by Mark Moore
This academic year will host one of the most important changes in the College for the next decade, the election of the new Provost. This election will determine who represents the College on the national and international stage in this period, in a time of uprecedented change and upheaval in the education sector with key debates on issues of sustainability and independence.
Over the course of this year, this column will outline some of the debates that will shape the election of the new Provost. The overall goal of this endeavour is to help inform the staff and students of the College of the facts in these issues so they can make an informed choice in this election.
Each issue, a number of contributors will give informed views on what the future holds for the College. The contributors will include current students, staff and former members of the college, giving their opinions on the topic.
In addition there will be a guest contributors, experts on a particular topic, providing a moderating opinion. The series will naturally culminate in the heart of the campaigning period, where the final candidates compete for your vote.
In the last blazing weeks of the campaign this column will also meet each of the candidates and invite them to give their opinions on the debates we have hosted here, in order to give an insight into their policies on these important issues.
In addition to hosting debates on defining College issues, this column will also endeavour to shed some light on an election process that has often been compared to the papal election in terms of its mystique and secrecy. To aid the column toward this goal, we will also be inviting historians of Trinity to shed some light on the history behind each stage of the process as it happens.
The goal of this column is to stimulate thought and debate and to encourage you, the electorate, to vote in one of the most defining moments of the next ten years for Trinity. The hope is that with neutral information, the College can make an informed choice on its future.
