The accomplishments of 48 high-achieving students took centre stage at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) in Athlone today at the university’s inaugural Scholarship of Excellence awards.
TUS Scholarships of Excellence are conferred upon first-year students who have distinguished themselves academically at second level, achieving more than 500 points in their Leaving Certificate exams.
The inaugural ceremony saw 48 Scholarships of Excellence being awarded – 29 to students in the Faculty of Science and Health, three across the Faculty of Business and Hospitality and 16 in the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics.
TUS President Professor Vincent Cunnane congratulated the award recipients on their significant academic accomplishments, which he said were “no easy feat” to achieve and demonstrate “a high level of commitment, discipline, and dedication” to their studies.
“You should be very proud,” Professor Cunnane said to the inaugural Scholarship of Excellence recipients, adding that he hoped this recognition would encourage them to continue applying themselves.
“At TUS, we believe in rewarding students throughout the lifecycle. It is our hope that this positive and important affirmation of your hard work will incentivise you to continue excelling in your chosen field of study. Though you are just embarking on your academic journey, I have every confidence that you will go on to do great things for yourselves and your communities,” he said.
TUS Scholarship of Excellence recipients receive a bursary of €500 and a full gym membership, giving them access to the university’s state-of-the-art facilities for an academic year; recipients also receive a memento made from locally sourced crystal and a commemorative plaque for their school.
It has been six months since TUS’s inception, and it currently ranks in the top 10 of universities nationally on Ireland’s higher education leaderboard.