PROFESSOR Shane Kilcommins has been appointed as the University of Limerick’s new President.
Having been Acting President since June 2024 following the resignation of Professor Kerstin Mey, Professor Kilcommins has been working to restore UL’s relationships with key stakeholders during a period of institutional challenge.
His appointment was confirmed by the Governing Authority of UL on Tuesday afternoon.
He has been Provost and Deputy President of UL since June 2022 with former roles including Head of the School of Law and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. A native of Ballinsaloe in Galway, Shane has lived in Charleville with his wife Maria but the family now resides on campus in the President’s residence located in Co Clare.
A full Professor of Law, Shane 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.
Agreeing and advancing UL’s next strategic plan is an early priority for Kilcommins during his Presidency. He said, “It is 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. What makes UL distinctive is the breadth of the education it offers. An education at UL encompasses not only how students are taught and what they study, but how they develop as individuals, how they understand relationships, and how they engage with wellbeing, creativity, diversity and community. Here, academic excellence sits alongside sport, culture and the arts, and no one is defined by a single pathway or identity. That is the hallmark of an education for life, and one of the defining strengths of this University.
“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. I am confident in the future of this University. 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,” he added.
Welcoming the appointment, Professor Brigid Laffan, UL Chancellor stated, “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. He brings academic credibility, strong institutional knowledge and a principled approach to both scholarship and governance. Under his leadership, this University will stretch its ambition while remaining faithful to its core values”.
His predecessor, Prof Mey resigned as President as part of a settlement agreement after she was threatened with disciplinary action over due diligence and adherence to policies during the UL’s 2022 purchase of a 20-house development at Rhebogue, Co Limerick, for rent to 80 postgrad and research students. UL paid some €12.4m for the development, which was valued for the Comptroller and Auditor General just a year later at €6.5m with an “in-use” value put at €7.4m.
