Galway's 2nd International Dance Festival will be held at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Saturday, 14 May at 7.30pm. The Festival will be a unique opportunity to see a variety of dancers performing in their traditional attire, including a Galway-based Mexican group presenting the famous 'Son de la negra' as well as dancers from Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, France, India, Ireland, Peru, the Philippines, Russia and Spain. This spectacular event is being organised by NUI Galway staff members Gloria Avalos, Ann Monahan, Breda Kelleher, Micheál Newell and Lorraine Tansey, together with Susana Campos of the Sisters of La Retraite. All the proceeds from this event will go to the Special Olympics to help support the clubs and organisations in Connaught. According to Gloria Avalos, "the International Dance Festival held in 2009 raised in excess of €10,000 and this year we are hoping to match or exceed this amount, all on behalf of a very good cause, Special Olympics Connaught". Following the dance performances, a D.J. will be playing entertaining music from many countries of the world. A raffle offering fabulous prizes will also be held during the evening. The organisers would like to thank their sponsors Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Galway Bay FM and CATERENT (Furniture & Equipment Hire). Tickets are priced at €10 or €7 for students and are available in advance from the Soc Box, in Áras na Mac Léinn, NUI Galway, as well as in the various NUI Galway canteens from 10.30am to 4pm on Thursday, 14 April. Tickets will also be available at the Radisson Blu Hotel on the night. Please invite your friends all are welcome. -Ends-

"Poor systems within the civil service and the public sector will further dis-empower public sector leaders and compromise the change needed to correct our public finances," that's according to NUI Galway President Dr James J. Browne, speaking earlier today at the launch of Leadership in the Irish Civil Service: A 360° Review of Senior Management Capability report at the University today. President Browne added that a robust, independent and rational public service must be free from any suspicion of political clientelism. Civil servants, especially senior civil servants, must feel free to act with true accountability and transparency. In his speech, Dr Browne added that "senior leaders are currently managing and leading without the authority or indeed adequate control mechanisms to effect real change and this encapsulates the challenge facing leaders in the civil service, and indeed the wider public sector". The President is arguing for a system where senior managers in the public sector are given defined budgets and are responsible for outputs within their organisation. "Leaders and managers must have the freedom to allocate resources and to change processes while working within these budgets and achieving agreed outputs. There is no role for a central 'control' authority, in second guessing processes, procedures and decisions made at local level, provided always, of course, that decisions are made in accordance with best practice and good governance and are within agreed budgets." With a forward by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the report is the culmination of a two-year research project at the University's Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (CISC) and Management Discipline. The Taoiseach has written that the report, "will inform public service policy and practice with regard to human resource management and leadership development". The Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (CISC) and Management Discipline, NUI Galway, led by Dr Alma McCarthy, carried out the leadership capability study, funded by the IRCHSS, at senior management level in the Irish Civil Service. The study was carried out between May and August 2010. Over 140 senior managers participated in the study from 12 Government Departments and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners with over 1,200 leadership surveys completed in total and represents the most extensive study of its kind to-date in Ireland. Keynote speakers at today's Conference included Dr Maria Maguire, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Independent Consultant; Philip Kelly, Assistant Secretary General, Department of An Taoiseach with responsibility for Transforming Public Services and Brian Cawley, Director General of the Institute of Public Administration. Dr Alma McCarthy, CISC and J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, NUI Galway, who presented the findings of the report at today's Conference said, "This conference focused specifically on the area of senior management leadership capability in the Irish public service. The conference debated the important areas of human resource management, talent management, and leadership development that merit attention in the drive for public service modernisation and reform. The conference is extremely timely given the new Government's express focus on reform and the establishment of the new Public Expenditure and Reform Department under Minister Brendan Howlin." The report will be available online at www.nuigalway.ie/cisc -Ends-

The NUI Galway Society Awards took place on campus recently with seventeen awards presented at the gala event. The Society Awards celebrate the contribution which over one hundred societies make both to the University and the wider community. NUI Galway Societies Officer Ríona Hughes, said: "The NUI Galway Societies Awards was a huge success and hosting the event on campus in the new Bailey Allen Hall was a fitting end to an outstanding year of creativity and involvement." The winners on the night will represent the University at the BICS National Society Awards which will be hosted in NUI Galway on Thursday, 21 April. · The coveted Best Society of the Year Award went to the Drama Society for the professionalism and creativity they brought to their numerous and varied events during the year. · Most Improved Society went to the GiG (Gay in Galway) Soc for their sheer determination and effort to improve and expand the society. · Best New Society went to the Comic Book Society who exploded onto the societies scene this year with colourful and original events. · Best Society Individual went to Drama Society's Neasa O'Callaghan whose hard work and dedication during the Irish Student Drama Awards was exemplary. Neasa is also the auditor of Classics Soc and an active member of Lit & Deb. · Best Fresher went to Ronan Gallagher. Ronan was the venue manager of the Bank of Ireland theatre during the ISDA Festival and has been involved in lighting for many Dramsoc productions. Ronan's commitment and passion to Dramsoc won him this award. · Best Event went to the ISDA festival which was organised by the Drama Society. The other awards on the night were: Best Departmental Society: Accountancy and Finance Society; Best Poster: Literary and Debating Society; Best Website: Comedy Soc; Most ALIVE Society: Musical Society (GUMS); Best Civic Contribution: Draíocht Nepal Society; Best Cultural Contribution: Anime and Manga Society; Best Small Publication: Musical Society (GUMS); and Best Multi Media/ Large Publication: Art Soc for their Lunatic Fringe publication; and Best Photograph to Joe Hyland in the Photography Society. Two Múscailt prizes were also presented to the Orchestra Society and Comic Book Society and the best contribution to Múscailt Arts Festival award went to the Juggling Society for their wonderful show during the festival. -Ends-

