University of Limerick graduate wins full scholarship to Charles F. Dolan School of Business | Press Releases

Conor Ryan, a 2005 graduate of the University of Limerick in Ireland, has won the coveted Father John Conlisk Scholarship, receiving full tuition and room and board while he completes his M.S. in Finance at Fairfield University.

Ryan, son of Maura and Jim Ryan of Castleisland, County Kerry, said he was surprised to learn such a scholarship existed, let alone that he was this year's recipient.

"I heard about the scholarship through a careers presentation at the college," he said recently. "At first I didn't give much thought to it because it just seemed too good to be true. It was like something that would happen in the movies."

Instituted in 1990, the Conlisk Scholarship is awarded every year to an MBA or MS in Finance candidate from Ireland. In addition to tuition and room and board, it pays medical insurance expenses for the time it takes to complete the degree, usually about three semesters since the students are attending full-time. The total grant generally amounts to between $40,000 and $50,000.

"It means an awful lot to my family to be honest. They're very proud," said Ryan, the youngest of four brothers. "The local newspaper did a cover story on it as well and the whole town saw it!"

This is the fifth consecutive year that the Conlisk Scholarship has been awarded to a UL graduate, though it is open to business students across Ireland. Donal Dineen, dean of UL's Kemmy Business School, said the school promotes it heavily to worthy students because Fairfield's Charles F. Dolan School of Business has a reputation for good programs. The school is among the 25 percent of all business schools accredited by AACSB International.

"Coming here gives them an extra stripe. It's great for them," he said during a recent visit to Fairfield. "Everybody's happy with it."

Ryan, 21, developed an interest in business in high school, after taking a class with a teacher who was passionate about the subject. His brother attended UL's business school and Ryan's interest grew after reading several biographies of business leaders.

"Initially I suppose a desire for money sparked my interest in business, but after a while I realized that I had an affinity for it," he said. "I realized that working in finance would represent more than just a paycheck for me and I began to think that I could make a mark in it."

Currently completing a summer internship with Citigroup in Dublin, Ryan plans to take his certified finance analyst exams in the next five years and hopes to work in an investment bank in London or New York.

In his spare time, he's an avid soccer player and fan, who has traveled to England and Los Angeles to play with the Castleisland team. He's also traveled to Scotland, Greece, Germany and Austria, and he's looking forward to living and studying in Fairfield.

"A few of my friends have been to Long Island on J1 summer visas so I knew how nice the area was," he said, adding that Fairfield's MS in Finance program appeals to him as well.

Dineen said having so many Conlisk winners is helping to internationalize the University of Limerick, which has the largest undergraduate business school in Ireland. He also hopes to develop a study abroad program with Fairfield.

Kevin Conlisk, one of the principal owners of the Alinabal Co. of Milford, Conn., is part of a group that instituted the Conlisk Scholarship at Fairfield University. The scholarship is named for Conlisk's late brother, a 1954 Fairfield Prep graduate who served the Diocese of Bridgeport. About 20 local residents of Irish heritage comprise the committee that awards the scholarship each year. Many of the committee members are of the first or second generation in the United States. When their parents or grandparents immigrated, they had very little education, and they wanted to better themselves and see their children become educated, Conlisk said.

"This was the driving force in my youth and also, I can say, in the youths of the other committee members," Conlisk said.

When the scholarship was born, Irish students graduating from Irish colleges faced a bleak job market. Bringing them to Fairfield for graduate school meant a chance to make contacts with U.S. firms here and abroad. While the Irish economy (since known as the Celtic Tiger) has grown tremendously, "the scholarship adds a new dimension of exposure to the American system and, ultimately, American employment," says Conlisk.

Each year, the Connecticut Irish Open golf tournament and an Irish concert held at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts raise money for the scholarship. The local Irish community also reaches out to the students, taking them in on holidays and long weekends, and introducing them to local Irish cultural events, said Norman Solomon, Ph.D., dean of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

"The Father Conlisk Scholarship not only benefits the individual receiving the award but also the graduate student body as a whole," Dr. Solomon said. "There is a tremendous learning opportunity that occurs when American students are exposed to students from other cultures both academically and socially. We are indeed fortunate to be supported by the philanthropy of the Conlisk family and of the area Irish community."