‘Busy but exciting time’ for MTU
The first president of the new Munster Technological University said it would be a mistake to throw away everything that’s been learned about teaching over the past year.
Professor Maggie Cusack took up the position of President when Munster Technological University (MTU) officially came to be on 1 January.
Speaking to the Cork Independent about the effect Covid-19 has had and will have on teaching, Prof Cusack said: “A lot has been learned over the past year about how we teach students.
“I think it would be a mistake to throw away everything we have learned about how students are taught and how staff teach. There have been many struggles over the past year but going forwarded I can see a more blended approach to learning.”
The merging of CIT and IT Tralee to create MTU will benefit staff and especially students who will now have an internationally recognised university degree. She said the merger will also lead to more collaborations and access to more funding.
“There’s huge positives for both staff and students,” she added.
Prof Cusack will have an office in both Cork and Kerry which she said is important for her as she wants to be close to all staff and students. “It’ll be a busy but exciting time. I’m going to put all my energy and effort into making MTU great,” she said.
Prof. Cusack completed her BSc degree in Cell Biology at the University of Glasgow and a PhD at the University of Liverpool and has continued to collaborate with other fields and research throughout her career. In 2018, she completed the Senior Executive Programme of the London Business School.
She holds several external roles including being a member of the Scottish Government STEM Strategy Advisory Group, Chair of the Learned Societies Group and member of the Royal Society Partnership Grants Committee and the Carnegie Trust PhD committee.
The newly-appointed President of MTU recently completed a three-year term as Vice-President (Physical Sciences) of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Furthermore, Prof Cusack was awarded the Saltire Society’s Scottish Science Award in 2008, elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2011 and, in 2017, was awarded the Schlumberger Medal by the Mineralogical Society.
Prof Cusack also noted that a person should never think that they know everything about a subject and that people should continue to educate themselves and learn about different subjects.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to learn and I’m genuinely passionate about learning and education from upskilling or completing a PHD,” she concluded.