Papers of James Meenan – Move of UCD to Belfield

12 U.C.D. and the Future

Mr. de Valera said that the accommodation needs of the colleges were such now that he was afraid that to think of reviving any such project would mean further delay. His view had been that if they took the Parliament buildings to another site, they could make room there for the necessary extension of the cultural institiutions.

'In fifty years time,' he added, 'I hope the National University will have a suitable home in Leinster House.'"

We do not agree that the dream is impossible. Given that the Government is willing to spend sums of the order of those recommended by the Commission and that, if these, some millions are in fact to be spent on acquiring new premises for Government use, we submit that the general reshuffling of buildings and sites that is to take place in any event can be made in such a way as to keep U.C.D. in the central area. We note that despite Mr. de Valera's doubts about the possibilities in the immediate future, he nonetheless feels that within fifty years (and that is the foreseeable future for the younger generation) the House of the Oireachtas may have to depart from Merrion Street. And if they must depart, so will many of the Government departments. There will be little point in then handing over the Merrion Street area to the N.U.I. for purely administrative and ceremonial functions.

We maintain that incalculable damage will be done by not reviving the scheme now. We cannot believe that U.C.D., or any group, would be so shortsighted as to hinder the development of the logical plan - which would ultimately redound to the lasting benefit not only of the College, but of our whole cultural and educational future.

The consideration of such a long-term plan need not at all delay the relief of the overcrowded conditions under which the College labours. As we indicate later in Sections IV- VI, the sites at present held by the College are sufficient for all the present needs as estimated by the Commission and in addition we believe that adjacent sites could also be acquired, and that these would be sufficient for the estimated future 20% expansion.

It is not yet too late for the great ideal as expressed in Mr. de Valera's speech to be realised. But it is the eleventh hour. Once large-scale building operations for U.C.D. are commenced on the Stillorgan site, the opportunity may be gone forever.

III. PROBLEM INVOLVED IN THE PROPOSED MOVE OF U.C.D.

A. THE EFFECTS ON THE VARIOUS FACULTIES

It is obvious that the proposed move of U.C.D. to the Stillorgan Road site will present problems, some of them serious to both staff and students. Even if, and when, halls of residence are built there to house all the students from outside Dublin, 37% (the 1953 - 54 figure) of the students will have their homes in Dublin. Unless these students happen to live in the immediate vicinity, or near the Bray Road, attendance at the College would usually involve travelling to near the city centre and then out again if they rely on public transport. The same problems of inconvenience and waste of time will also face even the whole-time staff of the College to at least some extent.

Problems in the Proposed Move 13

When detailed consideration is given to the effect of the move on the various faculties, particularly those which are essentially engaged in professional training, it will be seen that the problems are far greater than those outlined above.

Medicine

The effects of removal on students and the weakening of ties with the teaching hospitals and other medical schools, etc., will be dealt with in Section III B of this Memorandum. But the effects on the teaching staff which in many departments of the faculty is largely, if not entirely, parttime, and is also engaged in the professional practice of medicine, must be considered.

Apart from the staffs of the preclinical departments a high proportion of the professors and virtually all of the lecturers are part-time. Even some professors who are full-time are allowed a limited amount of private professional practice. The 'Clinical Tutors' are also full-time, but confine their activities to the hospitals and have no duties on the College premises.

The College Calendar lists a large number of these part-time teachers, the great majority of whom are clinical teachers at the recognised hospitals and do not attend at the College buildings. Approximately forty of them, however, do teach on the College premises and it will certainly prove inconvenient for these busy practitioners, who have both hospital duties and private consulting rooms in the city, often close to Earlsfort Terrace, to have to travel in and out to Stillorgan Road to give their one-hour lectures or demonstrations.

Architecture

All but one of the College staff in this faculty are part-time and engaged in professional practice. The students take a considerable part of their course in the first, second and fourth years at the College of Art in Kildare Street. Both students and staff make considerable use of the excellent library of the R.I.A.I. in Merrion Square, and will want to make frequent use of the Building Centre in Baggott Street. All of these important activities would be disrupted by a move to Stillorgan Road. Our views on architectural teaching in the city are outlined in Section III E of this Memorandum.

Law, Commerce, Economics

Here again the College has to rely almost entirely on part-time teachers from the professions. Barristers, bankers, accountants and similar part-time teachers from the professional and commercial world with heavy demands on their time obviously would find it more convenient to lecture at Earlsfort Terrace than at Stillorgan Road. Law students are compelled by the regulations of their profession to attend at the King's Inns or the Four Courts or the offices to which they are apprenticed, for lectures or other duties in addition to their attendance at the College. At present there is considerable difficulty in arranging suitable lecture hours for these students. Removal to Stillorgan Road would seem to necessitate the employment of full-time university teachers in these