Irish universities strengthen links with US high schools
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Irish universities strengthen links with US high schools
02.03.2010

A group of five American College Admissions Counsellors from prominent Chicago high schools kicked off a one-week whistle-stop tour of Irish universities commencing with University College Cork (UCC).

The visit to UCC on March 1st 2010 follows on from a new collaboration by Irish universities ‘Connecting Continents’ initiative which began at the Irish Embassy, Washington DC earlier this year.  The aim of the initiative is to build linkages between Irish institutions and American high schools and universities with a view to encouraging more student mobility between the US and Ireland.

The counsellors’ tour includes University of Limerick, NUI Galway, NUI Maynooth, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.

The counsellors were warmly welcomed by UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy, himself no stranger to the Windy City, having spent 8 years at the University of Chicago. As noted by Celso Cárdenas, one of the visiting counsellors, “Cork is absolutely charming…the Chicago of Ireland!” In conjunction with Enterprise Ireland, the Cork campus visit was organised by the International Education Office at UCC. Counsellors met with academics from across the University: Arts, Engineering, Health, Law, Science and Social Science were all represented. UCC academics not only outlined their teaching expertise and research breakthroughs but also highlighted the importance of collaborations with American universities.

Having toured the facilities, spoken with academics and met with some of the American students studying at UCC, the Chicago counsellors are now in a position to recommend UCC to their students who plan taking their undergraduate studies overseas. Michael O’Connor from New Trier High School, one of the country’s top public schools, was impressed. “Experiencing the friendliness and hospitality of the UCC faculty and staff is something that I can bring back to my colleagues and students. Being able to visit the campus and meet with faculty, staff and especially the students makes the entire university come alive”, said Mr O’Connor. Also impressed by UCC was Patty Kovacs, from the University of Chicago Lab School, which President Barack Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha attended until December 2008. As Ms Kovacs enthused: “UCC makes it clear that they put education into action – developing the mind, creating experiences and connecting with the world.”

Picture L-R: Michael O'Connor, New Trier High School; Patty Kovacs, University of Chicago Lab School; Stephanie Maksymiu, Maine South High School; Linda Connelly, New Trier High School and Celso Cárdenas, Francis W Parker School.

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