UCC is facing the future with optimism, says John O'Halloran

We are celebrating a significant anniversary in 2025.

Last year, we celebrated 175 years since welcoming the first students to our College of Medicine & Health and School of Physics in 1849. This year, we will mark an even larger milestone – 180 years since the passing of the Colleges (Ireland) Act and the founding of our university.

This Act provided for the establishment of a College “in or near the City of Cork” which would consist of “such number of professors in Arts Law and Physic not exceeding Twelve”. This new teaching institution was expected to play an important role in Ireland’s economic and cultural development.

In the following 180 years, University College Cork has grown beyond those 12 founding members of teaching staff through famine, war, recession, prosperity, and a pandemic to become the internationally-focused institution that it is today.

What remains unchanged is our place in Cork. While UCC is global in outlook, our greatest impact continues to be felt locally.

We value our community ties and cherish relationships with neighbours around our campus. Our dedicated Neighbourhood Support Officer does fantastic work to foster these connections, enabling greater engagement with the university and its resources. Through outreach efforts, we hope our neighbours feel our appreciation and commitment.

Our recently published Economic and Societal Impact Report affirms UCC’s place here in Cork. As Cork’s third-largest employer, with 3,616 staff, UCC generates an annual economic impact exceeding €1 billion, supporting one in 13 jobs locally.

For every €1 of state investment, UCC delivers €6 in return.

We connect Cork to the world, with six of the top ten global pharmaceutical companies having operations here, benefiting from UCC’s highly skilled graduate population.

In 2022, UCC attracted €113 million in research funding, much of which is awarded through European funding mechanisms, industry partners and philanthropy.

UCC’s transformative research tackles global challenges such as food security, climate resilience and peace. UCC is a global leader in sustainability, now ranked as the fourth most sustainable university in the world.

Beyond our measurable economic and workforce development impact, UCC’s broader social and cultural impact is substantial. The university is the fourth most popular tourism destination in the city, attracting visitors to conferences and graduations on campus, to the Glucksman Gallery and for campus tours. The endeavours of our students, graduates, and staff are interwoven in Cork’s artistic, cultural and sporting fabric.

We strive to ensure that this is a reciprocal relationship. As much as our people represent Cork, we work to ensure all people of Cork are represented in UCC. The success of our Access Programme means that over 21% of undergraduates are mature students, students with disabilities, or those from non-traditional backgrounds.

From its earliest days, UCC has sought to remove barriers and extend opportunities through education. Women were first admitted as students in 1886, and by 2024 represent almost 60% of the student body. We continue to work to broaden access to third level education, and recently launched our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan to support our ambition to be a place of belonging and inclusion.

More must be done to empower every potential student to access higher education. The cost of living and housing crises must be tackled to open further education to all.

Our own Campus Accommodation provides 1,536 beds, consistently offered at below-market rates, but with over 25,000 students attending UCC, more affordable accommodation is urgently needed. We sometimes hear that in Cork it is not the availability of accommodation that is the issue, it is the affordability, but the reality is that an unaffordable apartment isn’t available to a student whose budget can’t meet the rents sought.

We are committed to working with the Government and other bodies to increase affordable accommodation and remove these barriers. The recent budget announcement of increased multi-annual funding is welcome and allows us to plan for the future.

However, given the international threats of shocks to our economy, an adequately funded and properly represented third level sector will be crucial to Ireland’s ability to weather any economic storms on the horizon.

Reflecting on the past year, I acknowledge it has been a challenging period both for our university and the global community. Despite the challenges we faced, UCC has continued to innovate and embrace new opportunities.

In a historic milestone, UCC became the first university in Ireland to launch an apprenticeship programme with the offering of the first Apprenticeship in Social Work in September.

This year also, the important role of higher education was recognised by both the electorate and policymakers, following that commitment to multi-annual funding for the sector. This achievement was in no small part thanks to the efforts of our Governing Authority, whose work has been instrumental in advocating for critical funding for higher education.

While we faced many challenges in 2024, I am confident we and our students will reap the benefits of our hard work in the years to come, and we face the future with optimism.

As President of UCC, I wish to thank all our students, staff, alumni, Governing Authority, partners and collaborators for the contributions you all make to our university, community and city.