The
University of Limerick (UL) ( )
was established in 1972 as the National Institute for
Higher Education, Limerick
and
became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the
University of Limerick Act 1989. The university was the
first university established since the foundation of the State
in 1922, followed later in the same day by the
establishment of Dublin City University
.
The university is located along the
River
Shannon, on a 80 hectare (200
acre) site in
the 240 hectare (600 acre) National Technological Park at
Castletroy, 5 km from Limerick
city centre. The university has currently in
excess of 11,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,500
part-time students . There are also over 800 research postgraduates
and 1,300 taught postgraduate students at the university. The
Co-Operative Education (commonly called
Co-Op) programme
allocates all students with an 8-month work placement as part of
their degree. This is one of the first such programmes in the
state.
Professor Don Barry is the current president of the university
having been appointed in 2007.
History
According
to Dr Edward M Walsh, first President
of the University of Limerick, the Mayor of Limerick
applied to have a Queen's College located in the
city in 1845, but it went to Belfast
, Cork
and Galway
instead.
The Limerick University Project Committee was founded in September
1959 as a project of the 1957 Mayor of Limerick,
Ted Russell. Another
supporter, The Hon Mr Justice
Dermot
Kinlen, was a
High Court
judge and later the first State Inspector General of Prisons and
Places of Detention. Both Mr Russell and Mr Justice Kinlen were
awarded
honorary degrees by the
university in 2002.
The state was reluctant to found more university-level institutions
, and in the late-1960s developed a policy of creating second-tier
colleges which led to the foundation of the National Institute for
Higher Education (NIHE) at Limerick, with Dr Walsh appointed as
Director of the Institute on 1 January 1972. The first students
were enrolled in 1972 when the institute was opened by then
Taoiseach,
Jack
Lynch. In the early years the billionaire philanthropist
Chuck Feeney (through
Atlantic Philanthropies) was a major
donor to the University which has received millions in direct
funding through the
Atlantic
Philanthropies foundation. The
Shannon Development Company was also an
early supporter of the project and its influence led to the
creation of the National Technological Park beside the Institute
after its foundation.
In 1976 to 1977 degrees from the NIHE Limerick were awarded by the
National University of
Ireland and it was a recognised college of the University for
this time, from 1978 onwards the
National Council for
Educational Awards(NCEA) was the degree-awarding authority for
the NIHE Limerick.
The College of Education was created in 1991 from the dissolved
Thomond College
of Education, Limerick that shared a common campus with the
university. Thomond College of Education was founded in 1973 as the
National College of Physical Education, and now forms the
Department of Educational and Professional Studies focuses
on
secondary education
programmes. Mary Immaculate College, Limerick currently functions
under the College of Education and focuses on
primary education and
arts programmes.
"Ireland's American University"
The university, and previously as the institute, synthesized many
American ideas in education, including a
cooperative education programme and
grade point average marking.
During the 1970s the limited state of Government finances led Dr.
Walsh and his team to attract
European Investment Bank and
World Bank funding in addition to private
and
alumni donors at a time when Irish
universities depended heavily on the State for funds and did not
aggressively seek other avenues of finance.
In 1989 before becoming a university, the name
Technological
University of Limerick was seriously considered as a title for
the new university, this being probably considered as a complement
to the strength of the institutes courses in
technology, or a derivative name of the proposed
federal
National Technological University which instead
lead to the University of Limerick in its own right. Until the
mid-1990s it operated a trimesterised
academic term, then changed to US-style
semesterisation.
In 2005 the university introduced a new
corporate logo.
UL has been an active participant in the European Union's Erasmus
programme since 1988 andnow has a total of 207 partner institutions
in 24 European countries. In addition, UL studentsmay study at
partner universities in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
Brazil, Chinaand Singapore.
Organisation
Faculty
The university has four
faculties, these are:
Student
The university has a
Students' Union
representing the student body. The Union is presided over by five
sabbatical officers - the President, the Education Officer, the
Welfare Officer, the CSO (Campaigns and Services Officer), and the
Communications Officer. Policy decisions are made by the sabbatical
officers and the Class Reps Council. Many societies and sporting
clubs exist for social activities and inter-varsity competition.
The university also has a Postgraduate Students' Association, with
a full-time sabbatical postgraduate president which represents the
postgraduate student body. It is one of only two Irish universities
with such a position.
Notable Alumni and Staff
The university has had a number of internationally notable Alumni
and members of staff since its foundation
Clubs and Societies
There are 60 student-run Clubs and Societies in the University,
most of them are sporting clubs. The clubs are supported by the
Students Union, the Sports Department and the Arts Office.More
information regarding Clubs and Societies can be found here -
UL Clubs
and Societies.
Rankings
The University of Limerick is ranked 1st in Ireland for degree
completion among students in the university sector. It also has one
of the highest employment rates for its students in Ireland,
perhaps due to the Co-operative Education programme.UL is ranked
4th for attracting students who attain over 500 points in the
Leaving Certificate .
