142 Laois Students Hold Very Special Place In History

Tuesday, 1 November 2022 15:29

The President of SETU also encouraged them to be pioneers in their chosen careers.

142 graduates from Laois have the honour of being the first graduates to be conferred with awards from the south east’s first university.

The first of the South East Technological University (SETU) conferring ceremonies takes place across the University’s Waterford and Carlow campuses this week with more than 2,300 graduates being conferred with awards in a range of disciplines, from technology, business and engineering to the arts, humanities and science.

The Wexford campus conferring takes place on Friday, 11 November with further ceremonies taking place on the Carlow and Waterford campuses in January 2023.

Speaking at the ceremonies, Prof Veronica Campbell, President of SETU told graduates that they hold a very special place in history. "You are the pioneers. Generations of graduates will be conferred at ceremonies just like this but you will always be the first to sign your name in the SETU graduate roll book."

"As new graduates of our new university, you are the first alumni of SETU and the reputation of any university is built upon the quality of its alumni. I hope you continue as pioneers in your chosen careers, continue to be bold and ambitious, make your mark on society and stand proud with what you achieve."

The conferring ceremonies follow on from another milestone date in the new university’s history. Last week Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD joined staff, students and stakeholders to officially launch South East Technological University.

"It was a moment to thank those who have helped to establish SETU as the University for the south east and to set out some of our ambitions for the future," explains Prof Campbell.

"We are a multi-campus university and that brings great opportunities for synergies and new ideas. We aspire to be a leading European University, invested in our region and working for our region.

We will continue the strong ethos of supporting access to higher education and in having in place enablers to ensure that our students reach their academic potential. We will expand our research and innovation activities and engage regionally, nationally and internationally to drive regional economic, cultural and social prosperity.

Over the next few years, we aim to deliver new academic buildings, affordable student accommodation and digital infrastructure. We will seek continued investment to support our transformation as a European university of impact and appropriate contracts to enable research."

SETU is a truly regional university, with campuses across the south east in Carlow, Waterford and Wexford, as well as a presence in Kilkenny and Wicklow. Bringing together over 50 years of experience in higher education, research, innovation and stakeholder collaboration, today SETU serves over 18,000 students and employs over 1,500 staff with ambitions to grow over the next 10 years."