Presentation by Ellen Hazelkorn, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland, on the occasion of the EESC workshop on Universities for Europe (Brussels, 13 June 2014)

1. Dublin Institute of Technology –
providing an innovative, responsive and caring
learning environment for diverse students of all ages
and backgrounds
Professor Ellen Hazelkorn
Director, Higher Education Policy Research Unit (HEPRU)
Dublin Institute of Technology
Policy Advisor to the Higher Education Authority (Ireland)

2. Vision and Mission
• Combines academic excellence of a traditional university with
professional, career-oriented learning preparing graduates for productive
leadership roles and global citizenship;
• Commitment to student-centred learning, useful knowledge, rigorous
processes of discovery and critical enquiry, and support for
entrepreneurship and diversity;
• Distinctive approach to teaching and learning incorporates practice-based
learning, research using real-life issues, internship in the community or
industry, volunteerism, study abroad opportunities, and promotes inter-
disciplinarity through modularisation;
• Researchers actively engage and collaborate with users across industry,
business, and the public and voluntary sectors;
• Committed to enhancing Dublin’s role as Ireland’s global gate-way.

3. The role of engagement with civil society globally and
locally within the mission
• Engagement is part of tradition stretching back to 1890s when established by
city of Dublin;
• Engagement is key part of DIT strategic objectives today:
“To be valued by academic, industry, community and other partners, nationally and
internationally, for the transfer of knowledge and skills relevant to sustainable
development.”
• DIT will embed engagement with key external stake-holders (including
Government, national/regional development organisations and local
communities) within our core activities
• DIT will continue to apply its resources to support underpinning the economic,
social and cultural development of the country focussed on the development of
Irish enterprise and employment creation
– Examples: works closely with Dublin City Council: Creative Alliance;
Grangegorman Development Initiative; Dublin Chamber of Commerce, etc.

4. The internal structure and organisation to support civic
engagement
• At DIT level:
– Office of Access and Civic Engagement, http://www.dit.ie/ace/access/
• Example: Leading response to government Area Based Childhood
Programme
– Directorate of Research and Enterprise,
http://www.dit.ie/researchandenterprise/
• Example: Environmental Health Sciences Institute
– Corporate Partnership Network,
http://www.dit.ie/cpn/about/meettheteam/
• At College level: Head of Engagement
• Example: responsible for embedding engagement into teaching and
learning through the curriculum, learning through placement,
community-based learning etc.

5. City-building/Urban Regeneration, 1
Grangegorman
Campus – DIT,
DCC, HSE
Dublin/
Regional
Capacity
Building
Urban
Regeneration
Innovation,
Research &
Technology
Transfer
Civic
Engagement
& Social
Inclusion
Human
Capital and
Skills
Development
Social Capital
and Cultural
Development
Employment
Creation

6. City-building/Urban Regeneration, 2
For the National Health System – Securing Social Capital
• Resolves the current poor accommodation of mental health patients
• Adds new community health facilities for the north west city
For DIT – Developing Human Capital
• Consolidates 22,000 students and 2,000 staff ( 9% of sector) to a single location
• Enables growth in research, incubation, science and technology business synergies
• Creates a more efficient organisation
For the City- Providing Physical, Social & Intellectual Capital
• Links this large site back into the north inner city fabric
• Creates a major public resource and amenity parkland/sports
• Creates a node of science/technology activity to regenerate the area
For the Local community – Underpinning Social capital/Urban transformation
• New health and education facilities
• New parks and sports amenities
• New primary school for 400 pupils
• New DCC branch library co-located with DIT library 6

7. The internal and external barriers to civic engagement
• Understanding engagement as part of a holistic and integrated approach
to teaching and research;
– Moving beyond individual initiatives and projects
• Cultural change: legacy of a strong focus on teaching;
• Recognising, sharing knowledge and guiding ethical;
• Strategic and practical issues regarding working in partnership, e.g.
academic calendar vs. external demands
• Winning staff support
• Adapting academic quality assurance processes
• Resourcing

8. How EU policies can help deliver the civic mission
• Broaden understanding of sustainable economic growth to holistic support
for social, cultural and economic development;
• Recognition of mutual inter-dependency between HE and research
systems – creating an eco-system – whereby emphasis on or changes to
one part of the system independently of the other can produce adverse
and unintended results across the whole eco-system;
– Expand understanding of innovation, and in particular for HEIs to
support social innovation;
– Role of arts, humanities and social sciences has also been overlooked;
• Support higher education/HEI initiatives which link different policy areas
together to bring about real synergies that are not otherwise being
realised.