UL is ranked 394th in the world and 7th in the Republic of Ireland
by the THE-QS World University Rankings.
Science and Engineering
- The Materials & Surface Science
Institute
The MSSI was
established in 1998 and is a national centre of excellence that
generates state-of-the-art fundamental research on topics of
industrial significance in the fields of surface science and
materials. The research strengths and interests of MSSI reside in
four areas: (i) Nanomaterials (ii) Biomaterials (iii) Composite and
Glass Materials (iv) Bio/Catalysis and Clean Technology.
- The Interaction Design Centre (IDC) is an interdisciplinary
research group in the Department of Computer Science and
Information Systems focused on the design, use and evaluation of
information and communications technologies.
- The LRC was established in 1995 as the Localisation Resources
Centre at University College Dublin (UCD) and moved to the
University of Limerick (UL) in 1999 where it was re-constituted as
the Localisation Research Centre (LRC) as the information, research
and educational centre for the localisation industry in
Ireland.
- The Enterprise Research
Centre (ERC) is a research centre committed to conducting
leading edge research on the challenges facing current and next
generation enterprises. Staff associated with the centre have
considerable research and practical experience in the modelling,
scheduling and resource management of enterprise optimisation,
design and implementation of integrated systems, product innovation
and project management, and quality, reliability and productivity
improvement tools.
- The University hosts the Irish Software Engineering Research
Centre, Lero . Lero was established in November 2005 with support
from Science Foundation Ireland’s CSET (Centre for Science,
Engineering and Technology) programme. It is a collaborative
organisation, embracing the software engineering research
activities in the University of Limerick (UL – lead partner),
Dublin City University (DCU), Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and
University College Dublin (UCD).
The Arts
The University fosters the arts and is currently home to the:•
Irish World Academy of Music and Dance - an internationally
acclaimed centre forinnovation and research in music and dance
performance and scholarship• Irish Chamber Orchestra - Ireland's
leading international chamber orchestra, funded by AnChomhairle
Ealaíon, The Irish Arts Council• Daghdha Dance Company - Ireland’s
leading contemporary dance company funded by AnChomhairle Ealaíon,
The Irish Arts CouncilAll three bodies also engage in the
commissioning and performance of new Irish music anddance.
The University is the permanent home of several Fine Art
Collections. Some of its notablecollections are:The National
Self-Portrait Collection of IrelandThe Watercolour Society of
Ireland CollectionThe Richard Wood Collection of Irish Landscape
PaintingsThe O'Malley Sculpture CollectionThe Irish American
Cultural Institute's O'Malley CollectionThe Armitage
Collection
The University Concert Hall (UCH) is the University's principal
venue for the performing arts it is a 1,000 seat multi-purpose
venue and was the first purpose built concert hall in the
country.
The Bourn Vincent Gallery is the University's principal venue for
temporary exhibitions withan ancillary programme of seminars,
lectures and performances. The Gallery aims to enhanceenjoyment and
appreciation of the visual arts of both Irish and international
importance. It isparticularly interested in contemporary practices.
Since its establishment, the Bourn VincentGallery has exhibited
collections by August Sander, Barry and Philip Castle, a selection
ofpieces from Gordon Lambert’s collection and hosts the annual
exhibition of new additions tothe National Self-Portrait Collection
of Ireland and ev+a each year.
The University has an active policy of commissioning and acquiring
exemplary works of art.The University's own Arts Collection
includes some fine outdoor sculpture by internationalartists
including Michael Warren, Peter Logan, Alexandra Wejchert, James
McKenna, TomFitzpatrick, Antony Gormley and most recently Sean
Scully. These sculptures have addedsignificantly to the artistic
and cultural ambience of the University.
Accommodation
Many of the housing districts in close proximity to the University
are in the majority populated by students, especially in the
adjacent Castletroy area. In recent years, several large student
apartment complexes have been built (about 15-20 mins walk from the
University) under Section 50 tax incentives. The university is
notable compared to other Irish universities in that a significant
amount of accommodation is on-campus. There are five on-campus
student villages, the most recently having been opened for
residents in 2006.
The oldest is
Plassey
Village, situated opposite the university's main gate. This
accommodates 424 students in terraced houses consisting of either
four or eight bedrooms and a kitchen/living area. It is mostly
occupied by first years. It was built between 1987 and 1992 in four
phases. The village boasts a village hall and many small but
beautiful gardens.
Kilmurry Village is the second oldest student village and
is located in the east of the campus. It accommodates 540 students
in six or eight bedroomed, terraced houses. It is the closest
village to the University Arena, which has an Olympic standard 50
metre swimming pool. It was built between 1994 and 1997, in two
phases.
Dromroe Village was completed in 2001 and is located on
the south bank of the
River Shannon.
The first with high rise accommodation ,it houses 457 students in
six, four or two bedroomed ensuite apartments.
Thomond Village was opened for the
Autumn 2004 semester and comprised the first university buildings
to be located on the north bank of the River Shannon, in County Clare
. It has accommodation for 504 students in
six, four, two or one bedroom apartments.
