Munster Technological University...innovative approach to teaching and learning, research and...

President

MUNSTERTECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

OLLSCOIL TEICNEOLAÍOCHTA NA MUMHAN

August 2020

Appointment of

Munster Technological University

Contents

03 Introduction

- Teaching and learning

- Research

10 Person specification

- Terms of appointment

Appointment of President | August 2020 02

- Vision, Mission & Values

04 About the University

08 Overview of the South-West Region

09 Job Description

12 Appointment process and how to apply

- Duties and responsibilities

Introduction

MTU is now seeking to appoint its inaugural President

inviting candidates who will bring strategic vision and

flair to a Technological University with a strong

foundation in the South-West, creating huge potential

in the region.

With its student population of over 18,000 across six

campuses, MTU will be operating at significant scale

providing academic programmes and delivering leading

multi-disciplinary, industry-focused research with

national and international partners. The mission of MTU

is to lead change and, through education, empower

people for a successful future in a globalised world.

This mission will be achieved through excellence in

education, research and engagement as well as

through an organisational culture which is focused on

recognising and meeting the needs of individuals,

enterprise partners and the broader society.

A vibrant community of students, academics and

professionals, MTU will deliver agile, student-centred

learning, embedding digital technologies into a range

of learning models and career- focused education,

research and innovation activities, with a strong

entrepreneurial ethos.

The new President will have superb networking and

negotiation skills and the passion and personal

authority to marshal a large and diverse community of

staff, students and external partners around a shared

vision for the new University. The President will be the

University’s chief officer and accountable person,

complying with the Code of Governance for public

bodies and reporting to the Governing Body, within the

legislative framework of the Technological

Universities Act (2018).

Offering pathways to graduation from apprenticeship

to PhD level, the University will be pedagogically

innovative, offering an open, inclusive and digital

learning environment; research intensive, focusing on

key strategic priority areas and engaged with its

communities through an active programme of

innovation, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship.

The new University will have the capacity to operate at

a significant scale of activity and ambition in terms of

its educational, research, social and economic strategy.

On the 1st January 2021, Cork Institute of Technology

will join with the Institute of Technology, Tralee to

establish Munster Technological University (MTU).


Leading transformation through education. Values capture what MTU is and how it will act,

engage and treat the communities it serves.

MTU’s values will be constant and will guide the

development of its strategic imperatives now and

into the future.

Inclusive: At its core MTU will be all about

people. MTU exists to provide educational

pathways to all, helping people invest in their

future potential through lifelong learning. MTU

will work in collaboration with a multitude of

students at different levels and stages in their

learning cycle, as well as businesses and

communities at home and abroad, to deliver the

best education for the world of tomorrow.

Engaging: MTU will both engage and be

engaging; investing in understanding and

collaborating with students, staff, employers,

regional and global enterprises and government.

MTU will demonstrate its vision and ambition

exhibiting its values through dialogue and action.


MTU’s vision is deliberately bold. It will embrace

change through its delivery of the technological

university functions.

About the University

ITT Campus

CIT Campus

To lead change and, through education, empower

people for a successful future in a globalised

world. MTU will embody this mission by leading

change through its culture and people, through

relevant multi-disciplinary programmes and an

innovative approach to teaching and learning,

research and engagement. MTU will plan for

tomorrow and be consistently relevant. MTU will

create opportunity through flexible lifelong

learning and will ensure access for a wide variety of

people at every stage in their learning process,

enabling them to achieve their real potential. MTU

will deliver agile, student-centred learning and

career-focused education, research and

innovation. MTU will be committed to supporting

the regional economy.

Vision

Mission

Values


Bold: MTU will recognise the need to take

managed risk to deliver economic and

technological impact. MTU will be a positive

force for change in its pursuit of educational and

technological innovation for tangible economic and

social impact. MTU will inspire people to realise

their potential.

Dynamic: MTU will be a responsive and agile

multi-campus regionally based technological

university. MTU will respond to the needs of

local, regional and international communities. The

technological university will be designed to support

an innovative approach across all its activities.

