Featured in this issue: - University College Dublin

Property Seminar hosted
by UCD Smurfit School
Pictured at the conference (l-r) Thomas Dowd (Quinlan Private) and Prof Robert Van Order (University of Michigan).
A leading US economist and expert on subprime
markets has indicated that the Irish
market is poised for a decline, although
nothing like the tech bubble of the 90s.
Professor Robert Van Order (University of
Michigan) addressed an audience comprising
experts from government, property, finance
and academia at a seminar 'Property: The
shape of things to come', hosted by UCD
Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
Speakers at the seminar included: Thomas Dowd
(Partner, Quinlan Private), Michael Scollard
(Development Director, Mountbrook Homes,
Jury's Ballsbridge), Colm McCarthy (Economist,
UCD) and Geraldine Tallon (Secretary General,
Entrepreneurs Live! Seminar Series
Eight leading Irish entrepreneurs have revealed the secrets of
their success at the latest NovaUCD ‘Entrepreneurs Live!’
seminar series which finished at the end of November.
The aim of this seminar series, which was organised by NovaUCD
in association with the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County
Enterprise Board, is to promote a spirit of entrepreneurship
among the academic, research and student population at UCD.
This latest seminar series was launched by Stephen Flood
(Managing Director of Gold Investments) a financial services
company which specialises in wealth preservation strategies.
Other speakers included Howard Beggs, CEO, Helix Health;
Raymond Russell, co-founder and CTO, Corvil and
Colm Lyons, founder and Managing Director,
Realex Payments.
At the ‘Entrepreneurs Live!’ seminar
series these leading Irish entrepreneurs
talked about their experiences of
setting-up and running their businesses
emphasising the highs and lows
encountered along their entrepreneurial
journey and highlighting the secrets of
their success. At each seminar the
attendees availed of the opportunity
to ask probing questions of the guest
entrepreneurs.
Stephen Flood, Managing Director, Gold
Investments (right) with UCD business
students, Liam Ryan and Eimear O'Herlihy
prior to the launch of the latest NovaUCD
“Entrepreneurs Live” seminar series.
Dept. of Environment) who gathered to discuss
the critical issues facing the Irish property market.
Keynote speaker Professor Van Order
commented on how rapid growth in the
housing market is always likely to be risky and
that the best protection going forward is to
maintain high down payments to keep borrower
equity strong. “Yes the rise has been very rapid,
if you consider that ten or fifteen years ago
housing costs in Ireland were well below the
European average, and now its becoming one of
the most expensive places in Europe - if not the
world - in terms of housing. There's always a
risk of that being fragile.”
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Professor Van Order informed the gathering of
the importance of not eliminating or regulating
the small but growing sub-prime market in
Ireland out of existence and “not discourage
sub-prime markets but instead manage them
better. It’s not easy expanding loan markets to
riskier borrowers. You can't expect to do it
without mistakes and lots of defaults.”
According to Van Order, Ireland's sub-prime
market is not big enough to do any damage but
advised that Ireland should express concern if
the sub-prime market grows too rapidly as rapid
expansion can be dangerous considering that
the “Irish property market is more volatile than
the US market.”
Van Order has faith in the resilience of markets
in crises such as these: “The problem with
financial markets is that you just don’t always
know, but I don't believe that this is a long term
problem. Housing almost everywhere does fairly
well, and financial systems around the world are
pretty good at coping with losses of confidence.”
With calls for possible policy intervention
towards losses of confidence in this market, Van
Order was direct in his response adding: “In
general, you should direct monetary fiscal
policy towards general stability of the economy
and Ireland needs to be extremely careful about
directing policy towards particular industries.
Sometimes you just have to let things run their
course.”
Professor Tom Begley (Dean, UCD School
of Business) who chaired the session said:
“The seminar was one of the first of its kind in
Ireland and provided a much needed platform
to discuss the major issues facing this key
sector from a planning, economic and
development perspective.”
UCD
academic
appointed
joint editor
of leading
academic
journal
Dr Deirdre Raftery (UCD School of
Education and Lifelong Learning) has
been appointed joint editor of ‘History of
Education’, a leading, international,
peer-reviewed journal published by
Taylor and Francis.
The journal, which is a key resource for
educationalists and social historians, publishes
original research and major reviews of books
on the history of education. It also includes
papers discussing education systems,
comparative education, policy-making, the
politics and experience of education, and
pedagogy.
The joint editorship, shared with Dr David
Crook of the University of London, was
announced at the AGM of the journal board in
London. The appointment will commence in
2008 and will run for five years.
“By publishing work of a consistently high
standard over the past thirty-five years, this
journal has established itself as a leading
publication,” said Dr Raftery. “The
appointment of an Irish editor clearly
acknowledges that Ireland produces excellent
research, particularly at UCD where doctoral
research in the history of education has
gained international recognition.”
“The challenge, for my time as joint editor, is
not only to maintain the standard of the
journal but to innovate,” explained Dr Raftery.
“We will respond to the international
audience with special editions that draw on
global research, and we will also publish
thematic editions that reflect new
methodologies and inter-disciplinarity.”
Dr Deirdre Raftery
(Deputy Head of the
UCD School of
Education and
Lifelong Learning)
has published several
books and papers on
nineteenth century
education.