From February 19-25, 14 Howard University School of Business students and faculty travelled to the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in Dublin, Ireland, one of Ireland’s top-ranked business schools. The students’ visit kicked off the schools’ newly minted academic and cultural exchange program. 

Located in Dublin, UCD Smurfit School is Ireland’s leading business school, educating business leaders for 115 years.  UCD Smurfit School is ranked 22nd in the Financial Times ranking of leading European Business Schools, with the Master in International Management  programme (CEMS) ranked 8th in the world. In addition, University College Dublin is ranked first in Ireland for Graduate Employability and Ireland’s number one university in the US News Global University Rankings. With a network of over 100,000 business alumni worldwide, and extensive global business connections, UCD Smurfit School is a welcomed partner with Howard University. 

To set the stage for future collaborations, Dean of Howard University School of Business Anthony D. Wilbon, PhD interviewed the US Embassy in Ireland’s Director for Public Affairs, Kellee Farmer, who highlighted the importance of international travel in becoming an informed global citizen.  

Exchange Week 

The launch of the historic partnership featured an intensive, week-long exchange with events designed to create deep cultural understanding and engagement between students and faculty of both institutions. It celebrates the launch of three new scholarships for Howard University School of Business students to study at UCD Smurfit School in the 2023-2024 academic year.  

Students on the exchange had the opportunity to interact with international business and cultural leaders to enhance their knowledge of business in Ireland. Opportunities to develop student’s global networks with future, peer business leaders also took place. 

“This trip exposed me to the Irish culture and a completely new way of life,” said Howard University student Ayanna Henry. “Most importantly, I learned more about myself and this trip strengthened my desire to live and study abroad.”

“We want to prepare our students to be outward looking and to understand different perspectives and views of the world as they prepare to join global organisations,” said Gerardine Doyle, associate dean of the UCD College of Business and director of UCD Smurfit School. “The initiative also supports the new UCD College of Business strategy to increase diversity amongst the student cohort, deepen engagement in the US market and increase international partnerships with top universities globally.” 

Historical and Cultural Enhancement 

Martin Shanahan, former CEO of IDA Ireland, kicked off the week with Ireland’s business history, explaining  how Ireland’s outward-looking economic strategy was designed to attract foreign direct investment, build and scale international Irish companies, and focus on investing in research and development. John Fanning, PhD, continued with a heartfelt lecture describing how the history and culture of the country shaped ‘Brand Ireland.’ 

Over the course of the week, students were introduced to challenging discussions on what it means to be Black and Irish through a panel discussion with leaders including Leon Diop, co-founder and CEO of Black & Irish, Benita Murinda, social media coordinator for Black & Irish and Penelope Muzanenhamo, UCD College of Business assistant professor of Marketing and Society. 

Students also attended a Bia! Magazine studio session at the Irish Museum of Modern Art and attended the annual Proudly Made in Africa Conference at UCD Quinn School. In addition, Mark Redmond, chief executive at the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, shared the importance of the transatlantic business relationship between the US and Ireland.  

Industry Experience 

“This ground-breaking initiative not only focuses on advancing intercultural exchange and diversity of thought, but it also provides students the opportunity to investigate and tackle global societal challenges set out in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in addition to diversity, inclusion and belonging,” said Doyle, who is also the co-chair of the UCD university strategic theme ‘Building a Healthy World’.  

Students were welcomed by industry partners including a visit to the European Headquarters of Microsoft to discuss operations, skills and sustainability. Following this, students visited the Flagship Office of ICON Plc for an all-day design thinking and UN SDG workshop to understand the company through the lens of their highly active ESG and Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging strategies, with the goal of proposing solutions to achieve greater diversity in clinical trials. 

With this framework, students addressed that historically, clinical trials did not always recruit participants who represented the individuals most affected by a particular disease, condition or behavior. Using design thinking, students proposed solutions to attract a more diverse population for clinical trials to the senior leadership team at ICON Plc. 

The week concluded with a Global Citizenship Seminar around Value Chain Analysis integrated into the classroom with the top ranked UCD master’s in management CEMS program. 

The scholarship application window is now open and students who meet the criteria are encouraged to apply. For more information about this exciting scholarship program between the UCD Smurfit School and Howard University, contact the UCD Smurfit School Admissions team. 

###