ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING facets of the amalgamation of Tipperary Institute into the Limerick Institute of Technology for me is the realisation that sometimes the profile of the people is as strong as the brand of the institution. In our case, working out of South Tipperary, there's a Tipperary Institute brand that will fold into one of the schools of LIT. Over time, some observers think "Tipperary" will become subordinate to "Limerick" as the transition takes hold. And while that is a risk, it's offset by the people in the process because along the way, the lecturers and the staff of the Tipperary Institute are the brand more than the name of the college itself. Several staff members in Limerick have told me that they have learned accurate things about the happenings inside Tipperary Institute by reading Inside View, my nine-year-old blog. I've made some factual or perceptive errors on my blog, been called to task for them, and corrected the blog where required. I've also written some things that are more a result of canteen chats than staff meeting minutes. And all through the 11 years I've been teaching in Tipp, nobody has throttled my writing. I think that's healthy.
Over on The Obvious Question Euan Semple reflects on thoughts he had when he left the BBC. I watched him evolve into private practise and for a while, he considered taking on "a fancy corporate sounding name" or pretending that he has "a whole team of people" behind him. He didn't do either. He didn't devolve into a dispassionate third person voice. He remained himself and that's why I have read his work for nearly a decade.
With a little luck, I'll keep my voice as my email address changes to LIT.ie next year.
Euan Semple -- "The advantage of self-selecting clients" on his blog, May 27, 2011.
