University College Dublin



University College Dublin (also known as UCD) (An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath (COBÁC)) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin (An Coláiste Ollscoile, Baile Átha Cliath - Ollscoil na hÉireann, Baile Átha Cliath) is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students. It is located in Dublin, the Irish capital.

The university originates in a body founded in 1854 as the Catholic University of Ireland with John Henry Newman as the first rector, re-formed in 1880 and chartered in its own right in 1908. The Universities Act, 1997 renamed the constituent university as the "National University of Ireland, Dublin", and a ministerial order of 1998 renamed the institution as "University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin".

Originally located in the centre of the metropolis, most of the university's faculties have since been relocated to a 148 hectares (365 acre) park campus at Belfield, four kilometres to the south of the city.

History
The university can trace its history to the institution founded in 1854 as the Catholic University of Ireland, was established as UCD in 1880 under the auspices of the Royal University, and received its charter in 1908.



Catholic University of Ireland
In the years following Catholic emancipation in Ireland, a movement led by Cardinal Paul Cullen attempted to provide for the first time in Ireland higher-level education that was both accessible to Irish Catholics and taught by fellow-Catholics. In the 19th century, the question of denominational education in Ireland was a contentious one. It had divided Daniel O'Connell and the Young Ireland Movement for many years. The Catholic Hierarchy wanted to counteract the "Godless Colleges" established in Galway, Belfast and Cork and to provide a Catholic alternative to Trinity College, Dublin. Trinity was Anglican in its origins and, though Catholics had studied there since the 1780s, Trinity had maintained a religious test that excluded them from membership of the college's governing bodies (see Denis Caulfield Heron). In 1850 at the Synod of Thurles it was decided to open a Catholic University.

As a result of these efforts a new Catholic University of Ireland was opened in 1854 and Blessed John Henry Newman was appointed as its first rector. Newman had been an integral figure in the Oxford Movement in the 19th Century. The Catholic University opened its doors on the feast of St Malachy, 3 November 1854. On that day the names of seventeen students were entered on the register and Newman gave the students an address "What are we here for" and prophesied that in later years they would look back with pride on the day. The university opened with three houses: 86 St Stephen's Green, with was known as St Patrick's or University House, under the care of Rev. Dr Michael Flannery; 16 Harcourt Street, known as St Lawrence's under the care of Rev. Dr James Quinn, who also had his school there; and Newman's own house, 6 Harcourt Street, known as St Mary's under Newman's personal supervision.

Amongst the first students enrolled it included the grandson of Daniel O’Connell. Another included William O'Shea who would go onto become a Captain in the British Army and was central to the divorce crises which brought down Charles Stewart Parnell's career in trying to establish Home Rule for Ireland. O'Shea though clashed with Newman and left to go to Trinity, however, after one year. Of the eight original students in Newman's own home, two were Irish, two English, two Scottish and two French. Among them were a French viscount, and Irish baronet Sir Reginald Barnewall, the son of a French countess, the grandson of a Scottish marquis, and the son of an English lord. Later were added to his care two Belgian princes and a Polish count. Many were attracted to the University on the basis of the reputation of Newman.

As a private university the Catholic University was never given a royal charter, and so was unable to award recognized degrees and suffered from chronic financial difficulties. Newman left the university in 1857 and it subsequently went into a serious decline. Dr Bartholomew Woodlock appointed Rector and served until he became Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise in 1879. In this period he attempted to secure a site of 34 acres at Clonliffe West but the scheme collapsed when expansion of the railway system on the north side of Dublin cut across the site. He then turned his attention to expanding along St Stephen's Green and over these years bought from No. 82 to 87.

This trend was reversed in 1880 with the establishment of the Royal University of Ireland. The Royal Universities charter entitled all Irish students to sit the Universities examinations and receive its degrees. Although in many respects the Catholic University can be viewed as a failure, the future University College inherited substantial assets from it including a successful medical school (Cecilia Street) and two beautiful buildings, Newman House on St Stephen's Green and the adjoining University Church.

