Tánaiste Launches Trinity College Dublin’s Global Relations Strategy

Posted on: 10 September 2012

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, launched the Trinity College Dublin  Global Relations Strategy  today that aims to build on Trinity’s strong international reputation for research, teaching and innovation in its mission to be a university of global consequence.

The strategy addresses five headline actions that will further develop global relationships in research and education: increase the recruitment of international students by doubling the number of non-EU students; improve the educational experience by embedding internationalisation in the educational culture of the University; further develop global relationships with other world leading institutions; build on alumni networks and increase philanthropic income.  The successful implementation of the Global Relations Strategy, which supports ‘Ireland’s International Education Strategy 2010-15’, will be critical in positioning Ireland as a leading centre of international education.

TCD student, Phoebe Wen Yi Sun, from Shanghai, China,  Senior Freshman student  studying BESS.

Commenting on the significance of the Global Relations Strategy for Ireland, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said:

“Ireland, as a small, open economy, relies fundamentally on international engagement and the internationalisation of Irish education must be seen as a critical element to supporting Ireland’s future global trading relationships. International collaboration and participation in education, which is promoted and strongly supported by my Department and our Embassy network, not only improves the quality and profile of our research and increases opportunities for commercialisation of new technologies, but also enhances the quality of education for our own students. Today, Trinity College Dublin has made a decisive commitment towards internationalisation and cementing its place as a top international university with the launch of their Global Relations Strategy and I commend them wholeheartedly for this landmark initiative.”

The University has appointed a Vice-Provost for Global Relations, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, to lead this work which has resulted in the opening of ‘global gateways’ in New York, New Delhi and Shanghai.  In addition the University will make over 30 appointments to successfully implement the strategy and has invested €3 million in the self-financing programme.

Commenting on the significance of the Global Relations Strategy for Trinity Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast said:

“Trinity College Dublin will make a unique contribution in ensuring that Ireland is recognised and ranked as a world leader in the delivery of high-quality international education.   It will contribute to the development of a new educational diaspora which will advocate for Ireland’s interests overseas and will build global relationships with the countries that will be Ireland’s next research, teaching, business and trading partners.” 

Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast,  Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade, Mr Eamon Gilmore TD and  Vice-Provost for Global Relations, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer.

Trinity’s Vice Provost for Global Relations, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer continued: “We are in the eye of a perfect storm that is being shaped by two global trends.  The first is the demise of universities in the west; there is hardly an educational institution in the western world that is not facing some sort of crisis.  The second global trend is the rise of Asia and the demand there is, especially in India, China, Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia, for world class education.  This perfect storm is creating unprecedented opportunities for countries like Ireland to become an educational hub.  This is further helped by the fact that the Government is actively facilitating study in Ireland.  Trinity College Dublin which has long been an international university with a powerful global brand, is keen to avail of these unique opportunities.  Our Global Relations Strategy provides a road map of how we will meet the challenges of a future defined by increased globalisation to become a university for Ireland on the world stage and the major hub for international education, culture, social and intellectual exchanges within Ireland.”

The University has almost 300 exchange and mobility options for students and staff looking for a challenging international experience.  With over 4,500 international academic staff and students from 122 countries around the world, set in an environment that encourages important international debate, a Trinity education prepares students to be global citizens.  Increased internationalisation will improve the quality of the Irish educational experience by providing students with essential international and intercultural experiences and perspectives.  It also fosters cultural exchange and has the potential to increase students’ educational skills by attracting the best students from around the world to Dublin. Students coming to Trinity will also be afforded opportunities for internships and exchanges in the highest-ranked universities in the world and Trinity students will be encouraged to spend time working and studying abroad.

“This strategy aims to build on our existing strong foundations to ensure that the university is equipped to deal with the challenges and opportunities presented by global education and research. This strategy sets out how we propose to become Ireland’s university on the world stage by embedding internationalisation in our culture and creating a Trinity community that is inclusive, integrated and global,” Professor Ohlmeyer concluded.

Trinity’s Global Relations Strategy will be launched in advance of the EAIE conference on the internationalisation of higher education which will be held in Dublin’s Convention Centre this week.  The EAIE is the largest international higher education conference in Europe with over 4,000 delegates in attendance (http://www.eaie.org/home/conference/dublin.php).

More on TCD’s International Collaborations:

Trinity College Dublin has longstanding connections with some of the world’s great universities and has almost 300 exchange and mobility options for students and staff looking for a challenging international experience. Trinity College Dublin has developed a range of strategic partnerships and our research collaborations span the globe and incorporate some of the world’s most prestigious institutions of higher education. This high level of international collaboration is demonstrated by recent agreements signed by the University. For example, a partnership agreement with Beihang University, one of China’s top universities, will enable both institutions to cooperate in teaching and research, and will facilitate exchange of students and researchers between the two institutions. Collaborations with world-class universities such as the University of Chicago, Brown and Columbia in North America, the National University of Singapore, Peking and Tsingua Universities in China and IIT Delhi, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the Indian Institute of Science in India give students the opportunity to study at Trinity creating a multicultural environment thereby equipping all students with the intercultural expertise demanded in a global economy.

Trinity College Dublin has been involved in the Erasmus Programme since its inception in 1987 and continues to play an active and positive role in the Programme.  Each year Trinity College Dublin students travel to universities across Europe to broaden their educational experiences and European students take advantage of the wide range of course options available to them at Trinity.