Last week; National College of Ireland welcomed the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce to our Mayor Sqaure campus as part of their five-day trip to Ireland to mark the Denver Metro Leadership Foundation's 35th annual Leadership Exchange (LEX).   

The College was involved in two events. On September 23rd, a breakout workshop with 15 delegates took place at our Spencer Dock campus building entitled "Financial Services Apprenticeship Insights.”

At this workshop, a brilliant panel of speakers comprised of NCI staff members, Dr Breda McTaggart, Dr Corina Sheerin, Jonathan Brittain and Darragh Brien, alongside Stephen Lynch, COO of HSBC, and Myles Collier, Financial Professional and former NCI Apprentice, enjoyed a day of networking and excellent talks, sharing professional insights and building connections with all present.  

On Sep 24th, NCI hosted all 130 delegates in the Kelly Theatre at our Mayor Square campus building. The plenary was entitled: "Classroom to Boardroom: Future Ready Pathways for a Dynamic Economy.” At this event, speakers were Professor Gina Quin, President of NCI, alongside Dr Janine Davidson, President of Metropolitan State University of Denver, Kevin Empey, International Head of Future Work Strategy and Solutions at Lockton Dublin, Dr Dan Maxey, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff, University of Colorado Denver, and Dr Melanie Sue Hicks, Vice President of Programs, Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation.  

This session provided excellent insight into the work that National College of Ireland does to continually ensure that third-level education is accessible to all, particularly in Northeast Inner-City Dublin. The delegates were especially impressed when they learned of the amount of work that NCI’s Early Learning Initiative does to bridge the gap towards education for those children and their families who may need extra support. The session was highly informative as the NCI staff in the room had the opportunity to hear about what third-level education looks like at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. While NCI’s campus may be an ocean away from the Metropolitan State University of Denver, this session revealed that the work that is being done to support students to pursue their education and give them opportunities that they may not have received before is strikingly similar.  

Professor Gina Quin, President of NCI, stated, “I was really struck by the similarities between National College of Ireland and the University of Denver; we are both focused on increasing access to education for students who may not have a clear path to higher education and are often the first in their family to attend college. We both focus on providing the support necessary to ensure that students excel and progress to excellent careers. We are both truly about improving the life of those who attend our institutions." 

At its core, this session was all about how higher education institutions can further support students as they enter third-level education, and how that support can continue throughout their studies, and how employers can also support those students as they graduate and enter the workplace. The overarching theme could not have been clearer; the goal is to enable students to thrive, academically, professionally, and personally.  

“NCI were honoured to host the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce delegation. Their Leadership Exchange event highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing and international collaboration in shaping the future of business and education.” ~ Dr Michelle Kelly, Associate Professor at NCI’s School of Business and Social Sciences.   

It is always fantastic to meet new people and learn from our colleagues in the higher education sector, and it is especially engaging and rewarding when we find those similarities that connect us all despite location. Welcoming staff from the Metropolitan State University of Denver to NCI’s Mayor Square was an educational and enjoyable experience for all, and we look forward to continuing to forge connections such as this as we continue to strive towards changing lives through education.  

#ChangingLivesThroughEducation.