'Fit in or Lose out' - 2025 University for All Symposium

We were delighted to welcome so many of our colleagues and students from UCD and further afield on Wednesday for our University for All Symposium. The sun shone, the conversation was engaging and the ice cream van arrived on cue!
Entitled 'Fit In Or Lose Out', this year's symposium had a specific focus on classism and its impact on belonging within the higher education experience.
A big thank you to our Registrar and Deputy President, Professor Colin Scott who provided the event welcome, our tremendous speakers: keynote Professor Jo Littler, Goldsmiths, University of London and our colleague Marlene Douglas who presented on her research, ‘The lived experience of social class in education: student perspective.’
Bairbre Fleming and Lisa Padden situated the discussion within the Universal Design for Learning Framework 3.0 with its focus on learner identity. Our student Access Leaders Blessed Rita Fonkoh, Niamh Andrews Fraher and Soffiyah Adewoyin facilitated a session with Daniel Elliott, focusing on classism through the lens of student case studies.
The morning provided an opportunity for many thought provoking and rich discussions on an often overlooked area and sought to move the discussion beyond simply looking at finances and income which is often seen as the only remedy to supporting students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Participants were encouraged to consider a Plus One change they may wish to apply to their own practice in teaching, in practice or in student support. Professor John Brannigan provided an elegant and positive overview to close the symposium.