Farewell to the Hume Doctoral Scholarships
If you are a final year student and were thinking of applying for one of the John and Pat Hume Doctoral Scholarships in order to fund a PhD at Maynooth University, then don’t bother. University Management – as usual in the case of anything without consultation or discussion – has decided to scrap the scheme. How this squares with the ambition to increase PhD numbers stated clearly in the Strategic Plan is anyone’s guess. Why it has been decided to aim a wrecking ball at Maynooth’s research activity is another question. Clearly it’s not shortage of funds: the University accounts reveal huge surpluses and just this week yet another administrative position with a six-digit salary (enough to fund at least 5 PhD students) was advertised. We can’t expect to have research students and a legion of overpaid bureaucrats, can we?
John Hume (a Maynooth alumnus and co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize) died in 2020 and Pat Hume (John’s wife), who died in 2021; the John and Pat Hume Scholarships were created in their honour. The decision to extinguish that honour just a few year after their deaths is just crass. Let’s hope the inevitable backlash will bring about a change of mind. This blog may be banned on campus, but word will spread.
In the Dark 
September 13, 2024 at 12:16 pm
When were they established? Was it only a few years ago? Its very bad ‘optics’ for the university – I am sure when they were established it was widely reported, and cannot see the reason to stop – the bad publicity will outweigh the savings. And the savings are not much – as you note about the same as the cost of a senior manager post. And once again bad optics to be advertising such a post when you are closing down the Hume scholarships.
September 13, 2024 at 12:24 pm
I’m not sure exactly when, but they were in place when I arrived in 2017
September 13, 2024 at 8:16 pm
They were in place when i arrived in 2007.
October 2, 2024 at 7:28 pm
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November 12, 2024 at 8:41 pm
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March 12, 2025 at 6:49 pm
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