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Irish University of the Year
 NUI Galway won the inaugural Sunday Times 'Irish University of the Year' title for academic excellence. The University has the lowest dropout rate in Ireland, a graduate unemployment rate of just over 1%, as well as a strong research profile. It also has one of the highest proportions (47%) of students receiving either a first or a 2.1 grade.
NUI Galway, came out on top over twenty-one other universities and institutes of technology in the Republic, following analysis of a range of criteria including grades, retention, research, student services, access for students who are socio-economically disadvantaged, and contribution to development at local and national levels. The Sunday Times University Guide also highlights the role marine, environmental and biomedical engineering science research play, not just in regional, but also in national development.
NUI Galway is identified as having the best graduate and post-graduate employment record of all the universities. The access programme attracts particular attention and according to the Sunday Times, NUI Galway's access programme is one of the most extensive of any third-level institution in Ireland. The comprehensive nature of the programme, which has an 80% success rate of students graduating with a degree, is especially impressive.
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Intergenerational project praised by President McAleese
The participants of a unique intergenerational project at NUI Galway celebrated the publication of a collection of their writings when they visited Áras an Uachtaráin in June for the official launch of their book by President McAleese. Entitled Living Scenes: Sharing a Journey to the Present, the publication forms part of the Living Scenes programme at NUI Galway, an education initiative that sets out to promote interaction and break perceived barriers in an intergenerational context.
Living Scenes is the work of participants of a writing module that sees 24 Transition Year Students from the Presentation Secondary School in Galway teaming up with 22 adults from the Galway Active Retirement Associations in a cross-generational programme that is now integrated into the school's Transition Year curriculum. The project is the only one of its kind in Ireland and will act as a blueprint for similar schemes in schools around the country.
Pictured at the launch of 'Living Scenes: Sharing a Journey to the Present', are from left, President Mary McAleese; Séamus O'Grady, Director, Adult and Continuing Education; Professor Ruth Curtis, Vice-President for Development and External Affairs; and Mary Surlis, Project Officer, Adult Education, NUI Galway.
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Conferring of Honorary Degrees
Conferring of Honorary Degrees took place in June, when NUI Galway honoured seven people for their outstanding contribution to society. Some recipients were household names while others, less well-known, had nonetheless made significant contributions to their particular areas of endeavour. The names of Adi Roche and Ali Hewson are synonymous with the generosity of spirit associated the Chernobyl Childrens' Project. Sr Helen Prejean, the anti-death penalty activist and author of Dead Man Walking is a passionate campaigner against capital punishment. William Bolger, a legend in his own lifetime in his native Boston was the longest serving President of the Massachusetts Senate. Dr Rosa Gonzales-Casademont of the University of Barcelona is well known in Spain for her work promoting the study and appreciation of Irish Literature, while Professor Salvatore Rionero of the University of Naples has forged strong links between that university and NUI Galway.
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Germaine Greer in international line-up at NUI Galway conference
 The Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway played host in June to one of the most popular conferences to be held on campus this summer. Keynote speakers including Germaine Greer, John McGahern and Vincent Woods gave public lectures attended by capacity audiences at the twelfth Irish-Australian conference, entitled 'From Youghal Harbour to Moreton Bay: Remembered Nations, Imagined Republics'. Centres for Irish Studies have now been established at some of Australia's most prestigious universities in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. The conference brought together many of the most eminent scholars in Irish Studies from Ireland, Australia, Britain, South Africa and New Zealand to discuss a broad range of topics from migration, ethnic identities to Irish-Aboriginal relations and the efforts of Irish missionaries in Australia.
Pictured are Dr. Louis De Paor, Director of the Centre for Irish Studies with Germaine Greer.
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