Foundation of University College, Dublin
In order to avail of the benefits of the Royal University of Ireland arrangement, the Catholic University was re-formed as University College, Dublin. The college rapidly attracted many of the best students and academics in Ireland including Gerard Manley Hopkins and James Joyce and quickly began to outperform the other three colleges in the Royal University system - in the fifteen years before the establishment of the National University the number of first class distinctions in Arts awarded by the Royal University to University College was 702 compared with a total of 486 awarded to the combined Queen's Colleges of Belfast, Galway and Cork. Many of the college’s staff and students during this period would later contribute substantially to the formation and development of the future Irish state, the most famous being Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, Pádraig Pearse, Hugh Kennedy, Eoin MacNeill, Kevin O’Higgins, Tom Kettle, James Ryan, Douglas Hyde and John A. Costello. Student unrest occurred during this period, especially during loyalist speeches by the Chancellor, the Earl of Meath and the playing of "God Save the King" at conferring ceremonies.

In 1908, the Royal University was dissolved and a new National University of Ireland founded to replace it. This new University was brought into existence with three constituent University Colleges - Dublin, Galway and Cork. By this time the college campus consisted of a number of locations in and around St Stephens Green in Dublins city centre, the main sites being Earlsfort Terrace, Cecilia Street, College of Science Merrion Street, and Newman House on St Stephen's Green. Under the Universities Act, 1997, University College Dublin was established as a constituent university within the National University of Ireland framework.

UCD and the Irish War of Independence
In 1913 in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteer Force, Eoin MacNeill, professor of early Irish history (who viewed the movement as a threat to the Home Rule movement), called for the formation of an Irish nationalist force to counteract it. The Irish Volunteers were formed later that year and MacNeill was elected its Chief-of-staff. At the outbreak of the First World War in view of the Home Rule Act 1914 the majority of the volunteers opted to support the British war effort, including many UCD staff and students. Many of those who opposed this move later participated in the Easter Rising.

In this way UCD was a reflection of the Irish nationalist community in general, with several staff and students participating in the rising, such as Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, Michael Hayes and James Ryan, and a smaller number, including Tom Kettle and Willie Redmond, fighting for the British in World War I during the same period.

Many UCD staff, students and alumni fought in the Irish War of Independence that followed the rising. Following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty four UCD graduates joined the government of the Irish Free State. It is notable that the First Dáil Éireann was located in UCD's Earlsfort Terrace campus from 1919 to 1922, when they moved to their current location in Leinster House.

The university's graduates have since had a large impact on Irish political life - four of the eight Presidents of Ireland and six of the twelve Taoisigh have been either former staff or graduates. Of the fifteen current members of the Irish cabinet, nine are former UCD students.

Move to Belfield
By the early 1940s the College had become the largest third level institution in the state. In an effort to cope with the increased numbers unsuccessful attempts were made to expand the existing city centre campus. It was finally decided that the best solution would be to move the College to a much larger greenfield site outside of the city centre and create a modern campus university. This move started in the early 1960s when the faculty of science moved to the new 1.4 km2 park campus at Belfield in a suburb on the south side of Dublin. The Belfield campus has since developed into a complex of modern buildings and inherited Georgian town houses, accommodating the colleges of the University as well as its student residences and many leisure and sporting facilities. One of UCD's previous locations, the Royal College of Science on Merrion Street is now the location of the renovated Irish Government Building, where the Department of the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) is situated. University College Dublin had also a site in Glasnevin for much of the last century, the Albert Agricultural College, the southern part of which is now occupied by Dublin City University, the northern part is where Ballymun town is located.

