TCD Launches New Postgraduate Advisory Service

Posted on: 14 April 2009

Trinity College ‘s new Postgraduate Advisory Service was launched on Tuesday April 7^th last. This new service builds on the College’s existing Tutorial Service, previously only available to undergraduates, to include all graduate and part-time students. The service is already fully operational in College and has advised, represented and assisted a number of graduate students with their personal, academic and professional difficulties.

The new Postgraduate Advisory Service has been developed and implemented under the direction of the Senior Tutor, Dr Myra Regan, with the assistance of the Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor Carol O’ Sullivan and staff from both offices. A panel of nine advisors, three from each college faculty, has been recruited to assist in the delivery of the service. The service is also supported with a handbook to assist panel members in the delivery of their role along with a dedicated website www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/postgraduate. The site aims to serve the interests and welfare of each student by directing them towards particular individuals, activities and projects which can address their specific needs and concerns.

Dean of Graduate Students, Carol O’Sullivan, Provost Dr John Hegarty and
Senior Tutor, Dr Myra O’Regan at the launch of the new Postgraduate Advisory Service.

“The new Postgraduate Advisory Service will provide a very important service to students in need of independent advice and support here in College”, stated the Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor Carol O’Sullivan. “The service complements existing support structures and will enhance the graduate student experience in TCD.”

Commenting on the launch of the new service, Senior Tutor, Myra O’Regan said: “All of us in the Senior Tutor’s Office are delighted about the launch of the Postgraduate Advisory Service. We hope that this new service will provide a friendly face for students to come to for help and advice.”

The new service is an initiative borne from the Quality Review of the Tutorial Service conducted in 2007. This review was conducted by a panel of three external reviewers from UCD, the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford and one internal reviewer, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry at TCD, Dr Joseph Carroll. The panel concluded that while the Tutorial Service was unique in their experience of higher education in both Ireland and the United Kingdom , providing an exemplary standard of support for Trinity students, neither graduate students nor part-time students fell within its remit. To address this, it was recommended that the Tutorial Service be extended to all graduate and part-time students.