Visit of the Indian Ambassador

Visit of Indian Ambassador

UCD Global, Tuesday 25 February

Good morning Ambassador, students and colleagues. It is my great pleasure as President of University College Dublin to welcome you this afternoon to this reception to celebrate Indian Cultural Day in UCD.

Reflecting on this occasion, I am struck by how proud we are of our strong links with India and of the talented profile of our Indian students here in Dublin.

Today UCD is Ireland’s largest and most globally engaged University. As Ireland’s Global University, we welcome over 8,000 international students from over 130 different countries every year, who help shape the international experience on campus. This year over 800 students join us from India. Indeed, since 2011 UCD has welcomed and rewarded some of India’s best and brightest students through the UCD V.V. Giri Global Excellence Scholarships, named after V.V. Giri, the fourth President of India who studied Law in UCD in 1916.

UCD’s global engagement vision is to “bring the best of the world to Ireland and the best of Ireland, including its distinct cultures, to the world.” We are committed to attracting and supporting future generations of leaders from India. Our Delhi Global Centre provides us with a base for the development of a network of productive and sustainable partnerships, along with increasing awareness of the opportunities that UCD can offer in India.

I welcome the strengthening and maturing of our links with top Indian higher education institutions where we support the development of academic links across a range of disciplines.

Here at UCD we very much value the contribution of our students from India.  UCD strives to create a ‘home from home’ atmosphere for students through the celebrations of Diwali, Holi and Republic Day, in conjunction with the Indian Student Society.  Through these celebrations we showcase Indian traditions and celebrations throughout the year in UCD and not just today.  I also encourage you to attend the ongoing programme of Indian films that will be shown on campus for the rest of this week.

UCD looks forward to continuing to work closely with the Indian Embassy here in Dublin, and indeed the Irish Embassy in India, to position Ireland as a leading English-speaking study destination for Indian students. So please join with us to mark this special occasion today, celebrating all that is best in the cultural traditions and celebrations with our Indian student community in UCD.

Thank You.