» The Link heads to Ireland’s most southerly university in this issue

The forerunner of today’s UCC was founded in 1845 as Queens College Cork.  At its heart, then as now, is the quadrangle - invariably known as ‘The Quad’ - where grand stone buildings extend around three sides of a pristine lawn to create an iconic image.  

In 1908, a renamed University College Cork became a founding member of the National University of Ireland.  Amongst many changes, this meant that UCC could, for the first time, stage its own graduation ceremonies, rather than these being held in Dublin (no small matter for the fiercely independent people of Cork).

Student numbers have increased significantly since the late 1980s and the university has acquired several adjacent buildings and lands to extend the campus over recent years. UCC is today home to around 18,000 students, with approximately 2,400 - 13% of the student population - coming to study from outside Ireland.

In its strategic planning, UCC has put great emphasis on building on its research strengths and its four Research Institutes. It has also established a Centre for Global Development and a corresponding commitment to adopt a global perspective in all of its activities. Recent initiatives include the development of a joint MSc in Rural Development with two Ethiopian universities and a research partnership with Malawi seeking to combat maternal and child mortality through the use of novel IT strategies.