Building on CIT and ITT’s outstanding reputations in

the region, MTU will be an exemplar of good

practice in professional education. It will pursue this

goal through the ongoing adoption of best practice in

teaching and learning as follows:

The suite of academic programmes of MTU will

reflect the differentiated mission of a technological

university, including the creative and performing arts,

humanities and business, alongside science and

engineering. The goal is to accentuate what CIT and

ITT already do well. Both institutes have a dynamic

portfolio of programmes highly focused on technical

and professional areas, with many programmes

recognised by relevant professional bodies. As a

new technological university, MTU has the ability and

responsibility to build on this solid portfolio. The

enhanced capacity and capability brought about by

MTU will enable further development of high quality

and relevant programmes of study. Programmes

offered by MTU will be, above all else, responsive to

the needs of students, employers, the regional and

national economy and the broader society.

Reflecting close links with business and public

agencies, the career-focused, work-based

programmes will be developed in response to

employer skill needs and will play a pivotal role in

meeting the needs of the skills economy. MTU will

embed within the curriculum and foster within the

university the skills, values and attitudes that are

needed to form just and inclusive citizens. MTU will

seek to strike a balance between providing

programmes which attract sufficient numbers of

students, ensuring that those students are

employable upon graduation, and providing a

suitably qualified workforce to support the various

sectors of the economy.

• Offering research methods which deliver a range of

skills including creativity, inquiry, problem solving and

innovation.

• Exposing students to a range of pedagogical styles;

• Providing a relevant and flexible career-focused

curriculum developed in close partnership with

enterprise;

• Challenging students to take ownership of their

learning experience;

• Active and collaborative student-centered learning

which engages the student’s desire to learn;


Teaching and learning


As a new kind of institution in Ireland, operating at the

highest academic level in an environment that is

specifically focused on technology and its application,

research will be central to the vision for MTU. As

indicated in the Technological Universities Act 2018, a

Technological University will support ‘a body of

research that includes research relevant at regional,

national and international levels.

• Have the ability to create and apply knowledge in a

variety of professional contexts, having participated in

an educational programme which fosters problem

solving, knowledge discovery, research and the use of

knowledge in real-world situations.

• Be motivated and empowered to be a lifelong learner

with a passion for learning which is underpinned by the

essential skills of inquiry and scholarship;

• Exhibit personal and professional efficacy and

integrity, enabled by the development of a broad range

of competencies including interpersonal and

communication skills, teamwork, ethics and social

responsibility;

• Have a broad range of relevant discipline-specific

knowledge, skills and competencies;

MTU will enable students to develop the key graduate

attributes and characteristics expected of its students

on completion of their studies.

The MTU student will:


1. Enhancing the connection between research and

other elements of the technological university’s

mission, notably teaching and learning, whilst being

cognisant of the need to ensure that research remains

sustainably funded;

3. Advocating for support structures, including a more

robust funding model for research and innovation,

which are linked to appropriate organisational

structures;

5. Expanding large scale research activity into areas

which currently do not have delegated authority,

including areas in the humanities, arts and business;

6. Attracting, retaining and growing a diverse cohort of

students, faculty and staff regionally, nationally and

internationally.

2. Protecting and enhancing the quality of research

and innovation outputs and building a reputation

nationally and internationally for impact in prioritised

research and innovation areas;

4. Meeting targets that have been set down in the

Technological University Act 2018 in a sustainable

way;

MTU’s research strategy will be based on critical

mass, competitive advantage, connectivity and

clusters, and collaborative leadership. Key strategic

objectives for MTU research will include:

MTU Research Strategy

Research

http://www.crestdit.com

http://www.micra.ie


Researchers: MTU will adopt the current practices

embedded in CIT/ITT Research Career Framework

(RCF). This will support the career development of all

academic staff and contract researchers and recognise

the benefits of facilitating their participation in wider

research groups and centres where they can profit

from a well-supported research environment.

