AIT graduations go virtual in early December

This year's Athlone IT graduations will take the form of virtual ceremonies which will be held early next month.

The Class of 2020 was contacted on Monday with an invitation to the online conferring of awards on Thursday and Friday, December 3 and 4.

In a message to the students, Athlone IT president, Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin, praised their "commitment and resilience" during a challenging final year of their studies.

"Covid-19 may have altered how we conduct our graduation ceremony this year but not the depth of celebration that will mark your achievement," he stated.

"The format of this year's ceremony does not lessen your achievement – it makes it special and noteworthy.

"The commitment and resilience you have shown in the successful completion of your academic studies and examinations this year demonstrate that you are ready for all the opportunities and challenges of the world of work and life ahead of you, wherever that may be."

Graduation ceremonies from the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics, and from the Faculty of Business and Hospitality, will take place on December 3, while December 4 will see the ceremonies from the Faculty of Science and Health, and the Faculty of Continuing, Professional Online and Distance Learning.

The ceremonies will be available for viewing live on the AIT website, Facebook, and YouTube, and a recording of the events will also be available on the AIT website after they have concluded.

Graduation parchments are to be sent out to each student by registered post following the online events.

Meanwhile, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science announced last week that Athlone IT is to be awarded an additional €583,000 towards capital works and equipment on campus.

This funding is part of an additional €15 million for campus upgrades and infrastructure at third-level institutions.

"The semester has been mainly online as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but we are looking to the new year and how we can give our students and staff the best chance of being back on campus as much as is safely possible," said Minister Simon Harris. "This additional funding will help our colleges invest in additional works to help protect students and staff as we continue to fight this pandemic. It will also support institutions in upgrading their campuses and equipment for the long term.

"The beginning to their academic year has been difficult to say the least but I hope this additional funding will help with planning and delivering a more positive experience in 2021 and beyond," he said.

The funding announced last week is in addition to €1.51m which was awarded earlier this year for capital works and equipment at AIT.