Dr Orla Feely, President of UCD, will make history on Monday, 27th January, as the first sitting UCD president to attend a Students’ Union (SU) Council meeting. The event, beginning at the slightly earlier-than-usual time of 5:55 p.m. and taking place in the Fitzgerald Chamber, will feature highlights from the recently launched UCD Strategy to 2030. This represents a rare opportunity for council members to engage with university leadership and raise questions about UCD’s plans for the future.
The UCD Strategy to 2030, launched in November 2024, outlines a dynamic, engaged, and transformative vision for UCD as a university. It centres on three pillars: transforming learning, advancing research and innovation, and engaging for impact. According to the strategy, UCD aims to navigate the challenges of ‘disruptive times’ while delivering meaningful change in education, research, and sustainability.
Monday’s council meeting will feature a significantly shortened version of the complete strategy presentation, hopefully allowing time for questions from council members. The SU Council Chair has described the event as an unprecedented opportunity to hold UCD leadership accountable. According to an email circulated to council members, UCDSU President Miranda Bauer was instrumental in arranging for the university president’s attendance at this historic meeting.
The strategy highlights ambitious initiatives, including plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, the creation of an institute for artificial intelligence and digital technologies, and the improvement of physical and digital campus infrastructure. It also emphasises enhancing student well-being and inclusion by announcing measures such as establishing an Office of Student Experience and Wellbeing.
While the session will focus on long-term goals, students may raise concerns about more immediate challenges like housing, campus accessibility, and financial pressures. UCD’s leadership may be called upon to demonstrate how the strategy’s ambitions will address these pressing issues and benefit the student body.
Dr Feely will be joined by Professor Colin Scott, Registrar and Deputy President, and Triona McCormack, Vice President for Strategy and External Engagement. Their involvement reflects the importance of this engagement, which aims to address the university’s long-term direction and responsiveness to student concerns.
This council meeting will be closely watched within the UCD community as students assess whether the university’s leadership is prepared to respond to their priorities and translate its ambitious strategy into practical outcomes.
By Jack Donlon – Co-Editor
