Irish educators impressed with Albany Tech

ALBANY — Two educators from Ireland who visited Albany Technical College last week said they were returning home impressed with the people they met and what they saw of the campus on their one-day tour.

Walter O’Leary and Sara Kennedy, of Ireland’s Waterford Institute of Technology, were given a walking tour of the Albany Tech campus by President Anthony Parker on Thursday.

The visit was scheduled by the International Center for the Technical College System of Georgia, which works to align TCSG’s international programming with Georgia’s strategic international partnerships and to globalize technical and vocational education and training. The focus of the pair’s visit was to explore opportunities for WIT students at ATC in nursing and allied health professions.

“We came over to visit due to an interest in what Albany Technical College and the technical colleges in Georgia are offering in nursing education and the overall student environment, and we were very impressed with what we saw today,” Kennedy said. “Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and the facilities at Albany Tech are wonderful.”

Kennedy said she learned a great deal from the visit.

“We want to send our students over to share in learning experiences between our institutions,” she said. “We are not able to use simulations to the same degree as the technical colleges here, so the facilities here are what we are looking for. The facilities at Albany Tech are second to none.

“I enjoyed seeing all the students and they were all friendly as we met them in the hallways. Staff here are also very dedicated and just amazing. The visit has been a joy from first to last.”

O’Leary also said he was impressed by the experience.

“We have taken students from here to Ireland in order to expose them to the different cultures, which we believe is very important to their learning experiences,” he said. “I’m extraordinarily envious of the facilities here at Albany Technical College, and are extremely grateful to President Parker for his hospitality and his welcome.”

O’Leary even offered to help set up Albany Tech’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration next month.