Almost 40 students will be conferred with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by NUI Galway today. During the ceremony the University will also confer an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree on former GAA President, Dr Mick Loftus.

A retired coroner and GP, Mick Loftus served as the 28th President of the GAA from 1985 to 1988. As a football player, Dr Loftus played for his native Crossmolina (now Deel Rovers), winning a Mayo Senior Championship medal in 1947, and a Junior medal in 1955. He represented his county at Junior, Minor, and Senior levels, and was captain of the Mayo team that won the 1957 All-Ireland Junior final. He had also been a member of the Mayo team that won the 1951 All-Ireland Senior Football Final. He refereed the All-Ireland Senior Football Final in 1965 and 1968, and the Minor final in 1964. He also participated as Chairperson of the National Referees' Committee and the Rules Revision Group, and was President of the Connacht Council.

Dr Loftus is an advocate for active aging, and was a recipient in the first All-Ireland Inspirational Life Award for his work as chairman of National Council of Aging and Older People, and participated in the 2011 World Senior Games, winning four medals in the 80-85 age group: gold in the 3000m and 400m, silver in the 1500m and 150m. At a previous games, he had broken the world record for 2000m in the 75-79 age group.

All Colleges of the University will be represented at the ceremony, with graduands from the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, the College of Business, Public Policy and Law; the College of Engineering and Informatics; the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences; and the College of Science.

NUI Galway President Dr Jim Browne said: "I would like to congratulate each graduate on their achievement in earning their doctorate degrees. We in NUI Galway are determined that this University will play its full part in producing the graduates and the leaders who will create the future. We have significantly increased our number of PhD graduates in recent years as we strive to meet the needs of the knowledge and innovation economy. I congratulate our honorary graduate, Dr Mick Loftus who we honour today for his contribution to public life in Ireland as an advocate of healthy living, a campaigner against alcohol abuse and for his leadership in the world of sport."

The next conferring to take place at NUI Galway will be the conferring of Honorary Degrees on Friday, 12 June and the summer conferring on Thursday, 18 June.

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