A message from the President

Welcome to DCU Voices, our annual glance at the activities and achievements of our global alumni community. More than ever, this year’s magazine reinforces my view that DCU graduates really are an exceptional group of people. You are changemakers who deliver the University’s mission to ‘transform lives and societies’.

This edition highlights the ways in which our alumni are forging new pathways in areas ranging from mental health, to entrepreneurship, to the emergency services, to sporting excellence, to cutting-edge research. This wide range of achievement is also reflected in the nominees and winners of the DCU Alumni Awards 2021, who are featured inside, as well as the recipients of the 2022 awards, with whom we recently celebrated in the Helix.

I hope that 2022 was a productive and positive year for all our alumni. Certainly, the past year has been exceptionally busy here at DCU. Indeed, as we shook off the restraints of Covid restrictions, it seemed as if we were making up for lost time and forging ahead with extra determination. We welcomed two presidents to the University during 2022. In March, President Michael D Higgins visited the St Patrick’s campus to address the inaugural conference of DCU’s new Centre for Climate & Society. As always, President Higgins gave a rousing and inspiring speech about the need for climate justice and a radical response to this global challenge. Equally inspiring was the speech given by Ukrainian President Vlodymr Zelenskyy, who addressed third-level students via video link at The Helix.

As a university, we don’t stand or fall by the metric of rankings; however, it was gratifying to see DCU faring exceptionally well in Higher Education’s highly competitive global landscape. DCU ranked in the world’s top 500 in the QS and Times Higher Education rankings and was one of only two Irish universities to improve its ranking in the QS table. In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, DCU featured in the world’s top ten for reducing inequalities. Meanwhile, the University took home two Times Higher Education Awards in 2022, with DCU’s Access to the Workplace receiving the Widening Participation Initiative of the Year and our Estates team winning the Outstanding Estates Team prize.

It was also a year of exciting new additions to our campus facilities. On the All Hallows campus we officially opened the award-winning Woodlock Hall Library, while on our Glasnevin campus, the restaurant and its surrounding public realm have been transformed, and we broke ground on the DCU Polaris building – a state of the art STEM facility on Collins Avenue. As always, the opportunity to engage with DCU alumni, at home and abroad, was a real highlight of my year. The end of pandemic restrictions meant that we had some overdue reunions, including the delayed 50th anniversary gathering of the St Patrick’s College Class of 1970. Meanwhile, I was delighted to join alumni in New York, Singapore (virtually), and Washington DC. My sincere thanks to our graduates across the world who are keeping the DCU flag flying by staying engaged with each other and with the University. Please continue to keep in touch with us so that we can continue to update you on the latest developments, as well as opportunities offered by the DCU Alumni Relations Office.

Prof Dáire Keogh, DCU President