2014 Press Releases
Don't confer - spring, ruck and roll
UCC’s annual Spring Conferrings take place this Thursday and Friday 27th and 28th February. Among the graduates lining out will be Irish Rugby team doctor Eanna Falvey.
The two-day event will see over 900 eager UCC students receive their parchments. Falvey, a medical graduate of UCC and former Munster Rugby team doctor between 2003 and 2007, will receive a PhD in Medicine.
It will be a particularly special occasion for Rear Admiral Mellett as he delivers his commencement speech this Friday morning at 10am. Among the crowd of hopeful students of the College of Business & Law and College of Science, Engineering & Food Science at UCC will be daughter Laura, who will receive an MSc (Interactive Media). He will also deliver the 12.30pm commencement speech on Friday.
Other speakers delivering commencement addresses include Sophie Crosbie, IR/HR Executive, Ibec (10.00am and 12.30pm Thursday to College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences and College of Business & Law); Deirdre Mortell, Social Innovation Fund Ireland (3.30pm Thursday to College of Business & Law) and Prof. Helen Whelton, President, International Association of Dental Research and Director, Oral Health Services Research Centre, UCC at 3.30pm, Friday to the College of Medicine & Health.
Several members of UCC staff will also graduate, including:
- Dr Laura Rascaroli, Dept. of Italian, will be conferred with a DLitt On Published Work, with citation to be delivered by Professor Caroline Fennell, Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences (12.30pm Thursday)
- Mike Murphy, Dept. of Geography, will be conferred with an Honorary Master of Arts, with citation to be delivered by Professor Don Lyons, Dept. of Geography (12.30pm Thursday)
- Professor Fergus Shanahan, APC, will be conferred with a DSc On Published Work (3.30pm Fri 28 Feb), with citation to be delivered by Dr Francis Burke, College of Medicine and Health.
UCC's first Doctor of Nursing will also be conferred at the 3.30pm ceremony on Friday.
In total, 483 students will graduate on Thursday and 425 on Friday, delivering 26 undergraduate degrees; 802 masters degrees; 80 doctorate degrees; 1 DLitt; 1 Honorary MA; 1 DSc on Published Work.
The first cohorts from two new UCC courses will also graduate, though one lot of students can be excused if they are conferred ‘In Absentia’, as they may well be down a mine. The MSc in Exploration Field Geology was established in 2012 by the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES). Skilled geology graduates are in high demand nationally and international with “Peak Oil” and the demand for raw material resources driving industry. Eight students will graduate.
Fourteen pioneers of the MSc Organic Horticulture will also graduate. This course is the only course of its kind in Europe and was also established in 2012 by the School of BEES. It is taught predominantly off-campus at a dedicated teaching and research facility at Liss Ard Estate in Skibbereen, Co. Cork.
Full details of the courses involved and timings available here: http://www.ucc.ie/en/current/conferrings/spring2014/
Each ceremony will be live streamed at http://www.ucc.ie/en/live/