the city is our campus Annual Review 2006 designed by: www.create.ie DIT Administration Office 143-149 Lower Rathmines Road Rathmines, Dublin 6 t: 01 402 3349 f: 01 402 3432 w: www.dit.ie DIT Aungier Street, Dublin 2 t: 01 402 3000 f: 01 402 3003 DIT Bolton Street, Dublin 1 t: 01 402 3000 f: 01 402 3999 DIT Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin 1 t: 01 402 3000 f: 01 402 4499 DIT Kevin Street, Dublin 8 t: 01 402 3000 f: 01 402 4999 DIT Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1 t: 01 402 3000 f: 01 402 4299 DIT Rathmines Road, Dublin 6 t: 01 402 3000 f: 01 402 3487 Contents Courses for Careers 2 Research and Scholarship 4 1 Student Achievement 6 Outstanding Colleagues 7 Michael O’Donnell 8 Sport 10 Student Societies 11 International 12 An Entrepreneurial Institution 14 Access 15 Honorary Degree 16 Partnership 17 Governance 20 Management 23 Profile & Number of Staff 27 Number of Students by level 2005-2006 28 Courses for Careers A European University Association (EUA) team who met with approval for an MA in European Public Relations provided by over 200 staff and students produced a positive institutional DIT in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University, that will review of DIT. In a further endorsement, DIT was named “Best enrol its first students in September 2006. According to Institute of Technology in Ireland” for the fourth year running Course Director, John Gallagher, “We are very pleased with by The Sunday Times. To ensure that DIT continues to focus the decision of the CIPR to approve our course. Although we on key priorities the Governing Body approved the Institute’s are very proud of the association we have with our own Public first Corporate Risk and Strategic Opportunities Action Plan Relations Institute of Ireland, recognition by CIPR, which has that is now being embedded throughout the Institute. a worldwide reputation for excellence in public relations 2 education and scholarship, is very satisfying for all involved Via the DIT Oifig na Gaeilge, the Irish language and providing the Master of Arts in Public Relations here at DIT. bilingualism will be promoted, nurtured and encouraged It also has considerable impact and benefit for our students through providing opportunities to learn the language, and alumni to know that their degree is held in esteem by assisting in the provision of services through Irish, organising the body representing the public relations profession in the social and academic events and through the preparation of United Kingdom”. bilingual documents and signage. Oifig na Gaeilge will assist with translations and develop a directory of terminology for At DIT's 'E-Learning Day', former Minister of State at the each office, position, department, award and activity of the Department of Education and Science, Síle de Valera, TD, Institute. Oifig na Gaeilge will also oversee the Institute’s launched a new website that provides a virtual support network obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003, which for students with disabilities. The website, entitled 'Quest for includes the preparation of bilingual versions of the Learning', was developed as a joint initiative by the Association prospectuses, stationary, handbooks, awards and web pages in for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD), with the the future. Oifig na Gaeilge will assist and take direction from support of the DIT, UCC, FÁS, and the Higher Education DIT’s Comhchoiste na Gaeilge and will collaborate with student Authority. It provides a virtual support network for students, societies and other groups and organisations throughout the including tips on how to manage and maximise their learning city to promote the language across DIT. systems. For academic staff it provides guidelines on creating an accessible curriculum, mindful of the needs of students with The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) renewed its a disability, and raises their awareness of disability among approval of the DIT MA in Public Relations degree. DIT’s course students. Minister de Valera launched the website at the is the only degree course outside the United Kingdom opening of DIT's annual 'E-Learning Day' which took place this approved by the CIPR and is also the only postgraduate course year in the FOCAS Institute. Formally launching 'Quest for for the profession available in Ireland. CIPR’s Head of Learning', the Minister said "Innovative initiatives such as the Education Policy, Gerald Chan, said "We're delighted to be QFL website are a welcome advance in making E-Learning more approving Dublin Institute of Technology's MA in Public accessible to students with a disability. They also form part of a Relations, which will widen access to PR education. The CIPR wider national and European movement towards making all works continuously to raise standards in the PR industry sectors and services more accessible for persons with a through education, training and promoting best practice. We disability. This is integral to any society that is genuinely set exacting standards on curriculum, tuition and assessment inclusive of the needs of all its