AS we gear up to recognise our teaching heroes at the 14th annual Blackboard Awards, West Belfast education institution St Mary’s University College is delighted to be involved once again.
Based on the Falls Road, the college is marking the 125th year of a remarkable journey that began in 1900.
The origins of the college can be traced back to 1900 when the Dominican Sisters opened St Mary’s Training College on the present campus with an enrolment of 100 female students.
After an amalgamation with St Joseph’s Training College, the new university college came formally into existence in September 1985.
Today, St Mary’s purpose is to make a distinctive contribution of service and excellence, in the Catholic tradition, to higher education in the North.
Peter Finn is Principal at St Mary’s University College and he is delighted to be involved in the Blackboard Awards.
"As St Mary's University College Belfast marks its 125th anniversary, we are pleased to support the Blackboard Awards as part of our long-standing commitment to education, service and community development," he said.
"The awards recognise the invaluable contribution of teachers and support staff whose dedication shapes young lives every day and we certainly support such recognition.
"School education is the foundation of all cultural, economic and social progress across the world, and at this milestone in the College's history, it is especially important that we acknowledge and celebrate those who sustain and strengthen that foundation in our schools."
The 2026 Blackboard Awards will take place at the Europa Hotel on Friday, January 30.
