To start the new year, I would like to recognise and congratulate Susan Hanly, who was awarded the competitive Newman MA Scholarship for the academic year 2025/26.
Susan writes:
As a mother of three adult children working in the Health Services as a nurse with the support of my husband and family I returned to education in 2021 at Saint Patrick’s College Carlow achieving an Honours Degree in Arts and Humanities. I am currently studying the MA in Philosophy programme in University College Dublin. I am extremely fortunate to have received the Newman scholarship for 2025 as on November 1st Pope Leo XIV declared Saint John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church and a Co-patron of Education with Thomas Aquinas, underscoring his role in shaping modern Catholic thought on learning and faith. Newman’s vision of a Liberal education encompassing the Arts and Humanities, fostering the development of the whole person; helping them to realize their unique dignity and potential; is under threat as the idea of education as a utility, to serve utilitarian goals takes hold throughout the world. He stressed Newman’s embodiment of the Church’s mission to combat fear and despair in modern life; to foster hope and a search for truth; and to build a ‘civilization of dialogue and peace’.
For my part I am interested in Newman’s idea of conscience as the arbitrator of morality and his notion of assent and certitude requiring education and self-reflection in contrast to the concepts of ‘post-truth’ and ‘fake news’ and the notion of self-will prevalent in society today. I hope to explore these issues in my dissertation. I am very grateful to the Newman foundation and to UCD for giving me this opportunity.
Thanks to the generous support of the Newman Trust, the UCD Newman Centre for the Study of Religions offers up to two Newman MA Scholarships for students applying to the MA in Philosophy (General Programme). Students who wish to be considered for the Newman MA Scholarships must commit to write their MA dissertation on an aspect of the work or legacy of John Henry Newman and undertake the MA module PHIL41240 John Henry Newman: A Philosophical Perspective. Scholars will also be invited to present their MA research to the Newman Trust.
The Newman MA Scholarships are open to Irish, EU and International applicants and will provide a significant contribution to the cost of tuition fees (minimum 50% and up to a possible 100%). For more information, please see here.
