[dropcap]The[/dropcap] DCU Incorporation Programme was officially completed on September 30, joining DCU, St Patricks College, Mater Dei and CICE as a single legal entity. All legal documents finalising the programme were signed by stakeholders, having been approved by respective Government bodies.
The Incorporation Programme began four years ago, with the first notable changes to the respective institutions occurring in 2014. In June of that year, a denominational paper titled “A new vision of education for all the children of Ireland” was published and received praise from then Minister of Education, Ruairí Quinn. He said that the merging of Protestant and Catholic pathways to teacher training would create a “flagship institute of education” and that he was “particularly pleased to see the commitment to interdenominational diversity.”
Later in 2014, a joint prospectus for DCU, Mater Dei and St Patrick’s College was published. A year later in 2015, all first year graduate and post graduate research students from the incorporating institutions were registered as DCU students.
At the beginning of the 2016/17 academic year all students from Mater Dei and St Patrick’s College were registered as DCU students and the legalities of the process were finalised.
President of DCU, Prof. Brian MacCraith commended the hard work of individuals across the four institutions and said it was a “very significant day in the history of Dublin City University.”
“I want to thank all of you who invested in this vision and contributed to today’s achievement,” he said on the day of completion.
“I also want to welcome all our new colleagues into the DCU community and to assure you all of a fulfilling and exciting future in the university.”
Reconstruction projects will now take place over all campuses for the next five years as part of a €230 million capital development plan.
The plan will provide further on-campus accommodation, a new student centre, refurbished digital teaching spaces and a larger capacity in research and innovation.
For more information on the redevelopment project, click here.
Rebecca Lumley
Image Credit: dcu.ie
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