Writing in The Irish Times, in response to Philip Altbach and Hans de Wit’s argument, In creating new technological universities, did we make a mistake?, Tom Boland and Ellen Hazelkorn say: our answer is an emphatic “No”.

The institutes of technology developed in leaps and bounds from their early beginnings, enrolling about 40 per cent of the student cohort and expanding into areas such as PhD education, research and international student recruitment. All the while they retained their commitment to widening participation, and their regional and vocational mission.

Far from undermining diversity, the creation of the technological universities marks another milestone in the development of Irish higher education, preparing for the future, with a technological sector in all respects equal to, but different from, the traditional universities.

Read Tom and Ellen’s response here: Technological universities are not a ‘mistake’, they’re a milestone in 21st-century higher education

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2023/10/03/technological-universities-are-not-a-mistake-theyre-a-milestone-in-21st-century-higher-education/