Congratulations to all of the winners at today’s Unofficial MBA End of Year Awards Ceremony!
Best of luck to all of the MBA students finishing their Capstone Project over the coming week also.
Avril ~ MBA Senior Programme Coordinator
Category: Avril Donohue
MBA Rugby World Cup 2015
Last week, the MBA Rugby Team travelled to the United States to take part in the 35th Annual MBA Rugby World Cup.
Our team finished a creditable fourth out of 15 men’s teams, placing just behind Harvard’s A Team and ahead of fifth-placed Duke.
Other teams that competed include Columbia, Yale and Stanford. An elite competition, in more ways than one. Well done to all involved!
Founded in 1999, the UCD Smurfit Rugby Football Club has grown from humble beginnings into one of the most successful business school rugby football clubs in the world.
On 25 September 1999, UCD Smurfit played its first ever game against the then reigning MBA World Champions, INSEAD of France. Determined to prove themselves against the best, the team attacked relentlessly and stormed home to a comprehensive 31 – 0 victory.
Buoyed on by this result, the members of the Club set themselves the goal of competing in the 2000 MBA Rugby World Championships. Achieving this required months of hard work and endeavour and, in April 2000, their efforts were rewarded. By defeating Duke University 8 – 0 in the final, the ‘Carysfort Celts’ won the Club’s first ever World Championship title.
In the years since, the Club has continuously strived to expand and improve on the efforts of its founders. This determination to succeed has resulted in the club winning the MBA Rugby World Championship on a further 11 occasions, the most recent being on April 2013.
In addition to having a successful men’s team, the Club also has a successful women’s team. In 2006, the Club won its first World Championship title.
Aside from its on-field activities, UCD Smurfit RFC is also extremely committed to assisting causes less well off than it. For the 2014/15 season, the Club has continued its partnership with World Sports Team and assisting our community through sponsorship and other fundraising events put on by the MBA Class.
Avril Donohue ~ MBA Senior Programme Coordinator
MBA International Study Tour 2015 – South Africa & China
On Saturday, March 7th, we saw 90 of our MBA students jet off on the Annual MBA International Study Tour. This is an intensive 8 day tour which is spent visiting cultural, political and educational institutions and undertaking a number of company visits as part of the MBA Module; Doing Business In Emerging Markets.
As we are an International Business School based in Dublin, it is no surprise that the MBA module ‘Doing Business in Emerging Markets’ forms an integral component of our MBA Programme. During this Study Tour, our MBA students will have the opportunity to engage with leading academics and world class organisations across a number of sectors, not to mention the experience of a lifetime with their classmates.
Each year we review our destinations and this year, due to popular demand, we are returning to China for our tenth year and visiting South Africa for the first time.
This is no surprise as China’s story is still fascinating, having transformed from a traditional centrally planned economy into a market economy with all of the associated challenges. South Africa has managed to stay on its feet during the wake of the global financial meltdown, largely due to its prudent fiscal and monetary policies. South Africa is one of the largest economies in Africa – and it remains rich with promise. It was admitted to the BRIC group of countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China (known as BRICS) in 2011. Therefore, this is a very interesting time to experience these economies first hand. We are hopeful that it will be an unforgettable experience for our students and that they will gain a new perspective on international business.
There are over 60 participants on this year’s trip to China, including students from both the Full-time MBA and Executive MBA classes. They will visit both Shanghai and Beijing during their trip. This tour is being led by Professor Pat Gibbons.
There are just under 30 participants travelling to South Africa and their tour will include a visit to both Cape Town and Johannesburg. Dr. Paul McGrath is leading this tour.
CELAP, Baosteel, Cisco, Vodacom, QK Meats Group, Enterprise Ireland and Business Ireland are just some of the companies and organisations that will be hosting the company visits and networking events over the course of the week.
I am looking forward to hearing all about both study tours when the students arrive back in Dublin next week and I’m sure they will have lots to share with us on the blog upon their return.
Avril Donohue
MBA Senior Programme Coordinator
Class of 2014 Graduation Ball
On Friday December 5th, we saw the MBA Classes of 2014 receive their well-deserved graduation awards at the conferring ceremony in UCD O’Reilly Hall.
Following this, on Saturday December 6th, we attended the Smurfit MBA Graduation Ball 2014. The ball was organised by the graduates and took place in The Morrison Hotel, Dublin.
One of the greatest things about working in Academia is the privilege of seeing our students, year after year, achieve one of their greatest life goals, and the past weekend was no exception.
The graduation ball was a huge success; with a champagne reception, delicious four course meal, a free prize draw and a night of fantastic music from the Blues Brothers which saw everybody dance the night away, it was the perfect way for our former students to celebrate the monumental achievement of becoming a UCD Smurfit MBA Graduate.
Congratulations to each and every one of our graduates and best wishes for your future adventures! Although you are no longer students, no matter where life takes you post-MBA, you will always be connected by the UCD Smurfit Business Alumni, keep in touch!
Big congratulations again and best wishes for a bright future!
Avril Donohue
The MBA Team
UCD Smurfit MBA supports Plan Ireland
To celebrate ‘International Day of the Girl’ on 11th October, Plan Ireland held its Because I am a Girl Ball in the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, Dublin.
Because I am a Girl is Plan International’s global initiative to educate girls across the developing world. To do this, Plan International identify the key barriers to girls’ education – child marriage forced labour, sexual violence, early pregnancy and more – and break them.
The focus of the campaign is girls, because a girl in the developing world faces overwhelming odds from the day she is born. But Plan is reversing these odds, they have reached a crucial tipping point and are making real progress. More girls than ever are being given the chance of education and the tide is turning. More and more of today’s mothers have seen the value of education. Fathers, communities and governments are following.
Associate Professor, Susi Geiger, was amongst the attendees at the ball; “Every girl has the right to an education. It’s apt that the female MBA staff support this great cause (and we have a great night out while doing so)!”
Over the next four years, Because I am a Girl projects will support four million girls to get the education, skills and support they need to move themselves from poverty to opportunity.
Plan Ireland held the ball in support of this initiative and both the Smurfit MBA team and students supported the event and enjoyed a wonderful evening at the ball.
Support from events such as the ball allow Plan to implement projects that tackle some of the biggest challenges that girls face in developing countries. They believe that supporting girls is one of the best investments we can make in the world today. Removing barriers for girls’ means, not only a better life for them, but a safer, healthier and prosperous world for us all. To find out more information or to support to the cause, click here
Avril Donohue
MBA Senior Programme Coordinator