Category: Roisin O’Loughlin

Annual MBA Welcome Dinner

The annual MBA welcome dinner took place on Friday night last to welcome all the incoming members of the Full-time MBA Class of 2015 and EMBA class of 2016.  Also in attendance we partners of the class members who had come to see where their other halves would be spending so much time over the next year or two and members of the academic staff of the School and the MBA Programme Office and Careers Service.  The welcome was extended by the Dean of the School Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh and MBA Director Orla Nugent.

A feature of the evening was the ever popular film produced for the 45th anniversary of the graduation of the first MBA class.  It was a timely reminder of that first class in this the 50th anniversary year of the commencement of the programme.

A busy day in Smurfit sharpening the ‘Executive Edge’

We thought things would quieten down here this week as all the current MBAs both full and part time make the most of study week and prepare for their semester 2 exams next week.  Today was busy though with the Schools Executive Education “Executive Edge’ day running on campus and some of the current students are using it as an opportunity to add to their learning experience and do a little networking at the same time.  Trust MBAers to make the most of all opportunities wherever they find them.

Damien McLoughlin holding forth at the Executive Edge day in 2013

Newstalk scholarship for 2014 now open for applications

My colleagues in Admissions have reminded me that the MBA Newtalk scholarship is now open and accepting applications.  This scholarship is a 100% fee scholarship and is available to those considering either full-time or EMBA programme.  The closing date is 26th May so get working on that application, you know the old saying ‘If you aren’t in, you can’t win’.

Further information on the application process and entry criteria is available at http://www.smurfitschool.ie/newstalk/

By the way if you are considering doing your MBA this year, and we hope you are, get that GMAT test booked as the slots start booking up later in the summer and doing this at the last minute puts unnecessary pressure on you.

Inaugural Mwangi MBA Scholarship – A great opportunity for women from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania

The Mwangi scholarship which is being offered for the first time this year has been named as a mark of solidarity with the people of Kenya, and  in memory of  Mbugua Mwangi and his fiancée Rosemary Wahito who were tragically killed in the Westgate attack in Nairobi in September 2013.   Mbugua Mwangi was the only son of Ireland’s former Ambassador of Kenya, Ms Catherine Mwangi.  The Scholarship is in conjunction with the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs.

This scholarship is a great opportunity for female African citizens from Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania to apply for a full scholarship and stipend for the UCD Smurfit MBA for the upcoming academic year 2014-15.  The closing date is April 15th and further details and application  procedure and eligibility criteria are available at http://www.smurfitschool.ie/scholarships/mwangimbascholarship/.

We particularly encourage applications from public sector, ethnic minorities, people with disability and other marginalised groups. In exceptional cases, work experience may compensate for academic experience. This scholarship is intended to support candidates who would otherwise be unable to access overseas postgraduate opportunities.

If you are interested and eligible we encourage an application and if you aren’t but know anyone who is please let them know this opportunity is out there waiting to be won.

Image MBA scholarship and the Women of the UCD Smurfit MBA

Image evening 25th March, Brian and the panel doing their thing

On Wednesday 25th the UCD Smurfit School hosted the official launch of our annual Image Scholarship with an open evening in our ‘Women on the MBA’ series. We and Image are very keen to increase the numbers of women undertaking our programme because while there are increasing numbers we still don’t think there are nearly enough. Brian Marrinan, MBA Careers (who confessed to feeling outnumbered) did a short presentation on what the MBA careers services does to help students move to the next level and he then moderated a panel of current students and alumni who gave the benefit of their experience as women of the Smurfit MBA. It was a really interesting discussion with good insights and could have gone of far longer if time had allowed.

Many thanks to all who attended and to our panelists Catherine Butler (current EMBA class), Aoife Lucey (current full-time class), Paula Thomas (class of 2010) and Fionnula Croke (class of 2002).

The Image Scholarship is a scholarship to encourage women to undertake the MBA and is open until April 30th details are at http://www.smurfitschool.ie/imagescholarship/

Internal Case Competition Heats Up

As the internal UCD Smurfit MBA Case Competition approaches, the MBA 2014 cohort is creating alliances in the form of 4-5 member teams and preparing to do verbal battle. Classmates, friends, and competitors will go head-to-head to be named the MBA Case Competition winners, and to earn the honour of representing The Smurfit MBA programme at the MBA Association Ireland Strategy Case Competition later this year.

They may sweat and perhaps shed a tear, but let’s hope there’s no blood drawn as the teams use their knowledge and skills to out-smart each other.

As inspiration we give you memories of Team Shamrock who represented UCD Smurfit at the last Molsen Case study competition in Canada and did us proud.

(Some of) the (very tired) eagles have landed

The international study trip for 2014 ended last night for about half the participants in the Arrivals hall of Dublin Airport with 34 arriving home after a long days flight from Beijing.  The rest of the group will be arriving back over coming days having opted to stay on a few days to explore Beijing and the surrounding region further.  There were a lot of tired but happy people collecting their bags and already beginning to reminisce about speakers and companies we visited not to mention nights out in Shanghai and Beijing and the St. Patrick’s Day Ball in Beijing topped off by a late night watching Ireland beat France.  More detailed thoughts will follow from participants on the trip but for now all we can say is it went well and much was learned and unlearned and many perceptions and preconceived notions were changed.

Smurfit MBA CV Book 2014 successfully launched

The MBA CV Book 2014 launch took place last night, Thursday 27 in the Law Society building at Blackhall Place.  Professor Pat Gibbons performed the introductions and made the opening and closing remarks.  Guest speakers were Julie O’Neill – Smurfit MBA Alumna 1996; First woman president of IBEC; VP and GM of Gilead Sciences and now GM of Alexion Pharmaceuticals and Fintan Slye – Smurfit MBA Alumnus 2001; CEO of EirGrid.  The book was launched officially by the Business School Dean Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh.

Congratulations are due to the current MBA students who organised the very successful and engaging event.  Thanks to to Brian Marrinan and the Careers team for their support.   Further accounts of the event and photos will follow.

Celebratory Lunch marking 50 years of the MBA at UCD

A celebratory lunch was held this Wednesday February 26th to mark the beginning of the the 50th anniversary of the Smurfit MBA which had its first intake in 1964.  This will be the first of a number of events to mark this significant milestone for the MBA Programme, the Smurfit School and UCD.

In attendance were a select group of 60 current MBA and EMBA students, MBA Alumni drawn from many years of the the programme and staff representing Smurfit and the wider university.  We were very proud and happy to have among our Alumni members of that first class 1964-1966 Gerry Curley, Noel Donnellon, Brian Gregory, Enda Hession, John Neiland, Joseph O’Loughlin,  Patrick Spain and Thomas Toner.

Addresses were made by Dean Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh and our special guest Ruairi Quinn, Minister for Education & Skills.