Campus celebrations as over 1300 UCD graduates conferred in summer ceremonies
Posted 27 June, 2024 - Updated, 5 July 2024
Photo Credit: Matthew Rose-Nel and @UCDAlumni
Over 1300 students were conferred with their degrees this month at University College Dublin.
Across three ceremonies over the course of June, undergraduates and graduates had the opportunity to celebrate their academic achievements.
There 586 undergraduate degrees conferred, alongside 714 postgraduate awards, including 274 masters, 308 diplomas & certificates, and 132 research degrees.
Over 100 Doctor of Philosophy Degrees were conferred to graduates.
Photo Credit: Matthew Rose-Nel and @UCDAlumni
Among the colleges and schools that celebrated conferrings in June were UCD School of Medicine, UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, and UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems, and the UCD Colleges of Engineering & Architecture, of Science, and of Health and Agricultural Sciences.
A number of medals were awarded to students in recognition of their outstanding achievements, including the Medicine Student of the Year Award for Bassem El Saghir as voted by his peers.
Photo Credit: Matthew Rose-Nel and @UCDAlumni
Mike Magan - Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science
The UCD School of Veterinary Medicine awarded Mike Magan an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science for his "extraordinary contribution" to the Irish dairy industry, to AHI, to UCD and to Irish society more broadly.
The former Chair of Animal Health Ireland (AHI) and a Longford dairy farmer, Dr Magan was central to the establishment of AHI in 2009, which fundamentally changed the animal health landscape in Ireland.
Establishing a partnership approach to animal health, it brought together farmers, processors, animal health advisors, and government to ensure that Ireland’s beef and dairy production, valued at €9.2 billion in 2023, remained competitive in a global market without comprising on the health and welfare of Ireland’s food producing animals.
Delivering the citation, Professor Simon More recounted that at his retirement as AHI Chair in 2021, Charlie McConalogue TD, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said: “Mike Magan has been and will continue to be one of the great leaders of the agri-sector. [His] leadership in the space of animal health has ensured our sector is better placed to face the challenges we will encounter in the future.”
Alongside his professional career, and the substantially impacted he has had on the curriculum within the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine - the only school of Veterinary Medicine on the island of Ireland - and work by private veterinary practitioners, Dr Magan is also well known for his charitable activities.
Notably, in 2020, he coordinated dairy cooperatives nationwide to arrange collection of over €300,000 in donations from dairy farmers for the Red Cross Appeal for Yemen.
Phil Hogan - Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science
Former EU Commissioner Phil Hogan was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by University College Dublin.
In the citation for the award, he was recognised for his distinguished contributions in the areas of politics, trade, EU policy, economics, the environment, rural development, food, climate, and the bio-economy.
Alongside his time in Europe, the Kilkenny native has been a local councillor, Fine Gael TD and Irish Government Minister.
He is credited as an important advocate for Europe and Ireland’s interests during the Brexit negotiations, the honorary degree award recognises Phil Hogan’s remarkable 40-year career committed to public service.
Accepting the Honorary Degree, Phil Hogan expressed the great pride he held that Ireland still placed an importance on the accessibility between politicians and the public, and that it had not forgotten what he called the “'profound wisdom of local communities”.
One of the lessons he had learned from his political career was pride of place: “that quiet certainty that an individual belongs.”
“The sense of having roots, of belonging to a community, is one of the essentials of living. The American psychologist Abraham Maslow put it high up in his hierarchy of needs. Yes, he said, you need safety, you need food and shelter. But – once those are covered off – you absolutely need a sense of belonging. Of being part of a community.”
Irish public representatives and their constituents can meet, one to one, face to face, without formal appointment, almost every day of the year, he added.
“Our politicians are available. Even when availability puts them in harm’s way – as recently happened with our Taoiseach and our Minister for Justice. They, and all of our politicians from all parties, remain accessible.
Adding: "It’s about taking criticism. It’s about listening. It’s about giving constituents the greatest gift available to every politician: the gift of attention.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
