Academic staff vote no confidence in TU Dublin President

Academic staff at TU Dublin have expressed no confidence in leadership at the university.

At a trade union meeting members of the Teachers Union of Ireland, which represents academic employees at the college, strongly backed two motions of no confidence.

The meeting comes amid ongoing controversy around how the university has managed a financial deficit of €8.6 million.

Last month, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) requested the TU Dublin governing authority to conduct a formal review of the technological university's performance in managing and controlling the situation.

The HEA said it had "serious concerns with the apparent lack of urgency, responsiveness and conduct by the Governing Body to address this matter in a timely and constructive manner".

The university’s deficit has been attributed to a fall in student enrolment and to rising costs.

Academic staff backed a motion stating that they have "no confidence in the President of TU Dublin to ensure the University’s viability and sustainability".

A second motion, also strongly supported by staff, stated: "There is growing disquiet amongst us as academic staff, dedicated to the public purposes of Technological University Dublin, concerning a range of serious issues undermining our institution."

It went on to call for "a rapid shift towards robust, transparent, and inclusive collegiate processes".

"In light of the above the members of TUI Dublin Colleges Branch are asserting that we have no confidence in the President of TU Dublin, Deputy President and Registrar and Chief Operations Officer to lead the university", it concluded.