Michael O'Donnell Memorial Fund

Committed to the future of DIT

‌ The Michael O’Donnell Memorial Fund was launched in 2007 to support engineering teaching and research activities at DIT and the development of engineering facilities at the new DIT campus at Grangegorman. The fund was established with a legacy from the estate of the late Michael O’Donnell, former principal of Bolton Street College of Technology and the first acting President of DIT. The Fund is managed by DIT Foundation, a registered charity that promotes and supports the development of DIT.

‌Michael O’Donnell was a distinguished educationalist who spent his whole career in the service of DIT. A native of Kerry, he studied at University College, Dublin where he obtained bachelor degrees in both engineering and commerce, followed by a master’s degree in economic science. It was, however, his love for engineering which was to dominate his subsequent career. After a year teaching in UCD, Michael joined the CDVEC as a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering in Bolton Street.

With the exception of a short, but important, period near the end of his career, Michael was to remain in Bolton Street for the next 35 years. He occupied positions as assistant head, then head of the Department of Engineering Technology before becoming Principal in 1980. During his period as Principal he oversaw the building of a major extension to the College.  Such was the importance of his leadership in Bolton Street that he became to many, the public face of that college.

Following his appointment as Director of DIT in 1982 Michael became a strong and effective advocate for the whole of DIT. Many of the central facilities that we now take for granted were pioneered by Michael, not least of which was the central computing facility.
Despite his huge workload, Michael had the energy to contribute significantly to organisations outside of DIT. He was a member of the first Council of the NCEA and remained an active member for over twenty years. He served on the Governing Body of the then National Institute of Higher Education, Dublin as well as maintaining significant involvement with the Institute of Engineers of Ireland.

Michael contributed hugely to the enactment of legislation in 1992 to establish DIT on a statutory basis giving the Institute power to award its own certificates and diplomas and laying the foundations for DIT to become a degree-awarding body. Following the official establishment of DIT Michael became its first Acting President and subsequently he was appointed as the Institute’s first, and to date only, Deputy President.

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Right up to his retirement, Michael worked tirelessly for DIT, helping to advance two highly significant developments: the introduction of a formalised quality assurance procedure for DIT and the notion of a central campus. Even after his retirement in 1995, Michael continued to be involved with the former project which, ultimately resulted in DIT obtaining degree-awarding powers. In summary, the contributions of the late Michael O’Donnell to Irish education, and to DIT in particular, are of the highest order. The Dublin Institute of Technology honoured his distinguished contributions with the award of an Honorary Fellowship in 2004.

If you would like further information about the Michael O'Donnell Fund please email foundation@dit.ie.

Leaving a legacy to DIT Foundation is a great opportunity to invest in the future of education at DIT and continue to make your mark on a cause that mattered to you. Find out more about leaving a legacy here.