Focus: MTU’s thematic research areas (TRAs) will

align with the National Research Priority Areas and at

the same time be cognisant of changes to policies at

national and international level. MTU will seek to build

research and innovation activities of demonstrable

scale, supported by access to world-class

infrastructure either across its campuses or through

strategic collaborations and agreements.

Integrity and Openness: MTU will support research

through integrity, ethics, professionalism and respect

and will strive to provide the highest quality

leadership. It will fully subscribe to the National

Statement on Ensuring Research Integrity in Ireland,

supporting the forthcoming NORF statement on open

science.

Collaboration: MTU researchers will collaborate with

external stakeholders to achieve the maximum impact

from its research and innovations activities.

Teaching and Learning: Research and innovation will

enhance the connection in MTU between research,

teaching and learning at all levels enabling

critical-thinking graduates and encouraging the

development of leading and entrepreneurial mindsets.

Knowledge Exchange: MTU will strengthen CIT/ITT

already well-established and highly successful

knowledge transfer, commercialisation and

entrepreneurship activities, continuing to integrate

both institutions’ research and innovation with

industry, the needs of society and for the public good.


MTU will perform research and innovation that will span

the continuum from fundamental research to that of

the practical and commercial needs of enterprise in the

region and beyond. The Technological University

will maintain an emphasis on solutions driven research

and innovation that will have impact and

generate benefits. MTU’s emphasis on impact for its

research will be relevant nationally and

internationally. The principles that will underpin

research in MTU are:

MTU's Research Principles

MTU will respond to the changing skills needs of the

region through the development of flexible

programmes of study to suit the changing

demographic nature of the region. MTU will continue

to develop and enhance curricula and research

opportunities through stakeholder engagement

ensuring that the changing demands of regional

enterprise, professional occupations and the

community are realised.

CIT and ITT are located in the counties of Cork and

Kerry respectively and these two counties together

form the South-West region of Ireland. These two

counties, along with the four counties of Clare,

Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford, form the Munster

region.

Given its demographic and economic profile, the

South-West region, along with the main national

centre of Dublin, has potential for immediate and

sustained growth.


Overview of the South-West Region

MTU is seeking to appoint its inaugural President

inviting candidates who will bring strategic vision

and flair to a Technological University with a strong

foundation in the South-West.

This individual will have superb networking and

negotiation skills and the passion and personal

authority to marshal a large and diverse community of

staff, students and external partners around a shared

vision for the new University. The President will be

the University’s chief officer and accountable person,

complying with the Code of Governance for public

bodies and reporting to the Governing Body, within

the legislative framework of the Technological

Universities Act (2018).

A vibrant community of students, academics and

professionals, MTU will deliver agile, student-centred

learning, embedding digital technologies into a

range of learning models and career-focused

education, research and innovation with a strong

entrepreneurial ethos.

The successful appointee will be expected to:

• provide academic and executive leadership to

MTU;

• lead the university in its establishment phase and

be responsible for all operational and strategic

matters within the university as provided for in the

relevant legislation;

• lead the ongoing merger process of the two

institutions in developing an agreed organisational

design, academic programme and QA provisions in

the new unitary institution;

• enhance student recruitment from within and

outside the region on a national level, as well as

internationally;

• be responsible for the development of a strategic

plan for the new institution;

• sustain and enhance the level of excellence

in teaching. Act as a compelling advocate for

teaching and learning university-wide, and a

creative, innovative thinker with an eye to the

future, including being a leader in digitisation in

teaching;

• oversee the systematic review of curricula and

enhancement of the portfolio of courses at

undergraduate level;

• enhance the competitiveness of the University’s

postgraduate portfolio of courses and market share

of postgraduate students, both taught and research;

• develop a strong research profile for the University,

identifying strengths and the potential for

development and work to increase research income

from Ireland, European and International sources;

• enhance the competitiveness of the University’s

postgraduate portfolio of courses and market share

of postgraduate students, both taught and research;

• develop a strong research profile for the University,

identifying strengths and the potential for

development and work to increase research income

from Ireland, European and International sources;


