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Transformational scholarship opportunities announced by the GPA and UCD Smurfit School

  • Date: Thu, Jun 2, 2022

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Pictured: Aoife Whelan (Dublin Camogie) and Ruairí McCormack (Down Football), both current UCD students, GPA CEO Tom Parsons and Professor Gerardine Doyle, Director of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and Associate Dean of UCD College of Business

The Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School are proud to announce details of a new scholarship partnership for the 2022/2023 academic year.  The scholarships will be made available to two successful candidates, one female and one male, for MBAs within the UCD Smurfit School, choosing from the Executive MBA midweek, Executive MBA Modular or full-time MBA programme commencing in August 2022.

The total value of this announcement to inter-county players is €70,000. 

The process of recruiting and selecting the successful candidate will be overseen by the UCD Smurfit School Admissions Team.  All successful applicants for the full-time MBA, Modular or the Executive MBA who meet the eligibility criteria and have met the required deadlines will be considered. 

To mark the announcement, current UCD students Aoife Whelan (Dublin Camogie) and Ruairí McCormack (Down Football), GPA CEO Tom Parsons and Professor Gerardine Doyle, Director of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and Associate Dean of UCD College of Business, gathered at the UCD Smurfit School on Thursday, June 2nd.

Speaking on behalf of the GPA, Tom Parsons said; “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for two of our members and we are so pleased to be partnering with the UCD Smurfit School on this initiative.  The school has a reputation that is second to none and this provides our members with a transformational opportunity in their lives off the field.

“I want to thank the team at UCD Smurfit School for making this happen.  It is a massive vote of confidence in the calibre of individual that is playing the inter-county game.”    

Speaking on behalf of UCD Smurfit School, Professor Gerardine Doyle said: UCD Smurfit School has an unwavering commitment to expanding leadership opportunities and we are extremely proud to partner with GPA to welcome leaders on the field into our classrooms. Our shared values of excellence, ambition, integrity and community will inspire our students and alumni to co-create a better future for business and society in Ireland and internationally.”

Any queries from GPA members should be directed to GPA Education Manager Karen Thorpe – karen@gaelicplayers.com

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