citizens." for our approved courses. DIT has met all our criteria and CIPR approval is thoroughly deserved." As well as approval for DIT’s own Public Relations course, the CIPR has also given its Schneider Electric, a world leader in Electricity and Automation markets’. Commenting on the programme content, Frank Management, made a substantial donation of engineering Ryan went on to highlight the unique opportunity that it gives equipment to DIT as part of their “200K Education Initiative”, to these companies to build their export selling capability. ‘The whose goal is to help to raise student interest, and the profile programme will provide a sectoral and international markets of engineering as an attractive career choice. "This is an focus, international markets learning network and mentoring extremely timely and generous donation," said Dr. Eugene opportunities – and these will be of real and tangible benefit to Coyle, Head of Control Systems and Electrical Engineering. "It the companies in driving their sales strategies’, he said. will enable us to expand our high-performance infrastructure ‘Combined with access to the expertise and contacts of and provide faculty, researchers, and graduate and Enterprise Ireland’s world-wide network of offices and of DIT 3 undergraduate students with the best technological resources." with its extensive experience in delivering sales and marketing programmes, we are confident that International Selling will “International Selling” a new and unique export sales deliver significant results for the companies and the development programme that helps Irish companies to win participants’, he added. more international sales and sustain export growth into the future has been delivered for Enterprise Ireland by DIT with DIT’s Department of Architectural Technology hosted the contributors from leading international business and training inaugural conference of its graduates with the intention of organisations. Totally export sales focused, International Selling forming a long-needed Graduates Network. Over 200 has been designed to deliver immediate impact on the architectural technologists attended, with every DIT graduate company as well as the individual – developing the current and year from 1969 to 2004 being represented by at least one long-term sales strategies of sponsoring companies in addition delegate, and with many graduates travelling from the UK and to developing the executive’s personal selling skills. The Europe for the event. Head of the Dublin School of programme is for manufacturing and internationally-traded Architecture James Horan noted increasing levels of service companies that are currently exporting or have collaboration between students of architecture and advanced plans to do so, and is aimed at executives who have architectural technology in the Dublin School of Architecture responsibility for growing international sales. 32 participants and stressed the school’s commitment to promoting and come from across a wide range of sectors and their export sales supporting the profession of the architectural technologist. strategies target markets across the globe. International Selling Head of the Department of Architectural Technology Cormac will focus on working with and supporting the participants to Allen noted the development of a ‘add-on’ honours degree develop and implement these strategies so as to achieve programmes in architectural technology which will be offered greater market penetration and increased export sales. by DIT on a modular full time and part time basis. Welcoming the participants to the programme, Frank Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, Enterprise Ireland said: ‘Growing our export sales at national level, and building our export capability at individual company level, are absolutely essential for strong and sustained growth. Enterprise Ireland has set out an ambitious target to see Irish companies win €3 billion new export sales by the end of 2007. The International Selling Programme is part of our strategy to make this happen, and Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting this Programme, and Irish industry, to compete and win on international Research and Scholarship Low Noise Solutions for Night Deliveries Development of a virtual DIT’s Department of Transport Engineering commenced a major DIT was represented at CGames ’05, the 7th International Innovation Partnership funded by Enterprise Ireland. The two Conference of the British Computer Society, by Hugh year programme will focus on applied research into developing McAtamney, Bryan Duggan and Frederick Mtenzi of the Digital “Low Noise Solutions for Night Deliveries” in close Media Centre. Their research paper, entitled ‘Using the Crytek collaboration with Irish companies. The DIT Cancer Research Game Engine in the Dublin Institute of Technology’ described Group welcomed Tom Kitt TD, Minister of State in the the development of a virtual Grangegorman campus, which Department of the Taoiseach and Government Chief Whip to accurately depicts the existing site and buildings at the Rose Lodge Clinic in Kilternan, Co Dublin to see the Grangegorman.