Wednesday, October 7th 2020 - Following the Taoiseach’s announcement on Monday that Dublin will continue to work under enhanced Level 3 restrictions and that Level 3 restrictions will also apply to the entire country for the next three weeks, the University Management Team within UCD met yesterday to consider the implications for teaching activities for the remainder of this academic trimester up until 17 January 2021. 

Yesterday evening, President Andrew Deeks of UCD communicated the decision taken by UMT in this regard to retain all teaching online until the end of this trimester. This decision was taken in the best interest of the health and safety of the UCD Community including our students, faculty and staff in light of the current Covid-19 situation and to provide certainty on what to expect in the coming months ahead.

What this means is that the scheduled dates for your programme will now take place online up until 17 January 2021. There is no decision beyond that date at this point and any further decision by the University Management Team will be dependent on the public health guidelines and restrictions.

We understand that this may come as a disappointment for you but would like to reassure you that we will be doing our utmost to provide the best experience possible of your programme in a virtual format. Based on our experience to date and the feedback we have received from executives and clients, the online format has worked very well and we will strive to further enhance the engagement and learning experience over the coming months.

While we would all prefer to be back in-person on campus, please rest assured that UCD Smurfit Executive Development is fully committed to you continuing your learning journey which we hope will be a very positive experience.

On behalf of all our team at UCD Smurfit Executive Development, please stay safe and well

Helen Brophy
Director, UCD Smurfit Executive Developme