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University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin - more commonly University College Dublin (UCD) - is Ireland's largest university, with over 20,000 students. It is located in Dublin, capital of Ireland.

The university is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland. The terms of the Universities Act, 1997 were used to rename the university after resolution by the Senate of the National University of Ireland.

History

The university can trace its history to 1854 as the Catholic University of Ireland, the modern university received its charter in 1908.

The Catholic University of Ireland

In the years following the Catholic Emancipation in Ireland a movement led by Paul Cullen attempted to make higher-level education accessible to Irish Catholics for the first time (at this time the Anglican Trinity College still imposed religious test that effectively banned Catholics from attending). As a result of these efforts a new Catholic University of Ireland was opened in 1854 and John Henry Newman was appointed as its first rector. Initially only seventeen students enrolled the first of these being the grandson of Daniel O’Connell.

As a private university the Catholic University was never given a royal charter, and so was unable to award recognized degrees and suffered from chronic financial difficulties. Newman left the university in 1857 and it subsequently went into a serious decline. This trend was reversed 1880 with the establishment of the Royal University of Ireland. The Royal Universities charter entitled all Irish students to sit the Universities examinations and receive its degrees. Although in many respects the Catholic University can be viewed as a failure, the future University College inherited substantial assets from it including a successful medical school and two beautiful buildings, Newman House on St Stephen's Green and the adjoining University Church.

Foundation of University College Dublin

In order to avail of the benefits of the Royal University the Catholic University was renamed University College Dublin. The college rapidly attracted many of the best students and academics in Ireland including Gerard Manley Hopkins and James Joyce and quickly began to out perform the other three colleges in the Royal University system. In the fifteen years before the establishment of the National University the number of first class distinctions in Arts awarded by the Royal University to University College was 702 compared with a total of 486 awarded to the combined Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Galway and Cork. Many of the college’s staff and students during this period would later contribute substantially to the formation and development of the future Irish state, the most famous being Francis Skeffington, Pádraig Pearse, Hugh Kennedy, Eamon de Valera, Eoin MacNeill, Kevin O’Higgins, Tom Kettle, James Ryan, Douglas Hyde and John A. Costello.

In 1908, the Royal University was dissolved and a new National University of Ireland replaced it. This new University came into existence with three constitutent University Colleges - Dublin, Galway and Cork. By this time the college campus consisted of a number of locations in and around St Stephens Green in Dublins city centre, the main sites being Earlsfort Terrace, Cecilia Street, College of Science Merrion Street, and Newman House on St Stephen's Green.

UCD and the formation of the Irish Free State

In 1913 in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force (viewed as a threat to the Home Rule movement) Eoin MacNeill professor of early Irish history called for the formation of an Irish nationalist force to counter act it. The Irish Volunteers were formed later that year and MacNeil was elected its Chief-of-staff. At the outbreak of the First World War in view of the Home Rule Act 1914 the majority of the volunteers including many UCD staff and students opted to support the British war effort. Many of those who opposed this move later participated in the Easter Rising, in this way UCD was a reflection of the Irish nationalist community generally with a number of staff and students participating in the rising while others fought (and died in the case of professor of national economics Tom Kettle) for the British army in France. Those participating in the rising include Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, Michael Hayes and James Ryan.

Many UCD staff, students and alumni fought in the Irish War of Independence that followed the rising. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty four UCD graduates joined the government of the new Irish Free State. The universities graduates have since had a large impact on Irish political life, four of the eight Presidents of Ireland and six of the ten Irish Taoiseach have been either former staff or graduates. Currently of the fifteen members of the Irish cabinet ten are former UCD students including the current Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern.

