The 2012 Sunday Times University Guide, to be published this Sunday, has named Dublin Institute of Technology as Institute of Technology of the Year

The 2012 Sunday Times University Guide, to be published this Sunday, has named Dublin Institute of Technology as Institute of Technology of the Year for “closing the gap on the universities and consistently being ranked the top institute of technology in the nine years of the league table. It has won a plethora of other awards in the last 12 months which recognise its excellence internationally.”
Welcoming the announcement the President of DIT, Professor Brian Norton said the accolade was based on a wide range of attributes that the students and staff of DIT hold very dear. “It is very heartening that the reasons given for the award reflect the breadth of our activities and the enormous effort on the part of all colleagues and students to continually enhance the DIT student experience. For example, the panel has highlighted innovation in our programmes; strong student-staff interaction; and excellent student support services and activities. They also focused on the significant increase in our research activity and postgraduate numbers; our outstanding record in entrepreneurship and business incubation; our collaboration internationally and our record of civic engagement at home. All of these attributes contribute to the excellence of our graduates of whom we can certainly be proud. I would like to thank every student and member of staff for contributing in some way to this award.”
The Sunday Times identified high median point scores for entry as a key factor when selecting DIT for this award. Commenting, Professor Norton said “This September we have welcomed some 4000 new students, many of whom recently achieved very high points in the Leaving Certificate, and we are delighted that they made a clear choice to come to DIT. I am equally proud that we also welcomed the largest number to date of mature students returning to education and of students who have come through various access routes. Widening participation in higher education is a key national objective and DIT, as one of the largest institutions in the country, is proud to be a leader in this regard.”
Explaining the reasons for choosing DIT, the Editor of the Sunday Times University Guide, Alistair McCall, said “Employability is at the heart of the decision to name the country’s largest institute of technology, Dublin Institute of Technology, as The Sunday Times Institute of Technology of the Year. It attracts the highest calibre of students of any of the republic’s 14 institutes of technology. It also has the second best record in the country at retaining students…. It is starting or refreshing 10 new honours degree courses this month, including two firsts for Ireland – a degree in professional Irish and one in commercial music.” Another first is the innovative Level 7 programme in Timber Product Technology which has been specifically designed to create new opportunities for students wishing to develop a high level of practical skills as well as leadership and management. With the recent decline in trades and apprenticeship opportunities, DIT is developing a new approach to retaining craft skills across a broad range of related programmes.