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UCC Launches Inaugural Student Forum

7 Oct 2022
Participants in the inaugural Student Forum. Photographed were: Ma Boyu, student, Chetan Rai, student, Paulina Bajrk, student, Stephen O Riordan, Education Officer, Student’s Union, UCC, Aisling O Reilly, student and Jennifer Mc Carthy, student. Photo By Tomas Tyner, UCC.

UCC will launch the first student forum in its history this weekend.

'I am pleased to announce that UCC will launch the first student forum in its history this weekend.

Born from UCC’s strategic plan the UCC Student Forum is an exercise in deliberative and participatory democracy that places students at the heart of important strategic and policy issues facing UCC as a community. UCC is committed to widening participation, an intention that goes beyond mere access but extends to active involvement in decision-making.

The Forum will provide space to consider ‘hot topics’ and ‘wicked issues’ at the heart of the student experience. Recent challenges, including climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, accommodation shortages and mental health issues require meaningful participation from students. This initiative will also further enhance the student experience for all students.

The model chosen for the Student Forum is based on that of the . Some of the main aims of the Forum are to strengthen transparency and integrity in decision making and to facilitate good decision making. As a ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã we are consciously cultivating citizens who shape society for the common good and betterment of humanity and the planet. Therefore, we are committed via ‘sortition’, to create a truly representative assembly of students who can develop civic and leadership capacities through constructive participation.

UCC’s current student population is almost 23,000 and growing. Furthermore, the ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã has over 2,000 Continuing and Professional Development students, 1,100 Adult and Continuing Education short course students and a Language Centre cohort.

The Student Forum brings together 68 randomly selected students on Sunday 9th & Monday 10th October, 2022 to learn about, discuss, and deliberate on the question: “What kind of university experience would you as good ancestors create for UCC students of the future?  They will then, after facilitated deliberation give a considered opinion on what should happen.

The UCC Student Forum is a sector leading initiative that seeks to ensure the voice of our student body is enabled and heard. I want to thank all those involved in this initiative including UCCSU.'

- Professor John O'Halloran, President, UCC

 

For more on this story contact:

For further details please see: /en/student-forum/ or email studentforum@ucc.ie

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