Move to Belfield

By the early 1940s the College had become the largest third level institution in the state. In an effort to cope with the increased numbers unsuccessful attempts were made to expand the existing city centre campus. It was finally decided that the best solution would be to move the College to a much larger green fields site outside of the city centre and create a modern campus university. This move commenced in the early 1960s when the faculty of science moved to the new 350 acre (1.4 km²) park campus at Belfield in a suburb on the south side of Dublin. The Belfield campus has since developed into an attractively landscaped complex of modern architectural buildings and inherited Georgian townhouses, accommodating most of the colleges of the University as well as its student residences and numerous leisure and sporting facilities. One of UCDs previous locations, the Royal College of Science in Merrion Street is now the location of the renovated Irish Government Buildings, where the office of the Taoiseach (prime minister) is located. University College, Dublin also had a site in Glasnevin for much of the last century, the Albert Agricultural College, which is now part of Dublin City University.

Under the Universities Act, 1997, University College Dublin was established as a constituent university within the National University of Ireland framework.

Recent Developments

In April 2006 the college announced an ambitious building and campus redevelopment plan that it hopes will be completed by 2012. The new developments include the redevelopment and expansion of the Newman building, the James Joyce library, the science complex (which will be transformed at a cost of €300 million) and the student centre (including a new swimming pool, debating chamber and theatre). In addition a new Gateway centre will be built that will include a welcome centre, an art house cinema, an exhibition centre, hotel and conference facilities, office space for campus companies, some retail space and new student residences (with space for an extra 3000 students). The whole plan is currently budgeted at a cost of over €800 million.

The new logo of the university which incorporates the words UCD Dublin, has been the subject of some controversy since its introduction in August 2005 at a cost of €30,000. The main bone of contention seems to be the wording, thus creating the confusing, University College Dublin, Dublin and also creating the false impression of a name change. It appears the inclusion slipped passed all levels during the decision process and has been compared to other such acronym-related mishaps as ATM machine or PIN number, often referred to as RAS syndrome.

In May 2006 it was announced that Universitas 21 accepted the university as a member*.

Academic

Colleges and Schools

During 2005 UCD underwent substantial restructuring. The university now consists of five colleges, their associated schools (35 in total) and eleven research institutes and centres. Each college also has their own Graduate School, for postgraduates, among the most prominent is Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.

The new colleges and schools are:

School of Archaeology
School of Art History & Cultural Policy
School of Classics
School of English & Drama
School of History & Archives
School of Irish, Celtic Studies, Irish Folklore & Linguistics
School of Languages, Literatures & Film
School of Music

School of Business
School of Law

School of Architecture, Landscape & Civil Engineering
School of Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering
School of Computer Science & Informatics
School of Electrical, Electronic & Mechanical Engineering
School of Geological Sciences
School of Mathematical Sciences
School of Physics

School of Applied Social Science
School of Economics
School of Education & Lifelong Learning
School of Geography, Planning & Environmental Policy
School of Information & Library Studies
School of Philosophy
School of Politics & International Relations
School of Psychology
School of Social Justice
School of Sociology

School of Agriculture, Food Science & Veterinary Medicine
School of Biology & Environmental Science
School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science
School of Chemistry & Chemical Biology
School of Medicine & Medical Science
School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems
School of Physiotherapy & Performance Science
School of Public Health & Population Science

UCD Horizons

At the beginning of the 2005/2006 academic year, UCD introduced the Horizons * programme, which completely semesterised and modularised all undergraduate courses for incoming first years. Previously, new students chose from a specific set of subjects in their individual programme courses. Under the Horizons programme, new undergraduate students have greater choice in what exactly they study in their programme. Under the new programme students choose ten modules from their specific subject area and two other modules, which can be choosen from any other course programme across the entire university system. For example, a student studying first year business as their primary degree programme can also choose one module (or two) from the first year law programme (subject to space available and timetable constraints, etc.). While the university authorities believe that Horizons and modularisation are the way forward for UCD, many students have raised their voices in criticism of the new system. In particular, continuing undergraduate students have called for more time and consultation into the feasibility of complete modularisation (of all years) which is scheduled to take place by 2006 or 2007.

