The University of Limerick has appointed Prof Kerstin Mey as its president for a 10-year term, formalising a role she has performed on an interim basis for more than a year.
The university’s governing authority and chancellor Mary Harney confirmed the appointment of Prof Mey had been approved on Friday evening after what it described as an “open competition and recruitment process” involving a selection board comprised of internal and external members.
“President Mey is a very worthy appointee and one who has led the university through a very challenging time in the past year,” Ms Harney said.
“She has more than demonstrated her capacity for leadership in her interim role as president and brought great pride to the entire UL community as the first female president of an Irish university.”
Prof Mey said she was “honoured that the governing authority has appointed me to lead the University of Limerick through the next decade of its advancement”. She said she wanted the university to “capitalise on UL’s heritage as pioneer, entrepreneur and disruptor”. She said UL would have a”major part to play in the social, economic and ecological transformation of the Mid-West region”.
Prior to taking on the role of interim president, Prof Mey held the position of vice president academic affairs and student engagement at UL.
She was appointed vice president and professor of visual culture at UL in April 2018, having previously held roles as pro-vice chancellor and dean of the Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design and as professor of contemporary art and theory at the University of Westminster, London.
