Tipperary Institute Graduation 25th Sept. 2009

Historic Graduation at Tipperary Institute
The autumn sun shone brightly over Tipperary Institute on September 25th, aptly reflecting the celebratory mood as the local third level college reached yet another milestone in its history, with the conferring of its first ever postgraduate student. Receiving a Master of Business degree by Research, Mairead Clohessy, Littleton, Thurles was among the 270 students that were bestowed with certificates, degrees and honours degrees across a number of disciplines including; Business, Rural Development, Multimedia and Communications, Software Development, IT Support, Management Studies, Accounting Technician Studies, Renewable Energy, Building Energy Rating and Adlerian Psychology and Counselling Skills.

Presenting the graduating students with their parchments, Ian McKenna of the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, who accredit the Institute’s undergraduate programmes, commented on the positive contribution that Tipperary Institute continues to make to the region, providing students from the county, as well as the surrounding region with an opportunity to receive a quality third level education close to home. He added “Tipperary Institute is to be congratulated on the important role it plays in providing access to quality higher education opportunities for many people who would otherwise be denied the opportunity”.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs at Tipperary Institute, Professor Gary Prosser said that “never has there been a more important time to celebrate the achievement of graduates of this Institute. With the economic and social challenges currently facing the country, higher education has a central role to play in our national recovery.

This is an exciting time of growth and development for Tipperary Institute. CAO acceptances for full time courses offered by the Institute have grown by 50% this year, following a 50% increase in 2008. Over the last two years the number of new students commencing their studies at the Institute has more than doubled and the Board of Directors has recently agreed a new 5 year strategic plan that aims to grow the student population to at least 1,000 full time equivalent students by 2014”, according to Professor Prosser.
During the ceremonies, Tipperary Institute acknowledged graduates from various programmes with prestigious awards for outstanding academic achievement. Among the award winners on the day were Pamela Moloney from Clonmel, who received the South Tipperary County Council sponsored Rural Development Student of the Year award and Deirdre Bourke, Foxford, Co. Mayo who received the AIB Business Student of the Year Award. The HETAC Student of the Year award was presented to Catherine McGrath, Drombane, Thurles who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Sustainable Rural Development. The prestigious HETAC award is presented annually to the graduate who achieves the highest mark across all TI programmes.
Tipperary Institute continues to go from strength to strength, catering for the educational needs of students from the Tipperary region and beyond. The new 2009/2010 academic year has got off to a flying start with a record number of first year enrolments. Students can avail of Honours Degree programmes across a range of disciplines including; Accounting and Finance, Business, Marketing, Games Design and Software Development, Creative Multimedia, Environmental and Natural Resource Management and Social and Community Studies, and further programme development is ongoing.

With a growing number of Tipperary Institute graduates now in the workplace, and with many others choosing to remain at TI to pursue postgraduate studies, Tipperary Institute’s reputation as a centre of excellence in education continues to grow.