Our first PSU Postgrad Month was a wonderful success. Engagement was high throughout the variety of events and workshops offered. The highlights of the month were the Sports Week, the Business Challenge and the Postgrad Summit. The Postgrad Month was supported and sponsored by KBS, EHS, Yes Bernal, IED, the Graduate School, UL Alumni, Scholar’s & Stables, Bank of Ireland, UL Arena and the President’s Office.
The idea of supporting and celebrating the postgraduate community was a collaborative effort. We are grateful for the opportunity of welcoming our guest speakers and thankful to our sponsors, who facilitated events with contributions of their time and financial support. We are already looking forward to the PSU Postgrad Summit 2021!!
Week 1
The Postgrad Month began with a wonderful Student Success Workshop given by – Mr. Suresh Mariyappa, Mr. John Moran, Mr. Eugene O’Regan, Mrs. Sowmya Rajendra, Ms. Arpitha Prasanna and Karthik Gajendra. The workshop was held on a Saturday in order to maximise student attendance.
Sports Week
The competition was fierce across campus during Sports Week. The postgrads participated in individual and team sports on the courts as well as online! The sports were soccer, badminton, cricket, table tennis, chess, Fifa online and a slow cycle race.
Irish Night
The week finished with a social event in Scholar’s with traditional Irish music and dancing provided by students from the Irish World Academy. It was an opportunity for students to see Irish dancing up close and learn some Irish social dances.
Week 2
The second week of the Postgrad Month was busy with workshops, a free professional photoshoot for CV photos and the Postgrad Summit. There was a Financial Wellbeing workshop presented by the Bank of Ireland, a Visa workshop, Presentation Skills, and a Communication & Intercultural Awareness workshop. The social of the week was a Valentine themed event in conjunction with the UL International Society.
The Postgrad Summit “Enhancing the Postgraduate Experience in Our Internationalized Society”, was held in the Appellate Court in the Glucksman Library and was at capacity. The Summit was a great platform to discuss postgraduate issues from a national & international perspective and to hear and discuss matters that affect international students coming to study in Ireland.
The guest speaker was Her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Uzoma Emenike, and the panel discussion was led by Professor Kerstin Mey, Associate Professor Dr. Ita Richardson, Dr. Marie Connolly and Director or IED Josephine Page. Students were engaged and delighted to have an audience with the influential panellists and left feeling heard. The topics brought up during the panel discussion continue to be discussed at meetings with the PSU, IED and the Graduate School.
During her visit to the University, her Excellency Ambassador Dr. Emenike requested a meeting with the Nigerian students. Having been an international student during her studies, her experiences resonated with the students who enjoyed and appreciated her time and inspiring words.
The Postgrad Summit has led the PSU to develop a new Postgrad Forum that will allow discourse between all faculties, the PSU and the Graduate School. Once we return to campus, work will continue, and details will be brought to an upcoming Governing Authority meeting.
Week 3
Week 3 brought together the teams who registered for the PSU Business Challenge, sponsored by the Kemmy Business School and Declan Collins from Stables. There were two challenges to face, the first was to create a business model that would be beneficial to students of the University of Limerick. Their proposals were brought to an advisor before they brought their ideas to the campus community. A judging panel watched them work as teams to bring their ideas to campus.
The PSU understands the importance of staying connected with UL after graduation. We teamed up with UL Alumni to offer the first UL Postgrad Alumni Connect, hosted by Majella O’Connell. She welcomed guest speakers Mr. Kenneth Buchholtz and UL MSc International Management & Global Business graduate Bikash Guha, who will be returning to UL to start his PhD once we resume.
The week finished with the PSU Business Challenge teams presenting the their plans, presentations and findings to the judges who decided the winning team of Challenge 1. The social event of Week 3 was a Bollywood theme night of music and dancing.
Week 4
The final week of the inaugural PSU Postgrad Month saw the second challenge for the Business Challenge teams, who were working with Declan Collins from the Stables restaurant. They were tasked with developing a business proposal for consideration to use in one of his on-campus restaurants. The teams were mentored by Declan himself, his expertise in the industry was valuable to each team. The judges for the event were two judges from the first panel and Declan Collins who also supported the Business Challenge from the beginning right to the end, from supplying all teams with t-shirts to putting on a closing night reception in Scholars, along with sponsoring the prize money of €1000.
The plan for the final week was to host an awards ceremony, but it was decided early in the week that postponing the ceremony would be a more practical solution to such a busy month. The final social event was the PSU Afro night.
Week 1
| WEEK 1 FEB 1 – 8 SPORT & GAMES WEEK |
| Saturday, February 1 Student Success Workshop Venue: KBG12 Time: 12:00-15:00 February 3 – 8 Sports & Games Chess https://psu-chess-tournament.eventbrite.ie Soccer https://psu-soccer-tournament.eventbrite.ie Badminton https://psu-badminton-tournament.eventbrite.ie Slow Cycle Race https://psu-slow-cycling.eventbrite.ie Cricket https://psu-cricket-tournament.eventbrite.ie Table Tennis https://psu-table-tennis-tournament.eventbrite.ie Fifa tournament https://psu-online-fifa.eventbrite.ie Friday, February 7 Irish Music Night Register https://psuirishmusicnight.eventbrite.ie Venue: Scholars Club Time: 19:00 – 22:00 |
Week 2
| WEEK 2 FEB 9 – 15 POSTGRAD SUMMIT & WORKSHOPS |
| Monday, February 10 Professional Portfolio Photo Shoot Financial Wellbeing Workshop Register https://psufinancialwellbeingworkshop.eventbrite.ie Tuesday, February 11 Presentation Skills & Intercultural Awareness Workshop Register https://psupresentationskillsworkshop.eventbrite.ie Venue: PSU Common Room Time: 14:00 – 15:00 Wednesday, February 12 Postgrad Summit Register https://postgradsummit2020.eventbrite.ie Venue: Appellate Court Room Time: 12:45 – 14:30 Friday, February 14 PSU International Night Venue: Stables Club |
Week 3
| WEEK 3 FEB 16 – 22 ENTREPRENEURSHIP & CAREER |
| Monday, February 17 PSU Business Challenge (€1000 Prize) Register https://tinyurl.com/PSUBizChallenge2020 Tuesday, February 18 CV & Interview Skills Workshop Thursday, February 20 Postgraduate Alumni Connect Venue: Millstream Time: 17:00 – 18:30 Register https://ulpostgradalumniconnect.eventbrite.ie Friday, February 21 Bollywood Night Venue: TBD Register https://psubollywoodnight.eventbrite.ie |
Week 4
| WEEK 4 FEB 23 – 29 COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENT |
| Tuesday, February 25 Environment Awareness Wednesday, February 26 Expressing Student Concerns to Limerick City & County Council Friday, February 28 Afro Night Venue: TBD Register https://psuafromusicnight.eventbrite.ie |