‘Reputation of college was under threat’, says University of Limerick president

THE REPUTATION of University of Limerick (UL) was “under threat” when Professor Kerstin Mey took over as president, she has said.

In her opening address to the Public Accounts Committee over questions related to the college's purchase of the former Dunnes Stores site in 2019 for €5m over a council value, Prof Mey said: “Upon taking office, it became abundantly clear to me that the very reputation of this institution was itself under threat.”

However, she says since she took over, initially as interim president, then on a permanent basis, the college has become a “much-changed institution”.

“I am happy to tell the committee that since I last addressed it, UL is a much-changed institution,” she told Oireachtas members. “The implementation of significant changes to our operational model and our institutional culture have required resolute action,” Prof Mey said.

She said since she has come in, “It has not been an easy task to tackle the governance, performance and systems issues”.

“Though there is a journey yet to travel, I am pleased to tell the committee today that major change has been delivered.”

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She said there had been changes in structure, culture and personnel. Former practices, she added, had been eradicated, and there has been the introduction of high standards of transparency, accountability and probity.

But there was criticism of the assembled UL executives from the committee for their approach to some of the questions.

Dublin TD Paul McAuliffe asked on several occasions whether university staff believed they paid more than market value for the former Dunnes Stores site in Sarsfield Street.

Another member of the committee, Sinn Fein's John Brady criticised the college's representatives for being “less than helpful” and “evasive” in their approach to the committee.

He pressed Prof Mey on whether media consultants had been hired to help them through the committee hearing.

After asking the questions a number of times, he was told this was the case. “I hope you have the receipts for the media consultants. I’d be looking for a full refund,” concluded the TD.