History
See also: Albert College (Dublin)The institution was created in 1975, on an ad-hoc basis, and on June 18 that year Dr Danny O'Hare was made acting director of the institution, and a day later the first governing body met. It was intended at this stage that the institution become the unified structure under which the colleges of what later became Dublin Institute of Technology would unite, but by 1978 it became apparent that this would not be the case and instead an independent institution developed with a distinct identity and mission.
In 1979, the institution was located on an 344,000 m2 (85 acres) site 5 km (3.1 mi) from the city centre, just north of Dublin City Council's Albert College Park; the Albert College Building is the only significant remaining building from before this period. The Henry Grattan building was the first new building completed in 1981, along with the adjoining restaurant, and many buildings have been added since, to form a modern university campus.
In 1986 the International Study Group on Technological Education was set up to examine the future of the National Institute for Higher Education at Dublin and Limerick, and in its report stated that:
- ...the NIHE Dublin having the title Dublin City University or the University of Leinster.
Ultimately the title "Dublin City University" was chosen and this was confirmed by the Dublin City University Act of 1989.
The total area of the main campus is approximately 202,000 m2 (50 acres) and is bordered by Collins Avenue, Albert College Park, Ballymun Road, Hillside Farm and St. Aidan's School. There are another 142,000 m2 (35 acres) at St. Clare's Sports Grounds on the west side of Ballymun Road. This part of the campus also includes the Sports Pavilion. A further 40,000 m2 (9.9 acres) (including Elmhurst House) situated along Griffith Avenue have been acquired. Entrances to the main campus are from Ballymun Road, to the west, and Collins Avenue, to the north.
The early focus of the institution was, in particular, on science and technology, although it has also had, and has, a large business school. It has recently developed a presence also in the performing arts and in the humanities. DCU is also famous for its programme of work placement or INTRA (INtegrated TRAining), which was the first such programme in Ireland.
As of 2008 there are over 35,000 graduates of Dublin City University.
There was a plan in 2002 to base the headquarters of the Irish Academy for the Performing Arts in DCU, but this was later scrapped.
Read more about this topic: Dublin City University
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