Timeline

 * 1854 - The Catholic University of Ireland opens with Blessed John Henry Newman as the first rector. It is located on St Stephen's Green.
 * 1855 - The Catholic University Medical School was opened in 1855 in Cecilia Street.
 * 1856 - University Church was opened in 1856. Apart from religious services it was used also for public university functions and occasions such as the opening of academic sessions and the making of awards.
 * 1861 - Dr Bartholomew Woodlock appointed Rector and served until he became Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise in 1879.
 * 1879 - Monsignor Henry Neville, Dean of Cork appointed Rector (while still retaining his role as Parish Priest in a Cork parish).
 * 1880 - The University Education (Ireland) Act 1879 brought in by Disraeli's government led to the establishment of the Royal University of Ireland (incorporated by charter in 1880) which was a non-teaching, degree-awarding institution.
 * 1882/83 - The Catholic University reorganized in order to avail of the indirect endowment from the state through the Royal University of Ireland. The St Stephen's Green institution was renamed University College and its management was transferred to the Jesuits.
 * 1883-1888 - Fr William Delany SJ appointed first president of University College.
 * 1908 - Irish Universities Act brought into being the National University of Ireland with its constituent University Colleges - Dublin, Galway and Cork, and led to the demise of the Royal University and the Jesuit-run University College. Dr Denis Coffey appointed first president of reformed UCD. Coffey was to hold the position for 30 years. The Medical School in Cecilia Street became the UCD Medical Faculty. The campus covers, Earlsfort Terrace, Cecilia Street, College of Science Merrion Street, Albert College Glasnevin and St Stephen's Green.
 * 1908 - The Faculty of Commerce established.
 * 1911 - Land donated by Lord Iveagh helps the university expand in Earlsfort Terrace/Hatch Street/ St Stephen's Green. Iveagh Gardens are apart of this donation.
 * 1913 - University Park, Terenure became the base of UCD sports clubs between 1913 and 1934 - although the landlord would not sell the site to the university.
 * 1916 - A number of junior staff and students participated in the Easter Rising.
 * 1926- University Education (Agriculture and Dairy Science) Act transferred the Royal College of Science in Merrion Street and Albert Agricultural College in Glasnevin to UCD.
 * 1933  - Belfield House on 44 acres is bought for sporting purposes.
 * 1940 - Dr Arthur Conway appointed president. During this period various plans were developed but failed to succeed to expand along Iveagh Gardens, Hatch Street and Earlsfort Terrace.
 * 1964 - Dr Jeremiah Hogan appointed president (1964–1972). Science moves in to new campus at Belfield. UCD becomes the first University in Europe to launch a MBA programme.
 * 1967 - Minister for Education, Donogh O'Malley, proposes plan to merge UCD and Trinity.
 * 1969-1970 - Faculties of Commerce, Arts and Law move to Belfield.
 * 1972 - Dr Thomas Murphy appointed president (1972–1985).
 * 1973 - The Library (Now known as the James Joyce Library) opens.
 * 1980 - Richview and 17.4 acres bought. Architecture moves in there.
 * 1981 - Sports Complex opens.
 * 1986 - Dr Patrick Masterson appointed president. (1986–1993)
 * 1990 - Engineering building opens. Most, but not all of the Earlsforth terrace, Engineering department moves to Belfield.
 * 1990 - Carysfort College, Blackrock on 19 acres bought and is the location of the Smurfit Graduate School of Business. First student village (Belgrove) opened.
 * 1992 - Second student village (Merville) opened. The Centre for Film Studies established.
 * 1993 - Dr Art Cosgrove appointed president (1994–2003).
 * 1994 - O'Reilly Hall opened.
 * 2003 - NovaUCD, a 110 million Euro Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre opened. The purpose-built centre was funded by a public/private partnership. UCD purchased the Philips site and buildings adjacent to the Belfield campus at Clonskeagh, to facilitate the relocation of the Departments of Civil and Agricultural & Food Engineering from Earlsfort Terrace, bringing more of the remaining off campus elements of the University to Belfield.
 * 2004 - Dr Hugh Brady appointed president. UCD celebrates 150th Anniversary.
 * 2006 - UCD Horizons begins.
 * 2007 - With the completion of the final phase of the Health Sciences Building, the last of the departments remaining at Earlsfort terrace relocate to Belfield.
 * 2009 - Innovation Alliance announced between Trinity and UCD.
 * 2010 - NCAD and UCD forge stronger links. The two institutions will form an academic alliance with new joint courses and research across common areas of interest. NCAD will become a constituent college of UCD once the NUI is dissolved in 2011 whilst remaining on its current site and retaining institutional autonomy.
 * 2012 - Expanded and merged Student and Sports Centre to open containing Olympic Swimming pool, cinema and new gym.
 * 2013 - Sutherland School of Law to open to replace Roebuck castle for the Law faculty.

Colleges and schools
The University consists of five colleges, their associated schools (34 in total) and eighteen research institutes and centres. Each college also has its own Graduate School, for postgraduates.

