News Release
From Rhetoric to Reality: Widening Access For Everyone
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Richard Barnett, has told the graduating class of the Causeway Institute that education should be accessible to everyone.
His comments came at the winter graduations of the Causeway Institute of Further and Higher Education which took place at the University of Ulster in Coleraine today.
Professor Barnett also paid tribute to the work of Ian Williams, Director of Causeway Institute, who is to retire in summer 2007 when the Institute becomes part of the new Northern Regional College.
"'Making education accessible to everyone' has been the Institute's slogan during his time as Director, and he has been dedicated in taking that idea from rhetoric to reality," the Vice-Chancellor said.
Turning to the broader education landscape, Professor Barnett said that the opportunity to develop in education should not be restricted by factors, such as family situations, that usually deter people from continuing to pursue an academic future.
He said: “It is now widely recognised that the future will be knowledge based. For us at the University of Ulster it is a central part of our mission that all sections of society must be provided with opportunities to share in the benefits of this knowledge based future.
"Ability and aptitude must determine access to educational opportunities, not family circumstances.
"The University of Ulster already has a proven track record in widening access, but there is more that we can do. And that is one reason that I welcome the partnership that we have developed with colleges such as the Causeway Institute.”
Professor Barnett said that the University of Ulster was committed to developing inclusion in all walks of life and aims to provide for all sections of the community in this region.
He said: “Central to everything that we shall be doing is our commitment to the economic, social and cultural development of this region and its promotion internationally. But for us development is not enough. We shall also be working to promote economic, social and cultural inclusion. For us development and inclusion must go hand in hand.”
The Vice-Chancellor’s full speech is available for download from:
For further information, please contact:
David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young
