The President of NUI Galway, Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh has welcomed the Government's announcement of a range of new initiatives to support Medical Education and Training. A €200 million initiative for major reform of medical education and training from undergraduate level through to postgraduate specialist training was announced by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health & Children, Mary Harney, T.D. and the Minister for Education & Science, Mary Hanafin, T.D. in Dublin on Wednesday, 1st February 2006. The main reforms include increasing the number of medical places for Irish and EU students over a four year period from 305 to 725, as well as the introduction of a new graduate entry programme for medicine from 2007 as part of the overall expansion of places. Dr Ó Muircheartaigh welcomed the announcement and described the programme of reforms as "highly significant for the education and healthcare sector in Ireland." "On behalf of NUI Galway and the University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, I wholeheartedly welcome these initiatives. We in NUI Galway look forward to engaging in this planned expansion with the two Government departments as soon as possible." The Dean of Medicine & Health Sciences at NUI Galway, Dr Philip A. Carney, praised the government for the initiative. "We in the Faculty greatly appreciate the work and commitment of both ministers and their departments to the reform of medical education. We look forward to the opportunity of launching our graduate entry programme for students and welcome the proposal that eight new Academic Clinician posts will be created nationally this year." ENDS

Minister for Agriculture and Food, Ms. Mary Coughlan T.D. has attended a special ceremony to mark the signing of a historic Agreement between NUI Galway and St. Angela s College, Sligo that sees the latter become the first independent educational institution to become a College of a Constituent University of the National University of Ireland. Ms. Coughlan, who is a past pupil of the Ursuline Convent in Sligo, was the guest of honour at the College s campus on the shores of Lough Gill, on Friday, 31st March 2006, where the occasion was marked with the Honorary Conferring of a Doctor of Laws on former President of St Angela s Sr. Marianne O Connor. Sr. Marianne presided over the College from 1983 – 2001, during which time she expanded the range of courses on offer to include additional elective subjects such as biology and religious education in the B.Ed degree in Home Economics. She also introduced undergraduate programmes in Nursing and Arts, postgraduate courses in Education and a wide range of Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development programmes designed to meet the educational needs of the north west region. President of NUI Galway, Dr. Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh congratulated Sr. Marianne on her conferring on what he said was a momentous day for education in the north west. "By honouring Sr. Marianne O Connor on the day we sign this historic Agreement, we are recognising the tradition of service which the Ursuline order have brought to third-level education in Ireland, and in a special way at St. Angela s College. "As we celebrate the long-standing partnership between NUI Galway and St Angela s over many years, we acknowledge that the Agreement we sign today will further strengthen this partnership and bring real educational and social benefits to the north-west and to the Border, Midlands & West region, as well as to the entire nation. " St. Angela s College President Anne Taheny said: "The Agreement is a further strengthening of the longstanding relationship between St Angela's and NUI Galway and such inter-institutional collaboration will further enhance the provision of and access to university education and research on a regional, national and international basis. The linkage will promote learning and will support and contribute to both regional and national economic and social development. " St. Angela s, which was founded in 1952 by the Irish Urusline Union as a training college for teachers of home economics, was designated in 2003 as the sole national centre for the training of Home Economics teachers. The College currently offers programmes at Bachelor, Master, Higher Diploma and Diploma levels in a range of courses from education to nursing. The College also provides an Access course for the socio-economically disadvantaged and co-operates in the delivery of NUI Galway s BA programme in Economic and Social Studies. Students of St. Angela s College are registered as students of NUI Galway and their degrees and other qualifications are awarded by the University. The existing governance structures of the College will remain in place under the Agreement and a joint body has been established to oversee its implementation, including reciprocal use of library, technology and other facilities at both institutions. Ends

NUI Galway is to host Ireland s first ever Service Learning Academy to examine civic engagement and service learning in higher education. The project, which is a collaborative effort involving NUI Maynooth, Dublin City University and Dublin Institute of Technology, will bring together academics from around Ireland to explore the link between universities and the wider community. The recent establishment of a Civic Taskforce in Ireland has encouraged higher education institutions to address ways to instil values related to citizenship in academic programmes and to encourage students to use their newly acquired skills to the benefit of the wider community. The Academy, which has been funded by the Higher Education Authority, takes place at the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone on the 30th and 31st March, 2006. Service Learning and Community Based Learning are teaching tools that help students take the skills they learn in class and use them in the community. Students assist a disadvantaged sector of society, incorporating theoretical knowledge into practical skills while receiving academic credit. The Academy hopes to establish a network of academics who are interested in embedding community-based learning into higher education. Service Learning has been a core mission for NUI Galway through the Community Knowledge Initiative, a project started in 2001 that hopes to realise the civic mission of higher education institutes. Funded by Atlantic Philanthropy, this project promotes civic engagement between students and community through teaching, research and volunteering. NUI Galway is viewed as a leader in Ireland in terms of offering these community-based learning opportunities to students and hopes to encourage other institutions to formally recognise these approaches to learning and teaching. A representative from the Taoiseach's office will be present at the Service Learning Academy to explore the civic dimension of higher education. ENDS

