Ambassador Daniel Mulhall holds Reception in the USA for Mary Immaculate College

Professor Eugene Wall, President of Mary Immaculate College (Acting) presenting Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Mr Daniel Mulhall, with a signed copy of poetry by Seamus Heaney, at a special reception held in Washington honour of Mary Immaculate College.

Ambassador Daniel Mulhall holds Reception in the USA for Mary Immaculate College

US universities, colleges and high schools learned about the world-class education and pastoral care their students would experience at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, at a special Ambassador’s reception held in Washington last weekend in honour of MIC by Daniel Mulhall. The event was held to coincide with the annual meeting of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) and was an opportunity for MIC to showcase its award-winning international student satisfaction ratings and academic offerings to member universities as well as to other university partners and high school principals from the region.

Welcoming the representatives from the various US universities and schools in attendance, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Mr Daniel Mulhall said, “We [Ireland] are now building a new set of relationships based on educational exchanges and that is why it is a privilege to have all of you here representing the university sector in the United States. We are open to the world and we are looking to find partnerships with universities in the United States to help us to continue the Irish educational journey.”

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Explaining why one should study in Ireland, he said, “You get a world-class education but you also get the warm welcome that is probably not matched anywhere in Europe”.

Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Mr Daniel Mulhall, speaking at a special reception for Mary Immaculate College held in Washington DC at the Irish Embassy.

Speaking at the event, Professor Eugene Wall, acting President of MIC thanked the Ambassador for hosting the event before expanding on the many relations the College has established with like-minded US institutions.  “Over the last number of years, we have been steadily building contacts and partnerships with universities, colleges and high schools all over the world, but we have a particular interest in North America (and Australia) and working with other Catholic institutions, in light of our common language and shared ethos,” he said.

Indeed, many of those institutions were well represented on the night, including the University of San Diego; Boston College; University of San Francisco; the Australian Catholic University; Notre Dame of Maryland University; Neumann University; Felician University; De Sales University; Dominican College; University of St Thomas, Houston; St John’s University, NY; Molloy College, NY; Aquinas College; Carroll College; among many others. Also in attendance at MIC’s event were representatives of the Institute for International Education; ACCU; Education in Ireland – North America; the National Science Foundation; the Irish American Partnership, and Brian O’Donovan, settling into his new role as Washington Correspondent with RTÉ News.

Professor Wall used the opportunity to inform all present of the many unique benefits to studying in Ireland, which account for Ireland being particularly popular as a study abroad destination for American students, who make up the largest cohort of international students nationwide.   According to the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) 2017 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange Data, Ireland is the 7th most popular international study destination for US students globally.

According to Professor Wall, “The academic offerings and culture of MIC translate easily to the American university system, particularly at private Catholic colleges offering Education and Liberal Arts.   We see our programmes complimenting those on offer in our partner institutions, with no language barrier, a similar culture, and most importantly, excellent pastoral care. At the heart of our reputation is our care for our students. From the moment they are collected from the airport until the day that they leave to go home, we ensure that our international students have an experience that is focused on their well-being and academic involvement”.

Indeed, it is because of MIC’s commitment to ‘whole-student experience’ that the College won Study Portals Award for Outstanding International Student Satisfaction in 2014 and 2016 and in 2017 received the best International College Achievement Award at the Irish Education Awards.

Thanking Ambassador Daniel Mulhall for hosting Mary Immaculate College and its guests, Professor Wall presented Ambassador Daniel Mulhall with a signed copy of ‘Human Chain’ by Seamus Heaney, which the Ambassador subsequently quoted from for his weekly poetry tweet.

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