Mystery donation for business students
Cork University Business School (CUBS) will benefit from a generous philanthropic gift which will transform the learning experience for business students at UCC.
The substantial $1,000,000 donation was made by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, and will support scholarships, practical experience initiatives, and entrepreneurship programmes for students.
Speaking about the announcement, Dean of Cork University Business School, Professor Thia Hennessy said: “CUBS is at an exciting stage of development with growing student numbers and plans for a new building. This very generous philanthropic gift will allow us to focus on initiatives to improve the student experience in ways that we could otherwise not afford.”
The donation will also support entrepreneurship at UCC, developing the next generation of business leaders by providing funding for starts-ups and innovation programmes.
“Although we are starting from a very high base, with 95 per cent of our students finding immediate employment, we plan to use this fund to support students in developing their professional skills, helping them secure employment. The fund will also be used to support students with exciting business start-up ideas,” continued Professor Hennessy.
Head of Development at UCC College of Business and Law, Rose Phelan said: “This donation demonstrates the impact philanthropy can make in accelerating change for CUBS and advancing excellence in our teaching. This is not a gift just for the students of CUBS but for the future of business in Cork.”
Cork University Business School brings together the expertise of five fundamental business departments. CUBS is the largest provider of business education at undergraduate level, the second largest at postgraduate level and in partnership with the Irish Management Institute, the largest provider of executive education in Ireland. A strong tradition of entrepreneurship also exists within the school, with graduates leading many of the country’s most dynamic and successful enterprises.
UCC announced earlier this year that the CUBS, will be located in Cork city centre with the development of a new building on the site, which will accommodate 4,000 students and 200 staff. The 1.46 acre site is the former Brooks Haughton Builders Providers located in the centre of Cork city between Copley Street and South Terrace, fronting on to Union Quay.