UCD's Professor Patrick Clancy becomes first Irish Fulbright 
New Century Scholar.

Professor Patrick Clancy

The Fulbright New Century Scholars (NCS) is a prestigious international programme that brings together 25 � 30 scholars and professionals from around the world to work together in order to seek solutions to issues and concerns that affect humankind. Each year the Fulbright organisation chooses a theme for the scholars. This year the group will investigate "Higher Education in the 21st Century: Global Challenge and National Response".

Professor Patrick Clancy, Professor of Sociology and Dean of Human Sciences at UCD, is the first Irish academic to be selected to join this elite group of new century scholars. For the past 25 years Professor Clancy�s research has focussed on higher education. His four National Surveys of Participation in Higher Education in Ireland (Clancy, 1982; 1988; 1995; 2001) for the HEA have played an important role in planning and policy making in Irish higher education. Professor Clancy�s expertise and reputation in this field have led to his involvement in several Government-appointed advisory bodies including the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education (2000) and the Advisory Committee on Third Level Student Support.

The problems faced by universities in Ireland are by no means unique. Despite the fact that universities are recognised as providing a crucial role in the development of knowledge-based economies and for thriving civil societies throughout the world, they themselves face uncertainty and financial problems. As societies increasingly view higher education more as a private than as a public good, government funding has been decreased and individuals have been asked to pay more of the cost of higher education - creating problems for access and social equity. Understanding these major issues and finding ways to effectively address them in different national settings require cross cultural analysis and international attention.

The research to be undertaken by Professor Clancy and his fellow scholars will consider the common problems faced by industrialised and developing nations, developing a set of case studies and feeding in to policy recommendations and practices in many countries. The topics they will cover include: elite and mass-access and equity, the future of research, the globalisation of higher education, choice of institutional models, higher education and the development of civil society, the future of the academic profession, the public-private mix in higher education, and the technological revolution.

Carmel Coyle, Executive Director of the Fulbright Programme in Ireland, said that she was very pleased that Ireland will be represented in this important international research project by Professor Clancy. His selection from a very large pool of international candidates is a testament to his expertise and reputation in this field.

Further information is available on http://www.cies.org/NCS/