President of Ireland, Mary McAleese visited IT Sligo today to mark the Institute’s 40th anniversary and to officially inaugurate the Yeats Library Building.
This is the first visit by President McAleese and Dr Martin McAleese to IT Sligo and it marks a milestone in the history of the college.
As the college enters its fortieth year, a €12 million development programme that includes the new Yeats Library Building, an extension to the Technology Building, and extensive new sports facilities, is almost complete.
The Yeats Library Building at IT Sligo has been designed to meet the needs of the next generation of learners. The overall area of the library has been almost doubled from 1,882 m2 to 3,128 m2 and the three floors are designated as distinct learning zones:
- The ground floor is a ‘Social Learning Zone’ with innovative group furniture that encourages students to work together in an informal, social atmosphere..
- The ‘Info Zone’ is on the first floor, where staff will deal with student queries and to help them with online and print resources.
- On the second floor is the traditional ‘Quiet Zone’ because there will always be times when students will require the quiet and order associated with a traditional library
The facility has been transformed and includes a range of new features including 13 seminar rooms with computing facilities and display screens, and 644 seats with power and network coverage.
Speaking at IT Sligo President McAleese said; “IT Sligo’s current development programme comfortably marries the past and future of this region; at once paying tribute to the great literary heritage of the West while also delivering new and modern pedagogical approaches which anticipate the many and various needs of the students who will pass through these halls of learning now and into the future.”
President of IT Sligo, Terri Scott said: “We are honoured to have President Mary McAleese and Dr Martin McAleese here today for this special occasion for our staff, students and the wider community.”
“Much has been achieved at IT Sligo over the past 40 years and the college continues to act as a major contributor to the development of the North West, employing some 550 people and adding in excess of €100 million in economic terms to the region every year.”
“We are adapting to the changing needs of society and industry by developing new courses in Business, Humanities, Science and Engineering to address the required skills base for the new economy. Our distance and online learning programmes, for instance, is one of the largest in the higher education sector, reaching out to more than 1,500 students across the country.”
“Thirty innovative start-up companies are based in our Business Innovation Centre employing 50 people and the spirit of entrepreneurship is being engendered in students of all disciplines through the SIF Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship Programme.”
“Research and innovation is a priority for the college and it was gratifying to have the college’s track record in this area recognised in the recent Sunday Times League Table, which said IT Sligo is a ‘catalyst for attracting smart jobs to the region.”
“The €12 million development programme which is coming to completion at the college is about more than practical improvements, it is about providing the necessary tools for next generation learning.”
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President Mary McAleese and Dr Martin McAleese meet invited guests at the official inauguration of the Yeats Library Building at IT Sligo on Tuesday.
President Mary McAleese addresses IT Sligo students and staff and invited guests at the official inauguration of the Yeats Library Building at IT Sligo on Tuesday.