National University of Ireland, Galway

National University of Ireland, Galway
Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh
Latin: Universitas Hiberniae Nationalis apud Galviam
Motto	Deo Favente
Motto in English	With the favour of God
Established	1845
Type	Public
President	Dr. James J. Browne
Registrar	Prof. Nollaig Mac Congáil
Academic staff	1,078
Admin. staff	1,015
Students	17,318[1]
Undergraduates	12,464[1]
Postgraduates	3,623[1]
Other students	278
Location	Galway, Ireland 53°16′40″N 9°03′43″W / 53.277784°N 9.061860°W / 53.277784; -9.061860Coordinates: 53°16′40″N 9°03′43″W / 53.277784°N 9.061860°W / 53.277784; -9.061860
Former names	Queen’s College, Galway University College, Galway
Colours
Affiliations	AUA Coimbra Group EUA NUI IUA UI
Website	http://www.oegaillimh.ie/ http://www.nuigalway.ie/

The National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway) (Irish Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh or OÉ Gaillimh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland. It is a tertiary-level educational institution located in Galway, Ireland.

The university was founded in 1845 as Queen's College, Galway, and was more recently known as University College, Galway (UCG) (Irish: Coláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh or COG). Michael D. Higgins, President, Enda Kenny, Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Eamon Gilmore, Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Máire Whelan, Attorney General of Ireland are all Alumni.

NUI Galway is a member of the Coimbra Group, a network of 40 long-established European universities.

History [edit]

The Aula Maxima (Quadrangle)

The college opened for teaching in 1849 as Queen's College, Galway with 37 professors and 91 students and a year later became a part of the Queen's University of Ireland. The Irish Universities Act, 1908 made this college a constituent college of the new National University of Ireland, and under a new charter the name of the college was changed to University College, Galway. The university college was given special statutory responsibility under the University College, Galway Act, 1929 in respect of the use of the Irish language as the working language of the college. The university college retained the name University College, Galway until 1997 when the Universities Act, 1997 changed the name to National University of Ireland, Galway. The constituent universities of the National University of Ireland rank among the most prestigious centers of higher learning in the country.

The university is located near the centre of the city and stretches along the River Corrib. The oldest part of the university, the Quadrangle, designed by John Benjamin Keane, is a replica of Christ Church, one of the colleges at the University of Oxford. The stone from which it is built was supplied locally. Newer parts of the university sprang up in the 1970s and were designed by architects Scott Tallon Walker. The 1990s also saw considerable development including the conversion of an old munitions factory into a student centre. Recent developments include a state-of-the-art University Sports Centre (Ionad Spóirt), a new Health Science Building, Cairne's School of business and the Engineering Building.

List of Presidents [edit]

St Anthony's, Centre for Psychology

Galway University Foundation [edit]

G.U.F was established in 1998, and has been engaged in generating financial support for NUI Galway's programmes and activities from a range of private individuals and institutions. A core part of the foundation's work is in nurturing relationships with donors who share NUI Galway's vision for the future. Currently, the science research building is being constructed. Within this building the GUF has many 'Priority Projects' in development. These include Prostate Research and Autism Research.^[2]

Recent developments [edit]

Áras Moyola, Health Science Building

The New Engineering Building, North Campus

Like the other constituent universities of the National University of Ireland, the university follows the common college structure. The five Colleges of the University are:

• College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
• College of Business, Public Policy and Law
• College of Engineering and Informatics
• College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
• College of Science.

The Sunday Times University Guide named the university as Irish University of the Year 2002-2003, 2009-2010.^[3] NUI Galway was placed at 232 in the 2010 THE–QS World University Rankings.^[4] This increase to 232nd in the world, was the third consecutive jump for NUI Galway, and represented an increase of 252 places in just three years. This result confirmed NUI Galway’s position as one of Ireland’s leading universities, and a growing force in research on the international stage. The 2012 QS World Rankings put NUI Galway at 287 worldwide.

Since January 2006 St. Angela's College, Sligo has been a college of the National University of Ireland, Galway; it was previously a recognised college of the National University of Ireland. This change in the relationship will mean that students of St. Angela's College, Sligo will be registered as students of the National University of Ireland, Galway; whilst degrees and diplomas awarded will be those of the National University of Ireland.^[5]

NUI Galway has also announced details of plans^[6] to make the university a 'campus of the future',^[7] at a cost of around €400 million. Details of the future plans of the college also show an extension to the current James Hardiman Library, an extension to the current Arts Millenium Building, a Human Biology building which will incorporate the Anatomy, Physiology and other human sciences departments. There are also plans to create Commercial Centre and Adult Education, Student Services, Health Promotion and Mathematical Sciences buildings .^[8]

NUI Galway formed a strategic alliance with University of Limerick in 2010, allowing for shared resources.^[9]

University rankings [edit]

Student activities [edit]

With approximately 17,000 students, the university boasts an active and vibrant student life, with over 50 sports clubs,^[10] over 110 active societies and many links with volunteering organisations.^[11]

Sports and Recreation Union [edit]

Clubs at NUI Galway [edit]

University Societies [edit]

NUI Galway has a vibrant university life and the numerous societies on campus play a huge part in that. There are five constituent types of societies: Debating & Political; Artistic & Performing; Social & Gaming; Religious & Socially Conscious; Academic.^[12]

List of Societies^[13]

Artistic & Performing Societies
Art, Choral, Comedy, Cumann Drámaíochta, Dansoc, DJ, Dramsoc, Film, Juggling, Music, Musical, Orchestra, Photography, Rock, Radio, STv, Subhóró, Traditional Music, Writers.

