News
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE DINNER
The Chairman and Board of the DCU Educational Trust have hosted the annual Leadership Circle Dinner and Awards at the Helix. This annual event brings together members of DCU's Leadership Circle who generously support university activities such as the Access programme for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
On Friday 29th June, over 200 key business and community leaders joined guest of honour and Chancellor of DCU, Senator Martin McAleese for this special evening of celebration. During the course of the evening, three Leadership Awards were presented by Professor Brian MacCraith, President of DCU and Larry Quinn, Chairman of DCU Educational Trust in acknowledgement of exemplary individual and corporate support of DCU:
Leadership Circle Corporate/Body Award – IPB Insurance
Leadership Circle DCU Recognition Award – Muireann NíDhuigneáin (former Head of DCU Careers Service)
Leadership Circle Individual Award – Gary McGann (Smurfit Kappa)
Patrick McDermott, CEO at DCU Educational Trust, in his opening remarks thanked those gathered for their ongoing support,
"Even in these challenging economic times, DCU enjoys tremendous support from private individuals and corporate institutions. A core part of our work here at the Educational Trust is providing financial support to the DCU Access and Sports Scholarship Programmes. The aim of such programmes is to improve access to university for applicants who have faced many challenges – social, personal, financial or educational which may restrict access to education. The greatest impact of your generosity will be felt in years to come when the students you support become our communities' leaders and transform the world in ways we cannot imagine."
The evening continued with uplifting and inspirational speeches from DCU Sports Academy Scholar, Paul Flynn, 3rd year BSc Physical Education and Biology and member of Dublin Football Team and DCU Access Scholar, Meggan King, 2nd year BSc (Honours) in Psychology. These students captured and engaged the audience with the story of their path to further education. Commenting on his opportunity to attend at DCU, student Paul said; "The opportunity that I have been given is life changing to allow me make a life for myself and graduate with a degree that will hopefully open many doors for me in the future".
Special entertainment during the evening included performances on the piano by recent graduate Colin Oliver (Bachelor of Business Studies 2009 and Masters in Marketing 2010) and on the harp by Isabel Aust, a 2nd year Access student undertaking a BSc in Aviation Management with Pilot Studies.
Speaking after the event, Orla Holmes, Director of Operations at DCU Educational Trust said,
"The Leadership Circle Dinner is our way to thank our friends and supporters and recognise their role in the university's development. Our team in the DCU Educational Trust is driven by a passionate belief that education and the work we do here is making a profound and real difference to people's lives and communities."
Philanthropy plays an important role in sustaining excellence at Dublin City University. Since its foundation in 1998, DCU Educational Trust has been engaged in generating financial support for scholarships and a number of capital projects from a range of private individuals and corporations. The DCU Leadership Circle is a community of supporters and friends of DCU. Membership recognises and acknowledges the contributions made by donors whose generosity and vision help to bring the university to the next level of its development as a world class centre of research and learning. To become a member, donors make annual contributions of €1,000 or more to Dublin City University. If you would like to get involved, please contact Orla Holmes, Director of Operations, DCU Educational Trust at 01 700 5467 or orla.holmes@dcu.ie, or read more here.
Watch the video of the Leadership Circle Annual Dinner and Awards ceremony here.
