DCU Educational Trust
Current Projects
2006 and beyond With capital building projects almost completed, the Educational Trust turns its focus towards new important priorities. These initiatives have been identified by the university as areas we can help to advance, so that DCU continues to build its expertise locally, nationally and globally. |
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Ethics Institute |
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Sports Academy
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Intercultural Workplace Project:  The Intercultural Workplace Project at DCU responds to the recent National Action Plan Against Racism Planning for Diversity that establishes a structured approach to combating racism and discrimination in Ireland during the period 2005 – 2008. Planning for Diversity understands that racism is a challenge to social cohesion and stability in any country and that Ireland must seek to become a more inclusive and intercultural society.
The specific aim of the DCU Intercultural Workplace Project is to increase our understanding of the complexity and breadth of workplace diversity issues and to provide insights on the trends that are emerging in the field of diversity and inclusion. Interdisciplinary academic research will be conducted across key sectors to ascertain the current challenges as well as benefits posed by workforce diversity in Ireland. The research team will bring to bear education, business studies, law, psychology, sociology, health studies and intercultural specialists. Mc Donalds and Bord Failte are sponsoring PHD studentships under this project. DCU has already successfully attracted almost €800,000 from the EU Leonardo da Vinci Programme II fund to carry out a broad comparative policy-oriented study of these issues across 10 European countries, including partners from northern and southern Europe, established EU members and accession states. |
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Business and Innovation  As Ireland’s leading innovation university, DCU intends to be at the centre of and at the service of such change and invites partners to join in this endeavour. The DCU Educational Trust seeks private sponsors to invest €3.5million in DCU’s strategic innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives. Donors will make a significant contribution to the future of Irish competitiveness through sponsorship of visiting faculty, innovation chairs and enterprise infrastructure. |
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Access Scholarships Programme  Of all the initiatives undertaken by DCU, this is one of the most important – to address the financial burden that may deter bright, deserving young people from taking their rightful place at university. Students enrolled through Access may come from under-served areas of the country or from socio-economically excluded urban neighbourhoods. Once at DCU they receive academic guidance and financial assistance in the form of scholarships at a cost of approximately €2,000 each. The Access Programme was initiated by DCU in 1990 and was the first of its kind in Ireland. It is now the largest and most far-reaching programme in the country with representation from most of the island of Ireland. DCU is very proud of its commitment to these students and to those who will follow them. It is private contributions that make these scholarships possible. |
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The Educational Trust supports the university’s initiative to create a multi-disciplinary 
DCU established the School of Health and Human Performance in 2001 and four years later was the first university in Ireland to introduce an admission policy recognising excellence in sporting achievement as an entry route to all DCU degree programmes. Last year our Sports Academy was launched, offering course flexibility and state of the art training facilities for up to 100 student athletes in gaelic football, athletics and tennis. To support the DCU Sports Academy’s programmes and Sports Scholarships the Educational Trust has embarked upon a €3 million fundraising goal over the next 5 years.
