Professor Tommy Boland:

The university sector here has been tracking downward in the university rankings over the years. Our newly appointed president of UCD, Professor Orla Feely, along with the presidents of the other universities, has highlighted the underfunding of the sector. Several areas influence these rankings. One is the student-staff ratio. For several years, we have seen this going in the wrong direction. It is an important factor in the rankings. We do very well, though, in terms of research and the quality of the graduates we produce.