The South African Senior Science and Technology representative in Europe, Dr Mandi Mzimba, called on Irish researchers to develop linkages with their South African counterparts. She was speaking at a workshop in Dublin today hosted by the Irish Universities Association. The event was organised in partnership with ESASTAP – the European South African Science and Technology Advancement Programme. The workshop, supported by Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, aims to make important research connections by availing of the European Commission's Framework Programmes. ESASTAP is a Specific Support Action, implemented by the South African Department of Science and Technology and funded by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework programme to facilitate networking between European and South African scientists. Welcoming the South African delegation in his opening address, Paraig Hennessy, Head of Science Policy and International Research Programmes in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment said that, "Irish Researchers have always been very successful participants in EU Framework Programmes. I have no doubt that once they are made aware of collaboration opportunities they could be relied on to use Framework funding to establish long lasting and fruitful linkages with researchers in South Africa." Presentations were made on the research landscapes in South Africa and Ireland with a focus on Food Safety and Quality, Biotechnology, IST and Energy which are national priorities for both countries. Irish researchers from a variety of academic institutions including TCD, UCD, UCC, NUIG, DIAS, RCSI and DIT also had the opportunity for one to one meetings with the South African NCP's to discuss specific collaborative ideas. The Irish Universities Association (IUA) provides a national support service for industry and academia in preparing and submitting proposals to the FP6 programme. Speaking at the event, Siobhan Harkin, Research Officer at IUA said, "There are great opportunities over the next seven years of FP7 for Irish and South African research to form strong links in areas of common interest. The IUA will work closely with ESASTAP to this end." Significant opportunities will exist for research organisations in the Marie Curie Programme in FP7 and the IUA will strongly support potential applicants in industry, universities and institutes of technology to build on the success of FP6. The IUA looks forward to working with South Africa to establish strong research links. Ends

Tabharfar onóir do dhaltaí ó bhunscoileanna ar leith i gCathair na Gaillimhe a bhí rannpháirteach i gclár 'Sport for Success' OÉ Gaillimh, clár a ceapadh le daltaí i gceantair faoi mhíbhuntáiste a spreagadh le cloí lena gcuid oideachais go dtí an tríú leibhéal. Déardaoin, 23 Márta 2006, ag searmanas speisialta i dTéatar Uí Fhlaitheartaigh, Foirgneamh na nDán/na hEolaíochta ag 7.30pm bronnfaidh John O'Donoghue, TD, an tAire Ealaíon, Spóirt agus Turasóireachta, teastais ar dhaltaí as Scoil Bhuachaillí Naomh Micheál, Muirbheach, as Scoil Chailíní na Tríonóide Naofa, Muirbheach agus as Scoil Bhríde, Seantalamh, atá i ndiaidh an cúrsa a chríochnú. Is tionscnamh ina nasctar an spórt agus obair bhaile é 'Sport for Success,' atá ina chuid de Chlár Rochtana OÉ Gaillimh ó 2002, agus cuireann sé an t-oideachas tríú leibhéal agus luach an oideachais ann féin chun cinn, mar aon le teicnící agus scileanna spóirt a fheabhsú. Tagann daltaí ó rang 4, 5 agus 6 isteach san Ollscoil tráthnóna amháin sa tseachtain i rith théarma an earraigh agus cuireann mic léinn Rochtana agus fochéimithe Rochtana na hollscoile cuidiú agus treoir ar fáil dóibh lena gcuid obair bhaile. Nuair a bhíonn an tasc sin críochnaithe acu bíonn na daltaí ábalta sult a bhaint as uair an chloig de na cluichí a bhfuil an-tóir orthu ar nós an tsacair agus na cispheile. Foghlaimíonn siad spóirt nua ar nós haca, dreapadh sa tobar dreapadóireachta, Tai-Bo, casadh agus lámhchleasaíocht. Dar le hImelda Byrne, Oifigeach Rochtana OÉ Gaillimh: Tacaíonn an clár 'Sport for Success' le Misean Rochtana ginearálta an choláiste arb é is cuspóir dó comhionannas deiseanna níos fearr a chothú do mhic léinn ó chúlraí faoi mhíbhuntáiste. Is deis iontach é le taithí a thabhairt do pháistí, dá dtuismitheoirí agus don phobal go ginearálta, rud atá an-tábhachtach, ar an Ollscoil atá tiomanta do sheans a thabhairt do rannpháirtithe tús a chur lena dturas mar fhoghlaimeoirí fadsaoil." Críoch