• oversee the systematic review of curricula and

enhancement of the portfolio of courses at

undergraduate level;

Job Description

Duties and responsibilities

• encourage strong collaboration with industry in the

commercialisation of University research and further

develop relationships with industry to deliver high

level skills;

• ensure financial sustainability through a diversity of

funding streams, maximising Government funding,

developing the University’s commercial agenda to

increase commercial funding and identifying other

sources of funds including philanthropy;

• promote equality and diversity among students and

employees of the University;

• encourage, and demonstrate through

example, a culture of openness, transparency

and empowerment throughout the University

community;

• build the international profile of the University;

• act as an ambassador for the University in

high level national and international

forums; and

• oversee the effective management of MTU’s

financial, human and physical resources against

clear outcome targets and objectives.

A person of the highest calibre is sought for this

challenging position. The successful appointee will be

expected to demonstrate:

• a compelling vision for the future development of

MTU;

• a distinguished academic record with a doctorate

qualification or equivalent industry experience;

• a proven track record of effective, dynamic and

collaborative strategic leadership and achievement

gained at a senior level;

• a track record of creating something new, driving

and delivering change, recognising the changing

and demanding external environment in which

MTU operates;

• a keen understanding and some experience of

what it takes to create a new entity;

• experience and expertise in all aspects of

governance and management particularly as these

relate to higher education or public-sector

institutions;

• proven networking and interpersonal skills, with a

track record of successful high-level representation

and relationship building across a complex

stakeholder map;

• an ability to inspire, and carry the respect of the academic community and industry partners;


Person Specification

Role specification

• outstanding communication skills with a deep

understanding of people and the ability to

actively listen, demonstrate empathy engage

people, engender trust and motivate individuals

and teams;

• a capability to operate at the highest levels of both

the public and private sectors, within Ireland or

internationally;

• capacity to influence and drive the development of

teaching and learning, understanding its importance

and maintaining its profile within the wider setting

of a research and industry-engaged institution;

• a record of negotiating large scale financial and

capital projects; and

• ability to develop, empower, lead and motivate a

strong senior management team, focused on delivery

of the strategic objectives of MTU, with an ability to

translate strategy and plans into achievable

outcomes and targets;

• strong financial acumen with proven ability to

optimise and manage resources.

openness, transparency and empowerment

throughout the University; and

• a leadership style that encourages a culture of

The salary will reflect the seniority and wide-ranging

nature of this role and will be set with reference to

salary levels which currently prevail for presidents in

the Irish university sector subject to the approval of the

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research,

Innovation and Science given with the consent of the

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The salary

is pensionable.


Terms of appointment

Person specification cont.

• demonstrable experience of leadership in advancing gender equality

Appointment process and how to apply

Dr Phil Entwistle - [email protected]

Michelle Scanlon - [email protected]

Dr Sinead Gibney - [email protected] The appointment will be made subject to satisfactory

references and it is intended that the appointee will

take up employment as soon as contractual obligations

allow.

Applications should consist of a full curriculum vitae

detailing academic and professional qualifications

and experience, full employment history and relevant

achievements. CVs should be accompanied by a

covering letter describing briefly how candidates

meet the criteria outlined in the person specification,

why the appointment is of interest and what they

believe they can bring to the role.

Completed applications should be uploaded at

https://candidates.perrettlaver.com/vacancies/,

quoting reference 4737. The closing date for

applications will be 5pm BST on Tuesday 22nd

September 2020.


The Selection Committee will be supported in this

appointment process by the executive search firm

Perrett Laver. Enquiries may be made directly to;

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Processor, and our legal basis for processing your personal data is ‘Legitimate Interest’. For more information

about this, your rights, and our approach to Data Protection and Privacy, please visit our website

www.perrettlaver.com/information/privacy/

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Suite 312, The Greenway,112-114 St Stephen's Green,Dublin 2Republic of IrelandT: +353 (0) 1 905 3537E: [email protected]

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