'Research between commercial and academia sectors a winning formula for our economic recovery' - Minister Sherlock "The 'clustering' model of scientific research, comprising an unprecedented degree of co-operation and collaboration between commercial and academic personnel, has been a winning formula here," Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock T.D. said today (Wednesday) 6 April, 2011. Minister Sherlock was addressing the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) Open Day at NUI Galway earlier today. DERI, a Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET), supported by Government through Science-Foundation Ireland-funding, was established in 2003, and has become an internationally-renowned web science research centre, providing the technology which underpins intelligent services on the Internet. Current research results include semantic search engines, novel collaboration and social media as well as sensor network technologies. Over 250 academics and industrialists attended the DERI Open Day and were briefed by presentations and demonstrations on DERI's research, applied research and commercialisation activities. Also presenting were DERI's key industrial partners and funders. Minister Sherlock told the assembled group, "There is a story here to be told. It is a story of resilience, skill, steely determination and achievement. You are the characters who make the story and should be the tellers of that story." The Minister added, "You have both a national and an international audience that I believe are eager to listen once their attention has been captured. Today's showcase demonstrates clearly the high quality research underway here at DERI, and at NUI Galway." He added that DERI's impressive track record provided the Government with "considerable hope and indeed some expectation that science will be pivotal to our economic recovery". The Minister referred to the Government's pledge in the Programme for Government to promote and support investment in technology research, development and commercialisation in line with an overall Digital Ireland strategy. Professor Stefan Decker, Director of DERI, said: "Our research showcases the innovation potential in the Irish ICT sector. Realising this innovation potential by contributing to a national and holistic Digital Ireland strategy is firmly on our agenda." Michael Turley, CEO of DERI noted: "Today was an extremely important day for DERI. It enabled us to showcase what we have achieved to date, but also to demonstrate the possibilities for the future with the research we are doing, and also with the collaborations we have through our partners. All of our efforts are geared to assisting in achieving the goals of the Smart Economy." Throughout his day long visit to NUI Galway Minister Sherlock met with a range of key research and industry personnel connected to the University covering the biomedical, ICT and energy sectors. -Ends-

Michael D. Higgins will officially launch a new documentary film, Bridging the Gap, in which leading academics in Irish higher education discuss contemporary social and economic issues in an engaging and accessible way. Two of the NUI Galway contributors to the film, Dr Su-Ming Khoo, School of Political Science and Sociology, and Dr Vinodh Jaichand, Irish Centre for Human Rights, will also speak at the launch and the event will include screening of excerpts from the film. The launch, hosted by Galway City VEC, Campus Engage and NUI Galway, will take place on Wednesday, 13 April at 11am at the Galway City Museum. The aim of the film is to 'bridge the gap' between higher education and adult and community education, by making available the knowledge, expertise and perspectives of academics to students learning in community-based settings. The film consists of two DVDs which contain a number of short programmes on topics such as human rights, globalisation, education, democracy, gender and racism. Ann Lyons, Project Manager at the Community Knowledge Initiative, said: "The experience of adult and community education has demonstrated that students learn best when a variety of teaching methods and media are used. The DVDs will provide a visual and audio tool which will be a user-friendly resource for teachers, tutors, and educational facilitators in the field of adult and community education and beyond. The producers of the film hope that the various programmes will stimulate discussion and be a catalyst for social action. While the primary objective of the film is to be a resource for adult and community education it will also be of interest to individuals, other organisations and learners in general." The production of Bridging the Gap is a partnership between County Wexford VEC, Roots Reel Films and the Equality Studies Centre at UCD and supported by funding from Campus Engage. The film has won an Aontas Star Award as an outstanding learner centred adult and community education project and represents a very productive collaboration between institutions of higher education and community-based education. It will make a valuable contribution to the adult and community education sector and be a useful resource for teachers and learners alike. For further information on Bridging the Gap contact Ann Lyons, Community Knowledge Initiative, NUI Galway at 091 492228/087 7677080 or email ann.lyons@nuigalway.ie -Ends-