List of colleges and their respective schools:
 * College of Arts & Celtic Studies
 * School of Archaeology
 * School of Art History & Cultural Policy
 * School of Classics
 * School of English, Drama & Film
 * School of History & Archives
 * School of Irish, Celtic Studies, Irish Folklore & Linguistics
 * School of Languages & Literatures
 * School of Music


 * College of Business & Law
 * School of Business
 * Quinn School of Business
 * Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business
 * School of Law


 * College of Engineering, Mathematical & Physical Sciences
 * School of Architecture, Landscape & Civil Engineering
 * School of Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering
 * School of Computer Science & Informatics
 * School of Electrical, Electronic & Mechanical Engineering
 * School of Geological Sciences
 * School of Mathematical Sciences
 * School of Physics


 * College of Human Sciences
 * School of Applied Social Science
 * School of Economics
 * School of Education
 * School of Geography, Planning & Environmental Policy
 * School of Information & Library Studies
 * School of Philosophy
 * School of Politics & International Relations
 * School of Psychology
 * School of Social Justice
 * School of Sociology


 * College of Life Sciences
 * School of Agriculture, Food Science & Veterinary Medicine
 * School of Biology & Environmental Science
 * School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science
 * School of Chemistry & Chemical Biology
 * School of Medicine & Medical Science
 * School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems
 * School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Population Science

UCD Horizons
At the beginning of the 2005/2006 academic year, UCD introduced the Horizons curriculum, which completely semesterised and modularised all undergraduate programmes enhancing the quality and flexibility of the standard university education. Under the Horizons curriculum, new undergraduate students have greater choice in what exactly they study in their programme. Under the new curriculum, students choose ten core modules from their specific subject area and two other modules, which can be chosen from any other programme across the entire University (this applies in the majority of programmes, however some exceptions, as in Arts Omnibus and Business & Law, can apply). For example, a student studying Stage 1 Commerce as his primary degree programme can also choose one module (or two) from the Stage 1 Law programme (subject to space availability, timetable constraints and so on).

Alumni
Among its most accomplished alumni and faculty are four former presidents of Ireland; Douglas Hyde, Patrick Hillery, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh and Éamon de Valera. V. V. Giri, the fourth President of India studied law between 1913 to 1916 before being expelled from Ireland. Six former Taoisigh (Prime Ministers) of Ireland attended UCD: Éamon de Valera, John A. Costello, Charles Haughey, Garret FitzGerald, John Bruton and Brian Cowen. Since the foundation of the Irish state in 1922, UCD has produced the most Justices of the Supreme Court of Ireland, the most Chief Justices and the most Attorney Generals of Ireland. Examples of other well known UCD alumni include writers James Joyce the author of Ulysses, Flann O'Brien, John Jordan and Roddy Doyle. Actors Gabriel Byrne, Dan O'Herlihy and Brendan Gleeson. Film directors include Oscar winner Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan. Comedians to attend include Dermot Morgan (noted for playing the title role in Father Ted) and Dara Ó Briain. Amongst the number of humanitarians to attend include, John O'Shea) founder of GOAL (charity) and Tom Arnold the CEO of Concern Worldwide. Cardinals include (e.g. Tomás Ó Fiaich and Desmond Connell. Noted businessmen include David J. O'Reilly, formerly CEO and Chairman of the Chevron Corporation, Tony O'Reilly, who previously served as the CEO of H.J. Heinz Company and noted for his ownership of Irish businesses, and Peter Sutherland (former EU Commissioner, head of the WTO and chairman of BP). Others include Eddie O'Connor, economists (e.g. Dr.Garret FitzGerald and Prof.Patrick Lynch) and sportspeople (e.g. Brian O'Driscoll).

Rankings
The university is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in the Republic of Ireland on worldwide metrics.
 * Financial Times Global MBA Ranking 2011.
 * 78th globally.


 * Financial Times European Business School Rankings 2010.
 * 30th in Europe.


 * The Economist (Full-time MBA ranking) 2010.
 * 31st globally.


 * Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2011-2012. 
 * 159th globally. 67th in Europe.


 * QS World University Rankings 2011.
 * 134th globally.


 * Academic Ranking of World Universities 2011.
 * 301-400 globally.

Awards

 * The Sunday Times University of the Year 2006.

Research and innovation
The University is a leading research centre within Ireland with a research income of €114.7 million during 2007/8. UCDs research community of approximately one thousand faculty members, one thousand post doctoral researchers and two thousand PhD students work in the various schools and research institutes of the University.

