News
Conferring Ceremony Takes Place at An Cosán, Tallaght
30/11/2015
42 graduates were last Saturday conferred with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Jobstown via a collaborative partnership between An Cosán centre of learning in Tallaght and Institute of Technology Carlow (IT Carlow).
Eight students were conferred with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Applied Addiction Studies and Community Development. 34 graduates were awarded Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood Education and Care. A further 20 students were presented with Certificates in Transformative Community Education.
The conferring ceremony was attended by the President of IT Carlow, Dr. Patricia Mulcahy who presented each graduate with their scroll.
During the conferring ceremony, three awards were presented for outstanding academic achievement. Laura Jordan from Dublin, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood Education and Care, received the An Cosán Student of the Year Award at Level 8. Laurence Moloney, from Dublin, who received a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Addiction Studies and Community Development, was presented with the Accenture Student of the Year Award at Level 7 and Deirdre Keating, holder of a Certificate in Transformative Community Education, received the ESB Student of the Year Award at Certificate Level.
A centre of learning, leadership and social enterprise, An Cosán facilitates over 600 students annually to access part-time education programmes, from basic literacy to honours degrees and special purpose awards. Since 2007, a collaborative partnership with IT Carlow and An Cosán has resulted in the delivery of high quality education to students, underpinned by a shared ethos in supporting equitable educational access at third level.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Mulcahy commented on the huge contribution that An Cosán continues to make in empowering communities through education. “An Cosán 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 such an opportunity. In doing so, it transforms lives through education. I congratulate each and every graduate here today on their success and achievement”, commented Dr. Mulcahy.
Speaking at the conferring, Maura McMahon, CEO of An Cosán said, “The dedication and effort our graduates have put into their part-time studies, while juggling the many other demands of life, has been extraordinary. I commend them for their achievement and look forward to hearing the stories of how their degrees have impacted on their own lives and those of the local communities as leaders, in addiction studies, and the early year’s education and care sector. Our innovative collaboration with IT Carlow is now entering its 9th year and we are delighted that it has opened up the doors to higher education to so many people in Tallaght West and beyond that would otherwise have not been able to access these programmes.”
The conferring at An Cosan is one of eleven such ceremonies this month where 2,200 graduates will have been conferred across the Institute of Technology Carlow campuses and locations in Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin. IT Carlow currently ranks as the 4th largest of Ireland’s 14 Institutes with almost 7,000 enrolments.
-ENDS-
For reference: Alma Feeley, Communications Officer, IT Carlow
M: 087 8204934 e: alma.feeley@itcarlow.ie