Academic Societies
a Accountancy & Finance, Archaeology, Astronomy, Biomed, Botany, Business, Chemistry, Classics, Cumann Staire (history), Economics, Engineering, English, Environmental Science, French, Geography, G-eos (earth and ocean sciences), German, Hispano, Irish Studies, Italian, Law, Maths, Marine, Medicine, Microbiology, Occupational Therapy, Philosophy, Physics, Postgraduate Research, SportsTech, Psychological.

Debating and Political Societies
Cumann de Barra (Fianna Fáil), Labour Youth, Literary & Debating, Ógra Shinn Féin, Socialist, Young Fine Gael, Young Greens.

Social Action / Religious Societies
Amnesty, Baha í, Best Buddies, Camara, Christian Union, Cumann Farraige, Ashirbad, Draíocht, Ecology, FEE, Feminist, Friends of MSF, FLAC, Gaisce (President’s Award), Goal, Human Rights, ISoc, Life, Palestine Solidarity, Rotaract, Skeptic, Sláinte, St Vincent de Paul, Suas, Taize, VIP, Voluntary Services Abroad.

Social and Gaming Societies
Agricultural, Anime & Manga, Bee Keeping, Blog, Chess, Chinese, Comic Book, Cumann Sóisialta, Computer, Cumann Craic, Energy, Fantasy & Science Fiction, GIG (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender), Go, International Students, Lotus, Malaysian, Mature Students, NOM, Nothing Specific, Organic Gardening, Poker, Polish, Potter, Quiz, Rovers, Style, Twenty Five, Vegetarian.

The oldest society on the campus is the Literary & Debating Society, founded in 1846. Another of the campus's oldest societies is appropriately enough that dedicated to the subject area of history, An Cumann Staire^[14] (or the Historical Studies Society). Cumann Staire is a leading member of the Comhaltas na gCumann Staire - Irish History Students' Association and the International Students of History Association.

NUIG SU Logo

The Film Society produces original films and founded the NUI Galway Student Cinema; one of the most popular venues for students with multiple films per week. The Business Society aims to get more students thinking about business and opening their minds to new ideas or to help students who want to get involved in business in any form in the future. The Computer Society hosts all other societies emails and websites, and have one of the largest memberships. The Rotaract Society, part of the international Rotary family, hosts the annual charity fashion show, 'Socs in the City'. The college's Drama Society (Dramsoc)^[15] has also been long regarded as one of the most important student societies for the arts in Galway having played a part in the formation of Macnas, Druid Theatre Company and The Galway Arts Festival. GUMS, the university's vibrant award winning musical society continues to draw large crowds to its annual musicals in the Dubhlann/Black Box Theatre. This event is one of the highlights of the college year calendar, usually held in February during the Múscailt Arts festival.

The Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute.

In February the university hosts annually an on-campus arts festival entitled Múscailt^[16] (meaning to awake/inspire/celebrate in Irish). The annual festival showcases the emerging artists of the university. Almost every society on campus has input. Various shows, concerts and exhibitions are displayed throughout the college. The week often features various inter-varsity or on-campus competitions and award ceremonies.

Volunteering [edit]

The ALIVE Programme^[17] - A Learning Initiative and the Volunteering Experience - was established in 2003 by the National University of Ireland, Galway to harness, acknowledge and support the contribution that its students make by volunteering. The programme draws on a strong tradition of student engagement both on and off campus and assists students who wish to actively volunteer while developing tangible and transferable skills alongside practical volunteering experiences. The University announced it would be withdrawing its support for the Students' Union run RAG week in 2009 after the arrests of over 40 students.^[18] €32,000 was raised for charity by the week.

International students [edit]

NUI Galway has a strong community of international students, which make up 13% of the student population.^[19] It welcomes over 500 Visiting Students from colleges and universities around the world each year, from countries including the USA, Canada and Malaysia. Various societies are present in the University to cater for international students, including the International Students Society, Malaysian Societyand many more.

Notable students [edit]

• Michael D. Higgins, ninth President of Ireland
• Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland, T.D., and leader of Fine Gael party
• Eamon Gilmore, Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade T.D. and leader of Labour Party
• Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources,T.D. and former leader of Labour Party
• Máire Whelan S.C, Attorney General of Ireland
• Seán Sherlock, Minister of State for Research and Innovation, T.D.
• Martin Sheen, Hollywood actor, who had not previously attended University, enrolled at NUI Galway in 2006 for one semester to study philosophy, English literature and oceanography.^[20]
• Gráinne Seoige, Television presenter
• Ciaran Fitzgerald former British and Irish Lion and Triple Crown winning Ireland rugby Captain;
• Keith Barry, hypnotist ^[21]
• General Sir Bindon Blood, British military commander
• John Dallat – Social Democratic and Labour Party
• Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop of Durban, South Africa
• Valentine O'Hara, author and noted authority on Russia and the Baltic States
• William King geologist notable for Neanderthal research
• Nicholas Canny Historian notable for his work on Early modern Ireland and Britain

See also [edit]

• Education in the Republic of Ireland
• List of universities in the Republic of Ireland
• List of alumni of the National University of Ireland, Galway
• James Hardiman Library
• Digital Enterprise Research Institute, an NUIG-hosted Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) focusing on research in the Semantic Web
• J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics
• NUI Galway Students' Union
• Sin Newspaper
• University College Galway R.F.C.

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: National University of Ireland, Galway

• Official university site
• NUI Galway Students' Union
• SuperStair site of the Cumann Staire
• Aistir International History Student Conference
• Comhaltas na gCumann Staıre - Irish History Students' Association
• Martin Ryan Marine Science Institute
• Sciencespin.com
• Seaweed Site
• Algaebase

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