Maynooth University
The history, character, profile and trajectory of Maynooth University gives it a unique position in Irelands higher education landscape. It was formally established as an autonomous university in 1997, but its origins extend back to the foundation of the Royal College of St. Patrick at Maynooth in 1795. Over the last two decades the University has grown rapidly in scale, strength and stature. Maynooth University is today a university of international standing, renowned for the quality and value of its research and scholarship, for its dedication to excellent teaching, for providing an outstanding learning experience for its 10,000 students, and as a uniquely collegial environment in which to pursue scholarly work. Maynooth University is the most differentiated of all the Irish universities. The University has distinctive institutional strengths in six thematic priority research areas: People, Place and Environment, Social and Economic Transformations, Human Health, Mathematics, Communications and Computation, Humanities in Practice: Sources, Resources & Discourses, Human Cultures, Experience and Creativity. Undergraduate and postgraduate education is provided through a suite of inter-disciplinary programmes delivered by over 30 academic departments that are organised into three Faculties: Arts, Philosophy and Celtic Studies; Science and Engineering; and Social Sciences.
The NUI Maynooth Strategic Plan 2012-17 states the institutional mission in the following terms: NUI Maynooth is a university dedicated to people, ideas and culture, where we work together as a scholarly community to inquire and discover, to teach and learn, to create, conserve, disseminate and apply knowledge, and to engage with the problems and challenges that face modern society; through all these things we are central to innovation, economic growth, social development and cultural vibrancy, and are essential to a free, open, equal, democratic and sustainable society. The mission will be achieved by focusing on seven strategic goals: to offer students an outstanding university education, which challenges and supports all students to achieve their full potential, and prepares students for life, work and citizenship, and for complexity, diversity and change; to be recognised by 2017 as playing a leading international role and being the clear national leader in a number of thematic areas of research that address the major societal challenges of the 21st century; to achieve a step change in its international activities in order to create a truly intercultural and multilingual institution; to strengthen its engagement with all stakeholders through sustained partnerships with enterprises, communities, civil society and public bodies; to maximise its unique and distinctive contribution to the national system of higher education through a set of purposeful and sustained strategic partnerships at regional and national level, and to extend its international reach through a network of global partnerships; to be an excellent place to work, known for a collegial ethos which empowers all staff to contribute fully to the development of the university; to enable the achievement of ambitious strategic objectives in challenging circumstances through careful planning, excellent services and infrastructure, and sound governance and management.
Foundation year:1997
Short name:MU
Type:Public
Students:8770
Faculty:320
Faculty/Students Ratio:28:1
Region:Europe
Location:Maynooth
