Message from the FU Provost

It is finally that time of year again. The University is buzzing back to life, the summer holidays a distant if pleasant memory. Students throng the halls trying to work out where they are expected to be, lecturers march around trying to work out where they don't want to be, and presiding over it all with a benign calm, the heads of faculty. 

Such a large jolt of life to the University, will always lead to some hiccups, but I am delighted to report that the first few days have gone off without a hitch. Once again the Free University's much lauded Information System has lived up to its reputation. No more of the headless chicken routines, the room over-bookings, the fisticuffs between lecturers or the crying secretaries. 

Is it any wonder that in our recent Critical Self-examination Process, the Information System received a special commendation? Indeed, this is the only such commendation ever awarded in a  Self-examination Process by an Irish University, which speaks for itself.

While it can be hard to stay positive in these difficult times, we at the helm of the FU will be guiding the ship away from some dangerous rocks and into a glorious dawn. If at times our instructions to row like crazy may not be understood by those without our clear view, please bear with us and, most importantly, do as you're told.

Wishing you a productive and competitive year,

Horatio Hornblower III

Free University President