Rev. John M. Conlisk Irish Scholarship has helped Irish students for more than two decades. Opportunity to broaden career prospects and gain global business education.
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (March 16, 2015) - Bags packed, new college degree in hand, Sean Donovan was about to start a job that his heart wasnāt into. But then a letter arrived from ¶¶Ņō»Ęʬapp that changed everything.
It conveyed that Donovan had been awarded the Rev. John M. Conlisk Irish Scholarship to attend the Dolan School of Business, worth about $60,000 to cover all tuition, housing and medical insurance expenses for the time it takes to earn a masterās degree. It is given annually to a graduate student from Ireland to help their career prospects and is an opportunity to further oneās business education. The scholarship is named for the late Fr. Conlisk, a 1954 Fairfield Prep graduate who served the Diocese of Bridgeport.
āIt was amazing,ā said Donovan, of Callan, County Kilkenny, Ireland. āI read it again, and then a third time. I thought, āIāve got to show this to people.ā ā
For Donovan, the full scholarship means an opportunity to obtain a global business education from an American, Jesuit business school.
It couldnāt have come at a better time. Irelandās unemployment rate has been stubbornly high, and hovers now at 10.60 percent. That has led many young Irish people to emigrate for work. Many of Donovanās friends moved to the United Kingdom to become teachers, while some are working as engineers in Australia.
The Rev. John M. Conlisk Irish Scholarship at Fairfield was founded more than two decades ago when the Irish economy was struggling. A group of Irish Americans led by ¶¶Ņō»Ęʬapp trustee Kevin M. Conlisk '66 believed a scholarship would give an Irish student an opportunity to make business contacts and enhance his or her options. The scholarship is named for Mr. Conliskās late brother. Many of the founding scholarship committee members are first or second generation Irish Americans, and established it to help a deserving young Irishman.
Donovan recently had the chance to meet his benefactors. āI thought there would be maybe 10 of them,ā he recalled. āThere were around 40 people. I told them how grateful I am.ā
Donovan, 22, is a 2014 graduate of the University of Limerick, where he earned a bachelorās degree in business studies and majored in accounting and finance.
āI know Iām really lucky to be here,ā said Donovan, who is pursuing an MBA, with a concentration in accounting.
Since starting ¶¶Ņō»Ęʬapp in fall of 2014, he has taken courses in accounting with Dr. Dawn Massey, law and ethics with Dr. David Schmidt, marketing with Dr. Mousumi Bose Godbole, and finance with Dr. Tom E. Conine, Jr. ā A lot of my classes are with working adults and they bring an American workerās point of view into discussions,ā said Donovan, who is complimenting his classroom studies with an internship at KPMG in Stamford, Connecticut. āI also like it when other [international] students bring their points of view into class. And Iām learning a lot of new perspectives from my roommate who is from Asia.ā
The next 12 months at Fairfield will give Donovan plenty of time to explore his options. āI just want to breathe and test the waters here,ā he said.
For more information about the Dolan School, visit
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Posted On: 03-17-2015 03:03 PM
Volume: 47 Number: 212