Research Institutes
Amongst the research institutes of the university are:


 * Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases
 * Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology
 * Clinton Institute for American Studies
 * Charles Institute
 * Irish Institute for Chinese Studies
 * Complex and Adaptive Systems Laboratory
 * Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research
 * Centre for Development studies
 * Centre for Disability Studies
 * Centre for Drama Studies
 * Centre for the History of the Media
 * UCD Clinical Research Centre
 * Dublin European Institute
 * Earth Systems Institute
 * Equality Studies Centre
 * Institute of food and health
 * Geary Institute (Research for the Social Sciences)
 * Humanities Institute of Ireland
 * Institute for British-Irish Studies
 * Institute of Criminology
 * Irish Centre for Commercial Law Studies
 * John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies
 * Mícheál Ó Cléirigh Institute (Irish History & Civilisation)
 * National Institute of Sport and Health
 * Urban Institute of Ireland
 * O'Kane Centre For Film Studies

External collaborations
Wide partnerships in which the university is involved include:
 * Adaptive Information Cluster (with DCU)
 * Centre for Innovation and Structural Change (with NUI Galway and DCU)
 * Centre for research on adaptive nanostructures and nanodevices (with TCD and UCC)
 * CTVR Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain-Driven Research (with DCU, TCD, NUI Maynooth, UCC, UL, DIT and Sligo IT).
 * National Digital Research Centre (with Dublin City University and Trinity College, Dublin).
 * National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (with Dublin City University, Trinity College, Dublin and Sligo IT).
 * Programme for Research on Grid-enabled Computational Physics of Natural Phenomena (with DCU, TCD, UCC DIAS, NUI Galway, HEAnet, Met Éireann, Armagh Observatory and Grid Ireland).
 * Advanced Biomimetic Materials for Solar Energy Conversion {with the University of Limerick, Dublin City University, Airtricity, OBD-Tec and Celtic Catalysts.

Current and former campus companies
The most prominent university-related company is the IE Domain Registry; many of the university's academics continue to sit on the board of directors. The university originally gained control of the .ie domain in the late 1980s.

There are a number of related companies, many concentrated as the NovaUCD initiative, to commercialise research results and opportunities; many of these reflect the university's expertise in the life sciences and information technology. These companies include:


 * Analytical Drug and Data (ADD) (specialising in brain research)
 * Berand (concentrating on the development of new chemicals for disease treatment)
 * BiancaMed (health technology solutions for everyday living)
 * Biosensia (Point-of-Care in vitro diagnostics company)
 * Broadcast Learning
 * Businesscale
 * Celtic Catalysts (involved in chiral chemistry research)
 * ChangingWorlds (develops multi-access, intelligent portal platforms for mobile operators)
 * Cornerstone Knowledge International
 * Crovan
 * Duolog
 * (e)Learning Union
 * Enzolve (an enzyme and protein commercialisation group)
 * Eventznet
 * Intelligent Health Systems
 * Ildana Biotech is a joint group with Dublin City University.
 * Java Clinical Research
 * Lightwave Technologies
 * Locumotion
 * AllaVoca
 * Neosera
 * Novus (financial services management and consultancy company)
 * Spectral Signatures
 * Visor Consulting

Sport
UCD has very strong sporting traditions and a very successful competitive record in a great range of sports. The most successful clubs during 2005/2006 were the Senior Hurling team (winners of the Dublin County Championship), the Senior Hockey team (winners of the Leinster Senior Cup), the Senior Basketball team (University Championship winners), the Ladies Volleyball team (which won the University Championships and the English Student Cup), the Under-20 Rugby team (which won a league and cup double), the table tennis team (which won the Irish Universities Championships for the 7th year in a row), the Soccer teams (winning a variety of cups and leagues), the Senior Men's Cricket Team (Varsity Plate Winners) and the Ultimate Frisbee Open Team (winners of Div 2 UK Nationals). The current U.C.D. five a side soccer champions are Five Young Fun Boys managed by Ciaran Fisher and assisted by Patrick Coman.

The most successful clubs in 2006/2007 were the Table Tennis Club (Irish Universities Champions for the 8th year in a row, Leinster Cup Champions & SuperLeague Champions, qualifying for the ETTU European Cup), the Fencing Club (Intervarsity winners 5th year in a row, Colours winners 10th year in a row, Darius Vasseghi Team Foil Cup winners, Trinity Team Cup Winners) and the Cricket Club (joint inter-varsity winners).

The Belfield campus is home to a wide range of sports facilities, but notably lacks a swimming pool and a running track. Facilities include the national hockey stadium (which has previously hosted the Women's Hockey World Cup Finals and the Men's Hockey European Championship Finals), two other stadia (one for rugby and one for soccer), one of the largest fitness centres in the country, squash courts, tennis courts, an indoor rifle range, over twenty sports pitches (for rugby, soccer and gaelic games), an indoor climbing wall and two large sports halls. It is hoped that a swimming pool will be added before 2010. There are currently over fifty sports clubs in UCD. These cater for archery to windsurfing and just about everything in between. Probably the three largest and most successful clubs are the soccer club (currently the only university team to compete in the top division of the national league in Western Europe), the rugby club (currently playing in the AIB League Division 2) and the Gaelic Sports club.

