Our President reflects on our first year

The newly established Atlantic Technological University was launched on 1 April last year, after more than a decade of negotiations, consultations, and planning.

A few days later Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris unveiled our new brand of ATU under the banner “The future is here”.

This was followed by a week of activities at each of our eight campuses, from Galway to Donegal. It was also the start of my journey as President of ATU, participating in many events on each campus over the following months. The total distance I traveled over that time was nearly 20,000km, highlighting the scale of our region.

ATU covers a region the size of Wales and traveling the sometimes winding roads in the west and north-west highlights the need for investment in transport infrastructure in this region. This scenic journey could also be seen as a metaphor for our progress as a fledgling university, marking each milestone we pass.

At our next milestone, we look forward to welcoming our 9th campus to ATU this summer, when St. Angela’s College will join our university community.

From the outset we aimed to become a TU of scale, quality, and impact, with a greater capacity for collaboration with regional, national and international partners. In just our first year, we have made great strides towards achieving these aims.

Our recruitment of CAO students increased in 2022, and further student number increases are predicted for this September.

It has been a year of firsts: our first recruitment and induction of students as one university, and our first ATU conferring ceremonies, which saw over 5,000 new graduates receiving awards across 21 ceremonies in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo. Many of our towns became university towns for the first time, bringing opportunities for education, investment and employment.

ATU’s focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement is already having a direct impact on the region. The university’s research activities are helping to address some of the region’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change and sustainable development.

Our ethos of inclusion and diversity contributes to meaningful outreach and community initiatives.

We are in a unique and privileged geographical position in the most western point of Europe. This year, we also became one of nine European universities participating in the EU GREEN European University Alliance. This alliance will bring together students, staff and researchers across the EU, delivering social and economic benefits to peripheral regions through an educational environment committed to sustainability.

While we continue to embed ourselves in Europe, we are also establishing new ties across the Atlantic, developing partnerships with universities in the United States and Canada. We are forging deeper connections with our Northern Ireland neighbours, building on existing cross-border relationships.

As a new technological university, we continue to support pathways into ATU from the further education sector, and this work will become a bigger part of our activities into the future.

The last year has been a journey of discovery and adventure with some challenges along the way. I hope you will continue with us on that journey in the formative years ahead, through your continued support, partnership and engagement.