Reputation

UCD is highly regarded internationally with many of its graduates going on to post-graduate studies at other top international universities, particularly in the United States and Britain. Among its most accomplished alumni are the writers James Joyce, Flann O'Brien, John McGahern, Frank McGuinness, former Goldman Sachs chairman Peter Sutherland (who was also chairman of BP and was previously head of the WTO, European Union Commissioner and the Attorney-General of Ireland), Unilever chairman Niall Fitzgerald, former Heinz chairman Tony O'Reilly, the fourth President of India V V Giri, and three of the last six taoisigh (Irish prime ministers): John Bruton, Dr. Garret Fitzgerald and Charles Haughey. The current taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, attended UCD as a student but did not graduate. For a more complete list of famous UCD people see here.

Research and Innovation

The University is a leading research centre within Ireland, many of its schools are the largest and most productive of their type in the country. There are currently over six thousand postgraduate students engaged in postgraduate study and research within UCDs five graduate schools, more than in any other university in Ireland. The universities reasearch income during 2004/5 was €90.1million. Amongst the research institutes of the university are:

The most prominent university-related company is the IE Domain Registry; many of the university's academics continue to sit on the board of directors. The university originally gained control of the .ie domain in the late 1980s. There are a number of related companies, many concentrated as the NovaUCD initiative, to commercialise research results and opportunities; many of these reflect the university's expertise in the life sciences and information technology. These companies include:

Student Life

The Students Union

The Students' Union UCDSU in the college has been an active part of campaigns run by the National Union, USI, and has played a highly significant role in the life of the college since its foundation in 1974.

The Union has also taken significant stances on issues of human rights that have hit the headlines in Ireland and around the world, particularly in becoming the first institution in the world to implement a boycott of Coca-Cola products on the basis of alleged human and trade union rights abuses in Colombia.

All full and part time undergraduate and postgraduate students of UCD are members of the Students' Union.

Its main Governing Body is the Union Council which meets every 2 weeks during term. Council membership consists of the Five Sabbatical officers the executive officers and class representatives elected by union members in their respective constituencies. The five sabbatical officers are involved in the day to day running of the union. Their term commences in the month of July after the election and lasts for 12 months. Sabbatical Elections take place in February of each year. Sabbatical officers are usually students who have completed their degree course or have taken a year out.

Societies

There are currently over one hundred student societies in the university. They cater for many interests ranging from party societies such as Qsoc, the C&E, B&L and RetroSoc to religious groups such as the Christian Union and the Islamic Society, academic-oriented societies like the Classical Society and everything in between. All the major political parties are represented on campus. By far the biggest are Ogra Fianna Fail (Kevin Barry Cumann) and Young Fine Gael (John Smyth Branch). Left wing groups are also active, particularly UCD Labour Youth.

The largest society on campus is the Law Society which had 3,253 members in the academic year 2005/06 (making it one of the largest student societies in Europe) and is entering its 96th session in 2006/07. Debates take place every Tuesday evening with comedy debates occuring at lunchtime. The highlight of the social calendar is the Law Ball and the society also organises debating competitions, social events, 80s Day and a moot court competition. The winners of the moot court competition go on to compete in a moot court against the winners in Trinity College. Past auditors have included Michael McDowell and Arthur Cox.

The most prestigious society in UCD is the Literary and Historical Society (known simply as the L&H) which was founded in 1854 (making it one of the oldest student societies in the world) under the guidance of John Henry Newman. It is the biggest debating society in Ireland and holds two debates weekly during term time. It has been named the National Society of the Year on several occasions, most recently in 2005 a year in which it hosted the World Universities Debating Championship.

Sport

UCD has very strong sporting traditions and a very successful competitive record in a great range of sports. The most successful clubs during 2005/2006 were the Senior Hurling team (winners of the Dublin County Championship), the Senior Hockey team (winners of the Leinster Senior Cup), the Senior Basketball team (University Championship winners), the Ladies Volleyball team (which won the University Championships and the English Student Cup), the Under-20 Rugby team (which won a league and cup double) and the Soccer teams (winning a variety of cups and leagues).

