The Director and His Vision

October 1997, Linen Hall Library, Belfast (Northern Ireland). Launch of book Gaelic Nations, by Dr. Vincent McKee. The author receives the congratulations of the Lord Mayor of his home city, Belfast, Cllr. Alban Maguinness.

Dr Vincent McKee, B.A. (Hons.), M. Phil., Ph. D. is the founder and Director of I.C.U.T.. Aged 52 years, a native of Co. Down, Northern Ireland, Dr McKee has lived in Coventry for some 33 years. A former Students Union President at Coventry University (previously Polytechnic) in 1981-82 and leading lay Roman Catholic, he contested the Coventry North West parliamentary seat for the Liberal Democrats at the British 2010 general election, Coventry South in 2001 and 2005, and Coventry North East in 1992.

Dr McKee's specialist interests lie in Politics and History. His M.Phil. was awarded in June 1988 by C.N.A.A. and what is now Birmingham City University for a Contemporary Political History thesis titled 'Right wing Factionalism in the British Labour Party, 1977-87', while his Ph.D. in Politics was awarded by London Guildhall University (now renamed London Metropolitan University) in June 1996 for a thesis titled 'British Social Democratic Factionalism, 1981-96'. He has taught at all levels of Secondary, Further, Sixth Form and University education over the past 21 years. Having lectured at South Bank University, London over 1993-94, more recently he was a Visiting Lecturer in Comparative Politics at University of Westminster, London.

Since 1997, Dr McKee has been Visiting Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines; a post he continues to hold. He has also been an A'Level and A/S level examiner with Oxford and Cambridge Board in History and Politics. From 1995 until 2003, he was Politics/History Tutor with the National Extension College, Cambridge, who published his 1999 booklet, British Political Parties at the Millennium, which remains in use by students.

Additionally, he has written a book, Gaelic Nations: Politics of the Gaelic Language in Scotland and Northern Ireland in the Twentieth Century (Bluestack Press, 1997), and has just completed another book on the politics of post-war British Conservative Factionalism, that is due publication in 2011. Dr McKee has had many academic papers published in political science and contemporary history journals over the years, and has also been a political journalist. He currently writes for the Tablet, Church Times, and Independent (London), and has future writing plans.

Dr McKee's vision for ICUT is as an affordable provider of back-up education for students everywhere, with a special mission to overseas students. Having taught at an independent Further Education college in London for five years - catering mainly for foreign students - he has first hand understanding of their special needs with exams and course assignments, as well as culture and language.

Now, with an estimated 400,000 overseas students – from all countries –studying in British colleges and universities, the special difficulties facing foreign scholars are not being adequately addressed by the institutions.

Frankly, there are high failure and drop-out rates, in many cases exceeding 25%. Dr McKee believes this problem will never be amply addressed by the state universities; hence there is a role for the private sector. Given the adverse responses of universities of late, ICUT has been forced to act as a pressure lobby challenging the elitism and declining standards of the state system, while proposing viable alternatives. Also ICUT has increasingly come to offer support to the business and professional community. We have and will continue to offer language, computers and IT tutors and other forms of assistance where required.

In founding ICUT, Dr McKee aims to keep fees to a minimum while offering quality tutoring. Over the last four years, ICUT has become the U.K.'s leading provider of affordable University and College-based private tutors. Our reputation as a creditable service is based on the results of our students, something we hope to develop even further over times ahead. It is a well known maxim that 'From little acorns, oak trees grow!'

From the initiative that began by accident from a fortnight's pre-exam tutoring of undergraduates in Coventry in May 2005, a nationwide organisation has since emerged. Watch this oak tree grow ever larger!