Laois graduates to make history at new university

November 2022 will hold a special place in the memory of 142 Laois graduates of South East Technological University (SETU) who have the honour of be among the first graduates to be conferred with awards from the south east’s first university.

The first of the 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.

Conferring ceremonies take place in Waterford on Tuesday at 10am and Wednesday at 10am, 1pm and 4pm and in Carlow on Thursday at 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm and Friday at 10am and 12.30pm.

Prior to the setting up of SETU the Carlow and Waterford ITs were among the most popular CAO choices made by Laois Leaving Certs.

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," she said.

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.

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“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,” she said.

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SETU has campuses across the south east in Carlow, Waterford and Wexford, as well as a presence in Kilkenny and Wicklow. It serves over 18,000 students and employs over 1,500 staff with ambitions to grow over the next 10 years.

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

More information on www.setu.ie/conferring where the graduations will be live streamed.