New Chair of Fundraising in the Clongowes Foundation
After forty-two years of service to Clongowes, the last four of which were as Chair of Fundraising in the Clongowes Foundation, Martin Nugent has announced his retirement and has been replaced in this role by Joseph Rooney (OC’79). Joe (pictured above being congratulated by the Headmaster, Mr Chris Lumb) is in his second term on the school’s Board of Management and is Chair of the Finance Committee. He also sits on the board of two Irish registered companies and is married with four grown up children, the youngest of whom left Clongowes in 2014.
By contrast, our Fundraising Manager, Ms Michelle Burke will be moving to fresh fields and pastures new when she takes up a Head of Business Development role with UCD Smurfit School of Business. Since her arrival in 2013, Michelle has been central to the rejuvenation of the Foundation with Martin Nugent and Aine Burns, focusing on relationship building with OCs and our parents. We wish Michelle every success in her new career.
Following eight years of excellent service, The Foundation’s Administrator, Aine Burns, has decided to move on to a new career and has taken up a position with a well-known law firm in Dublin. We wish to thank her for her excellent work and dedication and wish her well in her new career.
These changes take place at an exciting time for Clongowes. The boys returned in the autumn to a brand new swimming pool together with refurbished dormitories for Elements students. These welcome additions to the College campus follow on the opening of a new sports centre, a science, art and technology building and the James Joyce Library together with many other renovations and changes.
At the same time the Alberto Hurtado Programme continues to fund bursaries for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. None of these developments, all of which are important to the education of the boys, could have taken place without the exceptional generosity of the Jesuit Province, Jesuit Community and many alumni and parents.
The Foundation will continue its work to raise funds for the College’s development so that Clongowes can prosper and play an important role in Irish society. We sincerely thank all who have contributed for their support to date and hope they may be in a position to do so again as we work to complete our ambitious goals for the school.
Martin Nugent will still be contactable at: mnugent@clongowes.net