University of Limerick 'withdraws interest' in setting up veterinary school
Acting president Shane Kilcommins confirms news to college community
University of Limerick (UL) has withdrawn its expression of interest to open a new veterinary medicine school.
Acting president, Professor Shane Kilcommins has confirmed the news in an update issued to the college community this Thursday.
UL had, in April 2023, responded to a call from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) who were seeking expressions of interest in introducing the facility.
A planning committee was put in place and last week, meetings were held between veterinarians and college bosses over the proposal.
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However, Prof Kilcommins has now confirmed the plan is off the table.
He said the move came about given the significant estimated capital cost of the proposal, the current pause on capital expenditure, and "the circumstances the university finds itself in".
The withdrawal was considered at UL's executive committee before the acting president wrote to the HEA to pull its expression of interest.
"We recognise the pressing need for additional veterinary places, and we remain interested in responding to that in the medium term. I would like to sincerely thank the members of the veterinary school planning committee for their commitment to the project," Prof Kilcommins added.
"In the meantime, we will continue to focus on a strong recovery plan for the university in the light of the Section 64 review and will continue to deliver our range of existing academic programmes, including the possibility of extending our offerings in some critical demand areas," he added in his letter.
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