Allegations of cronyism and a lack of transparency in senior appointments in UCD are to be raised in the Dáil by the Labour Party.
The party's deputy leader, Liz McManus, expressed unease about the appointments yesterday as over 150 academics, staff and students gathered to protest at restructuring plans.
Over the past year, UCD's president, Dr Hugh Brady, has transformed academic structures at the college. Eleven faculties have been replaced by five colleges. In addition, some 90 academic departments have been replaced by 35 schools.
There have also been sweeping changes to the college's management team. Both Labour and Siptu have expressed concerns about what they see as a lack of transparency in these appointments.
The concerns include:
r the appointment of five of the seven college vice-presidents without a public recruitment process;
r and the use of a new system of "competitive retention" to appoint three professors and one associate professor.
Last night, UCD said the vice-presidential posts in question were fixed-term appointments, some for three years and some for a longer period, where there was no guarantee of a permanent post.
A UCD spokesperson also offered "no apologies" for the use of "competitive retention" structures. This helped to create new vacancies at professorship level and allowed the college to retain staff coveted by other universities.
Ms McManus, who addressed yesterday's protest meeting, said there was a great deal of anger around campus about the manner of the appointments. There was, she said, a sense among staff that decisions were being imposed from above.
Ms McManus, a UCD graduate, also expressed concern that the college was being increasingly driven by commercial imperatives.
The protests appear to be gathering pace, but the reform plan has already been agreed by the college's governing authority.
In an interview with The Irish Times last year, Dr Brady said he was working to raise the "ambition level" at UCD. But he also stressed his post "is not a popularity contest".
