Sample Letters

Following are a number of template letters that you can use to contact the cabinet ministers and also your local TDs. These letters are provided as a starting point if you are wondering what to say. Please add your own points and passion for our university to your letters.

Sample Letter 1

Ministers,

  There are a number of very strong arguments for seeking university designation:
 

• A number of reports of WIT have been undertaken and to date all of these reports have found that WIT has the necessary attributes to become a university. The recent Port Report independently and objectively showed that WIT exceeds all of the necessary criteria to qualify as a university.


• Development in the South East has lagged behind the rest of the country. The region has the lowest disposable income per capita and has an over-reliance on employment in agriculture, traditional manufacturing and construction.  The region urgently needs a sustainable knowledge base to counteract the growing numbers of manufacturing and construction job losses.


• The proven quality and track record of the 30,000 alumni from WIT highlights more than anything else the compelling case for a University of the South East.  YOU rank among the most sought after employees in your respective fields and the pedigree of your WIT education is second to none in Ireland.

You may have heard about FUSE, Friends of University for the South East.  This group has united for one cause - to bring a university to the South East.  We are asking you for your active support for the campaign, support WIT's application for designation as a University and raise the matter with the Minister for Education. 

Your support could make the difference and have a long-lasting, positive impact in the South East.  To secure the future of education, jobs and the economy in the region, a university in the South East is crucial.  Thank you for supporting the future.

Yours Sincerely,
A. N. Other

Sample Letter 2

A Chara,

  The case for a university for the South East has been clearly made by several independent experts, including the recent report by Dr. Jim Port.

In 2005 a report on the economic impact of a university in the South East was commissioned by the Waterford Chamber of Commerce and compiled by the independent organisation, Goodbody Economic Consultants. This report was highly positive in all respects of establishing a university within the South East. Within WIT we, in the South East, already have a substantial infrastructure base that is known to be performing at university level, as testified to by Dr. Jim Port and Prof. Robin Farquhar. This means that an upgrade of the facility is not necessary; merely a re-designation of the institute's status with a much lesser initial financial investment.

The South East region is the largest region in Ireland that is not served by a university within a 100km radius. The region serves over 460,000 people who are all depending on a single Institute of Technology to attract and sustain business investment in the region. The region also suffers from a rising unemployment figure of almost 25,000 people, a hugely significant figure given the size of the available workforce. It is well-known that universities are immensely beneficial attractors of foreign direct investment and one only has to look at any other university-served region with Ireland to see the positive economic impact that it has.

The people of the South East are taking very close notice of this university issue. They have elected a government that they believe will deliver economic stability, education, and help to improve the potential of the future of the South East. The government was elected to deliver this to the region and failure to do so will not be taken lightly. Support our future, give us an equal chance to seize our own potential and make the South East region thrive.

Yours Sincerely,
A. N. Other

Sample Letter 3

Dear Ministers,

  The people of the South East urgently need a university so that they can take the next step in their regional development. In line with government policy, every other region in Ireland is served by both a university and an Institute of Technology; every region except the South East that is.

The recent release of the Dr. Port report has highlighted the benefit of a university within the region, compounding the statements by other international experts and also the Goodbody report of 2005. In fact there is no credible, report or opinion that states otherwise. The OECD report of 2004, so often quoted by the media has been undermined by a follow-up policy brief by the OECD in 2007 that specified the importance of regional universities, completely contradicting the 2004 report for Ireland. For a body to discredit its own report, surely means that the original analysis has been outdated and updated to reflect new needs such as unforeseen population growth due to immigration, as is the current case within the South East.

Re-designating WIT to become the university of the South East is the simplest solution to serving the needs and improving the lives of 460,000 people living in a region without a university. A university will bring increased investment and widespread job opportunities that will return more to the national exchequer in the long run than the running costs of a university compared to an Institute of Technology and also the continual support of nearly 25,000 people on the live register in the South East region.

Failure to deliver a university to the South East will not be tolerated. This is the one issue that has united all people, from all backgrounds, across the entire region. The electorate of the region are currently well-informed about how this decision will be made and they are under no illusion as to the fact that this is entirely political in nature. A government that fails to deliver the requirements of those who elected them will not be returned to power - make no mistake. Deliver our university, deliver our future!

Yours Sincerely,
A. N. Other