Cappavilla Village is the newest student village, opened
in September 2006 on the North Bank, in close proximity to the new
Health Sciences Building. An extension to Cappavilla opened in
September 2007.
There is also accommodation in and around the university but not on
campus. some can be five minutes away from university buildings
others a 30 minute walk. College Court is an example of one of
these, it can almost be classed student village as there is a high
ratio of students compared to residents there. (please note the
link i have for a map of college court is slightly outdated).
The University Arena
The University Arena, located on campus, on the banks of the river
Shannon, is Ireland's largest indoor sports complex.
[34744]
Open since 2002, it comprises of the National 50m Swimming Pool
which is the only water facility in Ireland which has the approval
of FINA, the international swimming body, and is the first in the
country to be built to Olympic standards.
The Arena's Indoor Sports Hall comprises 3,600 square metres laid
out with four wood-sprung courts, catering for a variety of sports,
a sprint track, an international 400m athletics track, and a 200m
three-lane suspended jogging track. The facility also has a
state-of-the-art cardiovascular and strength training centre, a
weight-training room, team rooms, an aerobics studio and classroom
areas. The Arena is often used by the Munster rugby team.
The €28m development was made possible through Government grant
assistance of €7.6m, donations through the University of Limerick
Foundation amounting to €6.9m, some €4m in contributions from
students and significant commercial funding.
[34745] Each year it caters for over 500,000
customers along with many international sports athletes and teams.
[34746]
The University Arena will be host to the 2010 Special Olympics
Ireland Games. The Games will take place over four days from
Thursday, June 9th to Sunday June 13th. In what will be one of the
largest and most prestigious sporting events to take place in
Ireland next year, 1,900 Special Olympics athletes from throughout
the island of Ireland will travel to Limerick.
Expansion
The Foundation Building, including the
University Concert Hall (now home to
the
Irish Chamber
Orchestra), and the new library and several other buildings
were built in the 1990s. The years 2000–2004 saw the addition of
the Materials & Surface Science Institute (MSSI) building,
Dromroe Student Village, a large sports arena and, alongside that,
Ireland's first Olympic-standard 50 metre swimming pool. In 2005
the Engineering Research Building and Millstream Courtyard
buildings opened in a complex near the Foundation Building.
The university is constantly expanding, with the Kemmy Business
School building completed alongside the Schuman Building. This will
be the first business school in the world to have a live trading
floor present. Several new buildings have opening on the north bank
of the River Shannon. The "University Bridge", officially opened in
late 2004, provides road and pedestrian access to what is planned
as a complete second "North Bank" campus. Thomond Village was the
first facility on the North Bank, opening in 2004, and was followed
by the Health Sciences Building in 2005. A second bridge, this one
pedestrian only, just after being completed (November 2007) between
the North and South Banks from the Millstream Courtyard to the
Health Sciences Building. Cappavilla Village was completed mid-2006
on the North Bank, and a building for the Irish World Music Centre
(currently located in the Foundation Building basement) is due to
be completed soon. Construction of this building started in May
2007. The university owns more land on the north bank of the
Shannon and it hopes to expand the North Bank campus to the size of
the original campus.
Notable campus developments
- 1972 – Physical Education and Sport Sciences Building
(originally home to Thomond
College of Education)
- 1974 – Main Building Phase 1A - Block A and B
- 1978 – Schrödinger
Building
- 1984 – Main Building Phase 1B - Block C (extended in 1996), D
and E
- 1985–99 – Student Centre (including the Students' Union
building)
- 1992 – Robert Schuman
Building
- 1993 – Foundation Building
- 1996 – Kathleen Lonsdale
Building
- 1997 – Glucksman Library &
Information Services Building
- 1999 – Computer Science Building
- 2000–01 – University Arena
- 2002 – MSSI Building
- 2005 – Engineering Research Building and Millstream
Courtyard
- 2005 – Health Sciences Building
- 2007 – Pedestrian Living Bridge
- 2007 – Kemmy Business School
- 2008 – University of Limerick Boathouse (Student Funded -
Storage and training space for Rowing, Kayak, Mountain Bike and
SubAqua Clubs)
- 2008 - The Irish Chamber Orchestra Building
- 2009 – Languages Building
- 2009 - Academy of World Music & Dance
- 2010 (due) – School of Medicine (Graduate Entry)
See also
Footnotes
- University of Limerick Act 1989
- The Early Years, Dr Edward M Walsh, President
Emeritus
- UL25 - Origins
- Detached and Attached Universities: Developing the Dublin
and Shannon Regions
-
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00214/STI051RZ301_214433a.gif
- http://www.ul.ie/mssi
-
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/0606/1212677071136.html
-
http://local.google.com/maps?q=limerick,+ireland&ll=52.651395,-8.628731&spn=0.087062,0.324852&hl=en
External links
.jpg/250px-Not_a_government_in_sight_0067777_(2).jpg)
is also linked to the University.
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