Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I formally welcome Dr. Thorn to our committee. I know him from Sligo as he was president of the institute of technology for many years.

I have a couple of questions. Why does Dr. Thorn believe he is qualified to be the chairman of the NCAD? In his opening statement, he outlined the challenges faced by the college in recent years. What will be his priorities in the short term to overcome these? I acknowledge there are many challenges, as outlined in Dr. Thorn's statement. The fourth objective in his opening statement seemed to refer to entering into interinstitutional relationships in the higher education sector. Will he expand on that?

The NCAD is part of a larger higher education sector that has been under pressure for some years. Dr. Thorn has outlined that. What does he believe should be the priority of the sector as a whole?