The 38 outstanding scholars honoured in today's ceremony, are students from 24 different programmes in the School, including some interdisciplinary programmes offered with other faculties in the University of Limerick .
Commenting on the significance of the student achievements, the Dean of the Kemmy Business School, Professor Donal Dineen, pointed out that "with close to 3,000 students in the School, we are honouring but a handful, albeit, an elite handful of those students who excelled in their respective academic programmes." He went on to say: "without exception these are all first class honours students and graduates who have demonstrated the intellectual capacity and determination to succeed ahead of quite strong competition from their peers".
Professor Dineen said that "our partnership with Bank of Scotland Ireland, the sponsors of the awards, is further evidence of the importance of developing strong links with financial institutions given that this sector has a long history of recruiting KBS graduates over the years. He said he was particularly pleased that the Minister for Defence, Mr Willie O'Dea, T.D., had agreed to present the awards. This was Minister O'Dea's first visit to the new world class facilities of the Kemmy Business School , which are due to be fully commissioned at the start of the next academic year. The facilities includes a HRM laboratory, Student Enterprise Centre, Marketing Technology suite and a unique purpose built Trading Room.
Mr Michael O'Connor, Regional Director in the Bank of Scotland (Ireland)'s Limerick office said "We are delighted to be associated with the Awards and with Kemmy Business School, which has over the years educated many fine local business people, as well as providing us with some excellent bankers!"
The visionary Trading Room facility is the first of any University in Ireland and will enable financial services and other students to get a real 'live' experience of what it is like to trade as they do in the financial markets. A licence agreement with Reuters means that 'live' information flows on currencies, stock prices, interest rate movements will be available to students here in the School at the same time as traders in Wall St., Toyko, London and other financial centres.
Pictured below l to r: Professor Donal A Dineen, Dean KBS, Mr Michael O'Connor, Bank of Scotland (Ireland), Minister for Defence, Mr Willie O'Dea, T.D. and Professor Paul McCutcheon, Vice President Academic & Registrar, UL.