The Belfield campus is home to some of the best sports facilities in Ireland. These include the national hockey stadium (which has previously hosted the Women's Hockey World Cup Finals and the Men's Hockey European Championship Finals), a full size athletics track, two other stadia (one for rugby and one for soccer), one of the largest fitness centres in the country, squash courts, tennis courts, an indoor rifle range, over twenty sports pitches (for rugby, soccer and gaelic games), an indoor climbing wall and two large sports halls. It is hoped that a swimming pool will be added before 2010. There are currently over fifty sports clubs in UCD. These cater for archery to windsurfing and just about everything in between. Probably the two largest and most successful clubs are the soccer club (currently the only university team to compete in the top division of the national league in Western Europe) and the rugby club (currently playing in the AIB League division 1).

The University will host the IFIUS World Interuniversity Games in October 2006.

Student Publications & Media

The university has two student papers, the broadsheet University Observer and the tabloid College Tribune. Both papers are usually published on a fortnightly basis throughout the academic year.

The Observer won the Newspaper of the Year award at the National Student Media Awards in April 2006, an accolade it has achieved more than any other student newspaper in Ireland. Founded in 1996, its first editor was comedian Dara Ó Briain. Many figures in Irish journalism have held the position of editor including The Irish Times deputy news editor Roddy O'Sullivan, The Sunday Business Post journalist Pat Leahy, AFP business reporter Enda Curran, Sunday Independent journalist Daniel McConnell, RTÉ News reporter Samantha Libreri and TV researcher Alan Torney. The efforts of its staff were noted by the prestigous Guardian Student Media Awards with a nomination for "Best Newspaper", the first Irish student publication to receive such recognition. In 2001, in addition to several Irish National Student Media Awards, the University Observer took the runner up prize for "Best Publication" at the Guardian Student Media Awards in London. To date, the Observer has won no fewer than 18 Irish Student Media Awards.

The main sections within the paper are: campus, national and international news, comment, opinion and sport. In addition, each edition includes a pullout lifestyle supplement called O2. The Observer is funded by the UCD Students Union, but its content remains editorially independent, barring one 'Union Page' per issue.

The Tribune was founded in 1988 with the assistance of noted political commentator Vincent Browne, then an evening student in the college, who noted the lack of an independent media outlet for students and the college in general. Financially, it is supported by commercial advertising in the paper and is completely independent of college and union authorities. Former editors include Sunday Times journalist Richard Oakley, Sunday Tribune reporter Eoghan Rice, Paul Lynch, also of the Sunday Tribune, Irish Independent soccer correspondent Daniel McDonnell, and brothers Gary and Fergus O'Shea, both now in the Irish Sun, who were editors in 1996-97 and 2001-02 respectively.

Other past contributors include Dave Kelly, now rugby correspondent with the Irish Independent, Emmet Oliver, education media and business correspondent for the Irish Times, and Conor Lally, a news reporter with the Irish Times. The College Tribune was tied to the national Sunday Tribune through its connections with Vincent Browne, but such links ended in 1999. The Tribune has also been distinguished on several occasions at national student media awards, particularly in sportswriting, where it has a strong tradition. Tribune stalwart Peter Lahiff was a recipient of a Guardian Award for Diversity in 2003, the only Irish-based recipient of any Guardian award to date.

Tribune sections include news, features, opinion, music, film, sport and colour writing, and it is famous for the launch of the satirical page The Evil Gerald, a 'paper within a paper'. The Gerald was succeeded by The Turbine in 2003, and they have featured such satirical stories as the Provisional IRA dropping its pursuit of a United Ireland in favour of occupation of the Isle of Man, and Osama Bin Laden stealing the Magic Door from Bosco which allowed him access to anywhere in the world.

UCD also has a student radio station, Belfield FM, broadcasting at selected times throughout the academic year across the campus on 97.3 FM and online at the station's website.

At the beginning of the academic year 2005-2006, the creation of a student television station, titled Campus Television News (CTN) was announced. However, CTN has, as of the end of the 2005-2006 academic year, not yet started broadcasting.

See also

External links

National University of Ireland | Universities and colleges in Ireland | University College Dublin | County Dublin

University College Dublin | University College Dublin

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin".

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