PHOTOS: Graduation at DkIT

Last week saw 1,449 graduates conferred with awards ranging from Higher Certificate to PhD over two days of ceremonies at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT).

Amongst the graduates, a total of 9 Postgraduate awards were conferred, including 4 PhD’s in the School of Informatics & Creative Arts, 1 PhD in the School of Health and Science and 4 Masters by Research Mode.

This brings the total number of DkIT graduates with research qualifications to date to 93, including 34 PhD graduates.

This year DkIT celebrated the first graduates of the DkIT/DCU Graduate School which was established in September 2014. It was created to ensure the enhancement of the structured PhD provision in the Institute whilst sustaining current and emerging research collaborations between both colleges.

Representatives from DCU including Professor Eithne Guilfoyle and  Dr. Joseph Stokes were in attendance and officiated the Conferring and Presentation of DCU Awards.

In his inaugural presidential address, Dr. Michael Mulvey, said

 “In the present day, the landscape of Higher Education is changing. Here in DkIT we are absolutely determined to ensure that DkIT continues to provide access to higher education, continues the process of developing our educational programmes from Apprenticeship to Ph.D., maintains its top position within the sector for research and our engagement with industry and continues to deepen and strengthen our alliance with DCU.”

During his address, Dr. Mulvey also stressed the importance of DkIT’s regional remit, adding, 

“Our focus is at all times on the needs of our immediate region Counties Armagh, Cavan, Down, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and our extended region reaching into North Dublin and Belfast which taken together make up the emerging high tech Belfast – Dublin corridor.

"We see DkIT of the present and the future as leading and serving this corridor and positioning the Institute as a truly cross border college.”

During the ceremonies, 64 graduates from across the four Academic Schools received President’s Awards in recognition of academic excellence in specific programme. These included 7 sponsored awards:

ESAI Undergraduate of the Year Award,

• Kim Van Rhijn, Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Environmental Biology

ABP Ireland Awards for Academic Excellence in Agriculture and Food

• Cathal McCauley, Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Sustainable Agriculture
• Aisling McElroy, Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Food and Agri-Business

Failte Ireland Prizes 2017

• Adam Cheung, Higher Certificate in Arts in Culinary Arts
• Aaron McParland, Higher Certificate in Arts in Hospitality Studies

Social Care Ireland / Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE) Award for Academic Achievement in Social Care 2017

• Gretchen Fegan, Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Social Care

President’s Prize for Enterprising Student Award of the Year

• John Small, Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Engineering Entrepreneurship

Dr. Mulvey concluded the ceremony by stating

 “Conferring is the highlight of the academic year for the Institute and a memorable day in the life of many students and their families as they celebrate the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

"I am delighted to congratulate our 1,449 graduates this year who have worked so hard to achieve their awards.”