Dr Kenneth Milne receives honorary doctorate from DCU
Today, Tuesday 29 November, Dublin City University conferred the award of Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) on Dr Kenneth Milne.
He joins noted figures from politics, sport, literature and industry in receiving this award from DCU. They include Joe Schmidt, Paula Meehan, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Sonia O'Sullivan, President Bill Clinton, Seamus Mallon, David Trimble, and most recently Seán de Fréine.
Dr Kenneth Milne is a highly respected historian with a particular expertise in the history of Ireland from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. In particular, he has made a very significant contribution to the history of Irish education and to the history of the Church of Ireland.
His works include The Irish Charter Schools, and The Dublin Liberties 1600-1850. He is co-editor of The Boulter Letters, and of the three-volume collection Irish Educational Documents, which brings together carefully curated extracts from a range of sources, from earliest times to the late 20th century. His contribution to church history includes volumes such as Irish Anglicanism and A Short History of the Church of Ireland, currently in its fifth edition.
In a citation prepared and delivered at the event by Professor Anne Lodge, Director of the Church of Ireland Centre (CIC) in the DCU Institute of Education said:
“In parallel with his professional achievements, Dr Milne is well known for his decades of voluntary service for a wide range of institutions. He has made invaluable contributions both as the chair and as a member of bodies such the Council of Trinity College Dublin, the Board of Tallaght Hospital, and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment… Dr Milne wears these lifetime achievements lightly. He is a modest, self-effacing and courteous man, always willing to serve and never expecting to be thanked or made the centre of attention.”
Dr Kenneth Milne said:
“I would like to thank Dublin City University for the honour they have bestowed on me. I greatly appreciate it. Many years ago I attended what was, as I recall, the first conferring ceremony at DCU and little did I think then that one day I would be participating in such an occasion myself. My academic training was as an historian and I practised that trade as a teacher in the secondary- school classroom and then in primary teacher education. And, as a teacher and also having other responsibilities in education, it has often occurred to me that while there is an awareness that the chemistry teacher is handling very sensitive, even dangerous, material, so too is the history teacher, though the explosive potentialities of the subject may take longer to emerge!”
Prof Daire Keogh, President of Dublin City University, said:
“As we look back over Kenneth’s career as a scholar, an educator, a champion of inter-church dialogue, we clearly see how his values align with the values of the DCU community. His approach very much reflects our University ethos, which is based on what we call “People First” values - respect for others, inclusion, the importance of collaboration and cooperation to achieve common goals.”
Brid Horan, Chancellor of Dublin City University, said:
“The honorary doctorate is bestowed on those who, through their work and achievements, exemplify DCU values, and the DCU mission ‘to transform lives and societies’... We can point to a whole range of Kenneth’s achievements and activities that clearly align with our mission - we can point to his extraordinary record of scholarship as a historian, his lifelong commitment to Education in all its facets, and his dedicated service to church and society.”
About Dr Kenneth Milne
Dr Kenneth Milne served as Secretary to the General Synod Board of Education from 1963 to 1974. He served as Principal of the Church of Ireland College of Education from 1977 to 1985. In parallel with his professional achievements, Dr Milne is well known for his decades of voluntary service for a wide range of institutions, including the Council of Trinity College Dublin, the Board of Tallaght Hospital, and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. He continues to serve as the Historiographer of the Church of Ireland and chairs the Literature Committee of the Church of Ireland Communications Board.
