WIT News
|
Newfoundland MBA student receives inaugural Craig Dobbin Memorial Scholarship Posted: Fri, December 11, 2009 |
Meaghan Ludlow, a MBA student at Memorial University of Newfoundland has been named as the first recipient of a scholarship designed to build on historic links between the southeast of Ireland and the Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador.
The Craig Dobbin Memorial Scholarship rotates in alternate years between business graduates from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Waterford Institute of Technology. In 2010, a Waterford graduate will be supported on the Memorial MBA programme.
Ancestors of the late Canadian business leader Dr Craig Dobbin came from Waterford and at least three of them were Mayors in medieval times. Dr Dobbin’s family are part-funding the scholarship programme as a way of recalling the philanthropist’s affinity with Ireland and passion for Newfoundland & Labrador.
Ms Ludlow’s research interests centre on the effective use of branding in the fish trade and she is comparing the Irish and Newfoundland & Labrador experiences in this regard by working with companies and State agencies in each location. The research is seen as especially relevant to the coastal communities in southeast Ireland as well as in the postgraduate student’s home province where it will interest both fish producers and consumers.
Peggy Coady of Memorial University of Newfoundland said of the scholarship recipient: “We are thrilled that the inaugural winner of the Craig Dobbin Memorial Scholarship is Meaghan Ludlow. Meaghan is a full-time Memorial MBA student who is currently completing an academic exchange semester as part of the Masters in Business Studies in Internationalisation at Waterford Institute of Technology.
“Meaghan has demonstrated academic excellence in the Memorial MBA programme and has been very active in student life. While in Waterford, she has further developed her interest in the relationships between Ireland and Newfoundland & Labrador.”
Congratulating Ms Ludlow, Dr Thomas O’Toole, Head of the School of Business, Waterford Institute of Technology said the memorial scholarship is a fitting way for the lifetime achievements of Dr Dobbin to be commemorated meaningfully. “Dr Dobbin visited this Institute in May 2003 along with Dr Patrick Hillery, the late President of Ireland. It was clear then that he had a deep interest in this country and, especially, in developing closer 21st Century ties between two jurisdictions that share such a rich past.
“Waterford city is – of course - twinned with St John’s, the provincial capital of Newfoundland & Labrador. There have been some very useful exchanges across the cultural and educational spheres in recent times with many of these supported by the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership here and the Ireland Business Partnership in Newfoundland & Labrador.”
At Waterford Institute of Technology, work coordinated by the Centre for Newfoundland & Labrador Studies crosses several academic disciplines. John Maher from the Department of Accounting & Economics within the School of Business chairs the Centre and has recalled the work of Dr Craig Dobbin. “Dr Dobbin and Dr Hillery jointly established the Ireland Canada University Foundation (ICUF) in 1993 to encourage and facilitate scholastic links between Ireland and Canada.
“Among numerous accomplishments, Dr Dobbin founded the world’s largest helicopter company, CHC Helicopters Corp. He was the Honorary Consul General of Ireland for Newfoundland & Labrador. Appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992, he received a number of honorary doctorates from universities. In January 2000, he was named Newfoundland’s Businessman of the Millennium. He died in 2006.
“In addition to the Dobbin family, the Dr Craig Dobbin Memorial Scholarship is funded by the Irish Government and the provincial Government of Newfoundland & Labrador as well as by business patrons.”
Pat O’Callaghan, a St John’s, Newfoundland businessman who chaired the donor group that established the scholarship programme said the links between education and business enhance each. “There will be a fruitful harvest from this exchange of learning and it is a very worthy way to commemorate Dr Dobbin who was a true innovator and entrepreneur across several decades and in various areas of economic activity. He left a rich legacy that we rightly recall.”
