A GERMAN professor has become the first woman to hold the role of president in any of Ireland's universities.
Professor Kerstin May, from Berlin, had held the position of vice president of academic affairs and student engagement at the University of Limerick, and has now been promoted to President-- the first time a woman has held the role.
Professor Mey will serve as interim President of UL following the departure of Dr Des Fitzgerald on 1 September, who announced his retirement in May; the UL Governing Authority confirmed her appointment at a special meeting yesterday, Thursday 9 July.
The appointment of a permanent ten-year term president will be undertaken through an open international recruitment process and is expected to take 18 months; Professor Mey will serve as president throughout this time.
Chancellor of UL's Governing Authority, former Health Minister Mary Harney, said President Mey would be "a great appointee and one in whom we have every faith in to lead the University at a challenging time. She has already demonstrated her capacity for leadership in her role as Vice President.
“There has long been a significant gender imbalance at the senior leadership level in Irish universities and it is fitting that UL now has the first female President given our consistent leading position on gender equality in higher education in Ireland,” Ms Harney added.
Professor Mey has served as Vice President and Professor of Visual Culture at UL since 2018, and previously held roles as Pro-Vice Chancellor and Deanof the Wesminster School of Media, Arts and Design and as Professor of Contemporary Art and Theory at the University of Wesminster in London.
Speaking yesterday, President Mey said she was "proud and really humbled to lead the University of Limerick over the next period”, describing it as "a significant opportunity and also a huge challenge".
UL President, Professor Kerstin Mey, is the first woman to be appointed to the role in any Irish university (Image: University of Limerick)“We have faced very demanding months transitioning into the digital space, which was only possible because each and every one of our staff and students worked very hard to adapt to this challenging situation," she said.
"We will use the insights from that experience to advance our working practices, to transform how we teach and facilitate learning and how we engage in research and knowledge exchange.
“We aim to be an inclusive University that continues to widen access to higher education and fosters opportunity, that values diversity and strives to fully implement our human rights and equality policy.
"The appointment of a woman president signals another step towards gender equality in higher education."
Outgoing president Dr Des Fitzgerald said UL is "very fortunate to have someone of this calibre lead the university".
“Kerstin has tackled the difficult task of the return to UL post-COVID and is well positioned to bring UL through this challenging period.
“She is an outstanding academic with a strong empathy for students and the academic mission of UL. She has a vision for UL that will place it in a leading position nationally and globally."