The University hosted the IFIUS World Interuniversity Games in October 2006.
 * Sport Clubs in UCD
 * University College Dublin RFC
 * University College Dublin A.F.C.
 * UCD GAA
 * UCD Marian
 * UCD Fencing Club

Societies
There are currently over fifty student societies in the university. They cater for many interests ranging from large-scale party societies such as Ag Soc, Arts Soc, Commerce and Economics Society and Qsoc. There are religiously-interested groups such as the Christian Union, the Islamic Society and the Secular Humanist Society, a television station Campus Television Network, academic-oriented societies like the Philosophy Society, Mathsoc, Classical Society, Filmsoc and everything in between, including An Cumann Gaelach, an Irish-language society and such charities as St. Vincent de Paul, UCDSVP. All Irish political parties are represented on campus including Young Fine Gael, Ógra Fianna Fáil, The Socialist Party, Sinn Féin, The Green Party and UCD Labour Youth. The college has two debating unions. The oldest student society is the Literary and Historical Society, which is currently in its 156th session. The University College Dublin Law Society, however, is both the largest debating society in the University, and also holds the largest membership of any society; having 5,248 members in the 09/10 Academic Year. It is now in its Centenary Session and aside from debating it also acts as a mooting, entertainment and professional development society. Away from politics and debating the UCD Dramsoc is the university drama society, it is noted for an active membership and a number of notable alumni. The university also has a successful sinfonia called University College Dublin Symphony Orchestra.

Students' Union
The students' union, UCDSU in the college has been an active part of campaigns run by the National Union, USI, and has played a highly significant role in the life of the college since its foundation in 1974.

The Union has also taken significant stances on issues of human rights that have hit the headlines in Ireland and around the world, particularly in becoming the first institution in the world to implement a ban of Coca-Cola products in Student Union controlled shops on the basis of alleged human and trade union rights abuses in Colombia. This ban was overturned in 2010.

The Union's main Governing Body is the Union Council which meets every two weeks during term. Council membership consists of 180+ seats for Class Representatives, ten directly elected officers of the Union Executive and five Executive officers elected by Union Council at its first meeting each year. Their term commences on 1 July in the year of their election and lasts for twelve months. Sabbatical elections take place in late February of each year. To date, students from Arts, Social Science and Law have predominated in holding council seats.

Newspapers
The university has two student papers, the broadsheet The University Observer and the tabloid College Tribune. Both papers are usually published on a fortnightly basis throughout the academic year.

The University Observer
The University Observer won the Newspaper of the Year award at the National Student Media Awards in April 2006, an accolade it has achieved many times. Founded in 1994, its first editors were Pat Leahy and comedian Dara Ó Briain. Many figures in Irish journalism have held the position of editor including The Irish Times deputy news editor Roddy O'Sullivan, The Sunday Business Post political correspondent Pat Leahy, AFP business reporter Enda Curran, Sunday Independent Chief Reporter Daniel McConnell, RTÉ News reporter Samantha Libreri and TV researcher Alan Torney. The efforts of its staff were noted by the prestigious Guardian Student Media Awards with a nomination for "Best Newspaper", the first Irish student publication to receive such recognition. In 2001, in addition to several Irish National Student Media Awards, the University Observer under McConnell and Curran took the runner up prize for "Best Publication" at the Guardian Student Media Awards in London. To date, The University Observer has won 29 Irish Student Media Awards.

The main sections within the paper are: campus, national and international news, comment, opinion and sport. In addition, each edition includes a pullout arts and culture supplement called O-Two, with music interviews, travel, fashion and colour pieces. The University Observer is funded by the UCD Students' Union, but its content remains editorially independent, barring one 'Union Page' per issue.

College Tribune
The College Tribune was founded in 1988, with the assistance of noted political commentator Vincent Browne, then an evening student in the college, who noted the lack of an independent media outlet for students and the college in general. Financially, it is supported by commercial advertising in the paper and is completely independent of college and union authorities. Former editors include Conor Lally, Crime Correspondent of the Irish Times, The Sunday Times journalist Richard Oakley, former Sunday Tribune reporter Eoghan Rice, Paul Lynch, film critic of the Sunday Tribune, Irish Independent soccer correspondent Daniel McDonnell, and brothers Gary and Fergus O'Shea, both now in the Irish Sun, who were editors in 1996-97 and 2001-02 respectively.

