Thursday 17^th April 2008

A new and exciting initiative organised by the Masters’ students of the Dublin City University Business School Centre for Executive Programmes has raised funding of €22,000 for Access scholarships in DCU Business School.

Over ten Masters classes from the Centre for Executive Programmes (CEP) participated in this initiative. The cheques were presented to Brian Hayes, Chairman of the DCU Educational Trust, at an event in the DCU Business School Centre of Executive Programmes on Wednesday 9th April, 2008.

Brian Hayes said: “I would like to thank all the students, on behalf of the Trust, who contributed to this enormous fund. The scholarships raised by the Business School postgraduate students will have a significant impact on many students’ lives. It will allow prospective access students to fulfil their dreams of a third level qualification from this highly reputable and innovative school.”

The business postgraduate students were comprised of the four MBA classes, MBA class of 1998, MBS Corporate Leadership, MSc in Investment and Treasury, MBS Human Resource Strategies, MBS Strategic Procurement, Graduate Diploma in Safety and Health at Work.

For many young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, going to university is still a financial burden on them and their families. The DCU Access Service was established in 1990 to encourage and attract students from our surrounding North Dublin neighbourhoods where the idea of pursuing a third level education is often not considered a viable option. The programme targets young people who have the ability to benefit from and succeed in higher education but who are under-represented at universities for socio-economic reasons such as long-term unemployment, little or no family tradition of attending university, pressure to contribute to the family budget, family stresses and lack of study facilities or support at home.

Today, the DCU Access Programme remains the first and the largest in the country with 430 students enrolled from 24 counties across Ireland. 51% of new applicants came from single parent families. Even at secondary school level, the need to self-support through part-time work is firmly rooted in many working-class communities and often draws students away from traditional educational pathways.

The DCU Educational Trust supports students who receive a place on the DCU Access Programme with scholarships funded entirely by the private sector.

DCU Business School are hoping that this initiative will continue with their Masters classes and alumni classes in the future and that it will continue to raise the level of awareness for Access both with Masters students and with the wider business community.