Dublin City University

Dublin City University

Established	1975
Location	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Members	25,000 (alumni) 10,000 (students)
President	Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski
Chancellor	Hon Ms Justice Mella Carroll
Address	Glasnevin Dublin 9 Ireland
Phone	+353–1–700 5000
Homepage	http://www.dcu.ie
Member of	EUA

Dublin City University (DCU) is a university situated in Glasnevin on the Northside of Dublin in Ireland. Created as the National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin in 1975, it enrolled its first students in 1980 and was elevated to university status in 1989 by statute.

The founding president of the institution was Dr Danny O'Hare, who retired in 1999. The current president is Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski.

1 History
2 Today
3 Organisation
- 3.1 Faculties
- 3.2 Colleges
4 Research
- 4.1 Centres
- 4.2 Some Laboratories in DCU
5 See also
6 External links

History

In 1979 the institution was located on a 85 acre (0.3 km²) site 3 miles (5 km) from the city centre, just north of Albert College Park; the Albert College Building is the only significant remaining building from before this period. The total area of the main campus is approximately 50 acres and is bordered by Collins Avenue, Albert College Park, Ballymun Road, Hillside Farm and St. Aidan's School. There are another 35 acres at St. Clare's Sports Grounds on the west side of Ballymun Road. This part of the campus also includes the Sports Pavilion. A further 10 acres situated along Griffith Avenue have been acquired recently. Entrances to the main campus are from Ballymun Road, to the west, and Collins Avenue, to the north.

An aerial view looking eastwards in 1998

The land on which the university's main campus is based was once the Albert Agricultural College established in 1838 in Glasnevin, previously called the Glasnevin Model Farm. For most of the 20th century until 1978 the Faculty of Agriculture, University College, Dublin had ownership of the site. The Henry Grattan building was the first new building completed in 1981 along with the adjoining restaurant, many buildings have been added since forming a modern university campus.

The early focus of the institution was, in particular, on science and technology although it has also had a large business school. It has recently developed a presence also in the performing arts and in the humanities. The university is also famous for its work placement or INTRA (INtegrated TRAining) programme, the first such programme in Ireland.

Today

The university has a particularly strong research record, it is a research led university, and has regularly been recorded as bringing in more research income per members of faculty – or indeed as a percentage of total income – than any other university in Ireland. Its research team working on sensors at the National Centre for Sensor Research is considered one of the best in the world.

The university is also famous for its Centre for Talented Youth and is the location for The Helix a purpose built "performance space", which includes Ireland's largest concert hall, the Mahony Hall. The O'Reilly Foundation made a substantial contribution towards the new library, The John and Aileen O`Reilly Library. Currently (2004) the university graduates are not eligible to vote for Ireland's upper chamber, Seanad Éireann, this is under review.

The university prides itself on its modern facilities and often leads to the comment that building never stops on the campus. Their is a InterFaith Centre located on the campus and Dublin City University Language Services (DCULS). Other social facities include The Venue (Student Arts Theatre), a Ticketmaster Outlet, Starbucks (the first in the Republic of Ireland). Retail facilities include six restaurants and two bars, a campus wide snack delivery service (Littlebites), a Spar shop, barber, Allied Irish Bank branch and Hodges Figgis bookshop. Sports facilities on the campus include a sports complex and fitness centre which incorporates: two sports halls, a fully equipped gym, squash courts, nine grass and astroturf pitches, racketball courts, a rock climbing hall and a twenty-five metre swimming pool with tepidarium, foot spas, steam room and sauna.

DCU also has a large number of very active clubs and societies:

The university was named "Irish University of the Year 2004–2005" [1] by the Sunday Times, UK. It was also ranked No 2 in the league table of Irish universities in the same newspaper.

Organisation

Faculties

The university has recently undergone some reorganisation on the faculty level, with the school of education studies being incorporated into humanities & socal science and the school of computing being incorporated into the engineering faculty. There are currently four faculties:

DCU Business School (DCUBS)
Faculty of Engineering & Computing
Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
Faculty of Science & Health

The university also hosts Oscail, the National Distance Education Centre.

Colleges

The university started its first link with an external college in 1993 with an agreement St Patrick's in nearby Drumcondra. Since then it has continued to confer degrees at several colleges, primarily in the north Dublin area. There are currently five linked colleges:

Research

Centres

Some Laboratories in DCU

External links

Dublin City University
All Hallows College \| Mater Dei Institute of Education \| St Patrick's College of Education \| Royal Irish Academy of Music \| Turning Point

Universities of Ireland

Republic of Ireland: Dublin City University | National University of Ireland | University of Dublin | University of Limerick

NUI Constituent Universities: Cork | Dublin | Galway | Maynooth

Northern Ireland: Queen's University of Belfast | University of Ulster

QUB University Colleges: St Mary's | Stranmillis

Other degree awarding authorities in Ireland

Dublin Institute of Technology | Higher Education and Training Awards Council | King's Inns | Pontifical University of Maynooth | Presbyterian Theological Faculty Ireland

Categories: Universities and colleges in Ireland