THE governing authority at the University of Limerick (UL) this Tuesday (April 21) announced the official appointment of Professor Shane Kilcommins as the president of the university.
Professor Kilcommins has previously held the role of provost and deputy president at UL, and has served as acting president at the university since 2024, following the resignation of Professor Kerstin Mey in the fallout of a controversial property deal.
Professor Mey resigned from her role as president at UL in June 2024, a short few months after she took a leave of absense from the role at a time when UL was under close scrutinty from the Higher Education Authority after it was revealed the university spent €5.2million over the odds for 20 student homes in Rhebogue.
This Tuesday, it was confirmed that Professor Kilcommins will step up to the top job at UL officially.
A statement from the university said Professor Kilcommins “brings extensive academic and executive leadership experience” to the role, “having previously held senior roles including Head of the School of Law and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences”.
“A full Professor of Law, Professor Kilcommins is a respected scholar with a strong record of research, public engagement, and service. His academic work is closely associated with principles of justice, rights, and fairness, including long-standing engagement with organisations and agencies across policing, prisons and the wider criminal justice system.”
The university said that, as acting president, Professor Kilcommins provided leadership during a “period of institutional challenge, representing the university in national fora and working to restore effective relationships with key stakeholders, while maintaining a clear focus on the University’s academic mission”.
A central early priority for Professor Kilcommins, UL said, will be to work closely with the governing authority to agree and advance the university’s next strategic plan.
The appointment was warmly welcomed by UL Chancellor Professor Brigid Laffan, who said that “the Governing Authority has great confidence in Professor Kilcommins’ judgment, integrity and understanding of the responsibilities of leading a public university at a time of significant change in higher education nationally and internationally”.
Reacting to his appointment, Professor Kilcommins said it was “an honour to be appointed president of University of Limerick”.
“UL is a university with a distinctive character and a clear academic purpose, rooted in this region but also confident in its place nationally and internationally.
“From this very special institution emerge the next generation of scholars, researchers, professionals, public servants, athletes, entrepreneurs, artists and creatives. The responsibility of leadership is to protect and strengthen the conditions that allow this to happen, by setting the right tone and ensuring that everyone who works here, in every role and at every level, feels valued, supported, and able to contribute fully.”
He said that “with a renewed sense of shared purpose, UL will articulate and advance its academic mission and its role as a public good, while sustaining an environment of which staff and students can rightly be proud.”