open and transparent way to be responsive to your needs and we welcome your thoughts on how we can best support you.
Meet our Students’ Unions’ Presidents
Dáire Martin, President, IT Sligo Students’ Union
I’m thrilled to be a part of the Students’ Union (SU) at such an important and exciting time. With TU designation just around the corner, myself, and everyone else will be working around the clock to ensure the future TU SU is one that we can be proud of. A lot of great work has been done, but a lot still lies ahead of us. I’m looking forward to continuing to strive towards this.
We are excited for the merger and all the additional opportunities that it will bring for our students and for the region. It means that each of our institutes’ students will come out the other side of their academic journey with a university recognised degree which in turn will give them ample career opportunities.
Colin Kearney, President, GMIT’s Students’ Union
The new TU SU will give a better overall representation to students from the smallest campus of the new TU to the largest. The TU SU will cover all ground between each campus, all 260Km of road between the furthest points.
TU Students’ Union
Staff Supporting Students: CUA Student Services
Helping students to achieve success and attain a quality educational experience guides our approach to the range of student services and supports we provide. The CUA is committed to working collaboratively with students, staff, and other stakeholders to provide the best possible student experience, regardless of location or delivery mode.
We support our students’ journey from pre-registration to post-graduation through the provision of efficient, effective, and equitable services with our students at the core of everything we do.
CUA Student Services Subgroup
The CUA Student Services Subgroup was established in March 2019. The subgroup is comprised of the CUA Admissions and Student Affairs Managers and Student Services staff. The members of the subgroup have engaged in a range of collaborative projects which support student services activities across the CUA and will serve as a strong foundation for student services in the TU.
Since September of this year over one hundred Student Services staff and Students’ Union representatives across the eight campuses have been invited to participate in online workshops to develop a Student Services Strategy for the new TU. The workshops are exploring many themes including managing change, transition readiness, guiding principles, team building and sharing expertise.
On completion of the workshops, the Student Services Managers from each of the three institutes and the CUA RPL and Career Services Manager will lead a consultative and collaborative process with individual services and the Students’ Union to develop a student services framework for the services listed in the graph below.
CUA TU Student Services Framework
Careers and Employabilty
Counselling and Chaplaincy
CUA Student Services
Access and Academic Support
Sports
Health and Wellbeing Students’ Union, Clubs and Societies
Supporting CUA Student Population of 22,650+
The framework will:
• Provide a high quality, well-rounded higher learning experience • Improve access to higher education regardless of ability and or background • Improve retention and progress, with higher completion and graduation rates • Enhance employment, work-based learning opportunities and lifelong learning interests • Encourage active citizenship This new student services framework will guide the future provision of services in the TU and build on the student service communalities and collaborations already in existence.
