President’s

Message

A message from Professor Eeva Leinonen President, Maynooth University

One of my first official acts as President of Maynooth University this past autumn was to preside over the conferring ceremonies for the latest cohort of MU graduates—the newest additions to the Maynooth alumni community.

It was a truly uplifting moment—despite the number of graduations I’ve been involved with over my career—because it was my first time awarding degrees to Maynooth graduates. That was special for several reasons. First, no two universities are the same. True, there are similar moments and deservedly high feelings of achievement that come with the culmination of one’s university degree anywhere in the world. Yet, it’s also true that the nature of each graduate’s experience is defined by the unique characteristics of their particular time in history studying at a particular place.

What has quickly become apparent to me is that Maynooth graduates hold a deep affinity for their time here. They remember a small, home-from-home campus that placed a high value on the partnerships between students and lecturers. That sentiment struck me as quite special, and something that will be important to maintain as the University continues to grow in size and stature.

Secondly, the conferrings were special because they happened in person. After so many milestones celebrated on Zoom, it was such a pleasure to see beaming faces and proud family live in 3-D!

It must have been even more special for our new graduates. Having finished their studies in the midst of a global pandemic must have made the occasion bittersweet. Still, with their Maynooth parchment in hand and a world of opportunities before them, I am confident the overwhelming feeling was more sweet than bitter.

I arrived in Ireland in September from Australia, from a place with virtually no Covid in the community. Upon hearing what the Maynooth community - and indeed, the Irish people - have been through, I was touched by the spirit in which everyone confronted the challenge of Covid-19. Our students and staff looked out for one another. They came together and innovated as was necessary. Even today, we all continue to face the uncertainty of what lies ahead.

The Bridge explores some of the lessons we learned as a community - how our students, staff and alumni fared - but also how they continued to flourish despite the challenges around them.

You will read about important research developments in partnership with industry, including the new Empower data governance project with SFI, and partners like Meta, Siemens and others.

You will read about Dr Rowan Fealy and Dr Tim McCarthy, who are working with Microsoft, SFI, and others to employ sophisticated drone technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to measure the relationship between land usage and human impact on carbon emissions, sharing their models around the world to reduce carbon outputs.

You will also read about how you can get involved with us - whether through the MU School of Business Living Lab, MU Alumni Mentoring programme, or by supporting the Maynooth University Foundation.

You, the Maynooth alumni community, have much to be proud of in this institution. Maynooth University generated significant momentum in recent years under the leadership of Professor Philip Nolan. I hope you will join me in continuing to build from that momentum, as we set out to define the next chapter for this extraordinary institution.

Professor Eeva Leinonen President