Other past contributors include Dave Kelly, now rugby correspondent with the Irish Independent and Katherine Smyth a former associate producer with BBC Current Affairs. The College Tribune was tied to the national Sunday Tribune through its connections with Vincent Browne, but such links ended in 1999. The Tribune has also been distinguished on several occasions at national student media awards, particularly in sportswriting, where it has a strong tradition. The paper won the Student Newspaper of the Year at the USI/Irish Independent media awards in 1996. The then editor, Conor Lally, won Student Journalist of the Year in 1996. Tribune stalwart Peter Lahiff was a recipient of a Guardian Award for Diversity in 2003, the only Irish-based recipient of any Guardian award to date.

College Tribune sections include news, features, opinion, music, film, sport and colour writing, and it is famous for the launch of the satirical page The Evil Gerald, a 'paper within a paper'. The Gerald was succeeded by The Turbine in 2003, and they have featured such satirical stories as the Provisional IRA dropping its pursuit of a United Ireland in favour of occupation of the Isle of Man, and Osama Bin Laden stealing the Magic Door from Bosco which allowed him access to anywhere in the world.

Radio and Television
UCD also has a student radio station, Belfield FM, broadcasting at selected times throughout the academic year across the campus on 107.8 FM and online at the station's website. The station is funded by the students' union and has nurtured current RTE presenters Ryan Tubridy and Rick O'Shea. BelfieldFM has become widely recognised as a leader in Irish student media..  Belfield FM was a successor to UCD FM, which had been run out of the Students' Union entertainments office. Launched by Gearoid O'Connor and Enda Curran in 2000 along with senior producers Laura Fletcher (now of RTE), Barry Ward (now councillor for FG and Senior Counsel), Aidan Meaghen, Eoghan Casey, Daniel McConnell (now of Sunday Independent), it applied for and was granted capital funding of over €20,000 from the college to purchase studio equipment.

At the beginning of the academic year 2005-2006, the creation of a student television station, titled Campus Television Network (CTN) was announced. The station began creating programmes in November 2006 and distributing them online, at its old website, and across the campus in the student bars and student centre. CTN does not actually broadcast any shows themselves, either through the college network or via traditional analogue or satellite methods, rather it allows downloads and viewing of programmes on their website and distributes DVDs to on campus venues. It currently produces a variety of shows from their entertainments show 'Ent...This!' to their fashion shows 'Nu Look' and 'Slick'. CTN can be viewed on its new website at www.ctn.ie.

University College Dublin scarf colours
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Presidents of UCD

 * Dr Denis Coffey, Dean of Medicine (1910–1940)
 * Dr Arthur W. Conway, (1940–1947)
 * Dr Michael Tierney (1947–1964)
 * Dr Jerimiah Hogan, (1964–1972)
 * Dr Thomas Murphy, (1972–1985)
 * Dr Patrick Masterson, (1986–1993)
 * Dr Art Cosgrove, (1994–2003)
 * Dr Hugh R. Brady, (2004 - )

In literature
James Joyce’s novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is partially set in UCD (when it was sited on Earlsfort Terrace) where Stephen Dedalus is enrolled as a student. Joyce's posthumously-published autobiographical novel Stephen Hero contains stories of his time in UCD. Flann O'Brien’s novel At Swim-Two-Birds features a UCD student who writes a meta-novel wherein the author is put on trial by the characters of his novel.Maeve Binchy's novel, Circle of Friends, deals with three female friends starting college in UCD in the 1950s. However, shots of Trinity College were used in the 1995 film. The second Ross O'Carroll-Kelly novel, The Teenage Dirtbag Years, follows Ross as he enters UCD.

In music
Christy Moore wrote a tongue in cheek song about UCD's Literary and Historical Society called "The Auditor of the L and H". Johnny Jurex & The Punk Pistols, predecessors to Rocky De Valera & The Gravediggers had a song called "Anarchy in Belfield" which they played at their only gig during Rag Week in 1976.

In film and television
Conor McPherson's third film Saltwater was filmed in Belfield, UCD. In Boston Legal, Season 2, Episode 21 "Word Salad Day", there is a reference to a study from UCD that "found that the effects of divorce on children are far more damaging than the death of a parent"