Merry Christmas one and all

I wish all Corporate and Individual Members of the UCD EGA a Happy and Restful Christmas and a Rewarding 2016.

 

This is my last Christmas Message as EGA President so I want to thank You our members and our hard working Board a big thank you to you all. You helped us to build the EGA into the resilient force it now is in UCD and assisting economic recovery in the country at large. UCD is Ireland's largest university and the EGA is UCD's largest and most active alumni group. I’m hoping that together we can make 2016 another exciting year for the EGA and raise our profile further as an organisation that debates the issues that concern us all.

 

2015 has been a momentous year. We had some of the brightest days and some of the darkest nights. Bright days saw us hosting our UCD President, Professor Andrew J. Deeks for our Spring Lecture, award of the Distinguished Graduate Award to Vice President Professor Orla Feely and the Autumn Panel Discussion on our Digital Future with market leaders.

Our darkest night was surely on Bloomsday June 16th when six Irish students including three from UCD were taken from us in the tragic Berkeley apartment balcony collapse and the multiple injuries of many more students all starting on a working holiday in Berkeley California.

Ireland had many highlights in 2105 from the courageous Same Sex Marriage Referendum to the Fresh Start Agreement in Northern Ireland and our second Six Nations Rugby Championship victory in a row.  Internationally, we had a migrant crisis arising from war in Syria and the COP 21 agreement in Paris on Climate Change.

In 2015 UCD held its national placing in the global league table of Universities though slipping slightly together with Trinity both I am sure the victim of third level education cuts during the austerity years.

The EGA increased its Corporate Membership by over 30% and hosted the best ever attended Spring Lecture and Autumn Panel Discussion on Engineering Education and the Digital Future respectively.

The highlight of the year for me and many others was the 'coming home' recognition finally of the University Industry Centre (UIC) founded by Professor John Kelly. The 30th anniversary of the UIC foundation was marked by unveiling of a plaque by President Professor Andrew J Deeks in NovaUCD and in the UIC. This facility built in the mid 1980s is now firmly recognised as the research forerunner of NovaUCD and a future resource facility of great value.

We had our first ever Corporate Members Reception hosted by President Deeks and continued our efforts to encourage greater Gender Balance in Engineering Education and in the Profession. UCD 1^st Engineering had an encouraging intake of 27% female this year and we need to build on this success in the years ahead.