Emergency meeting held to address University of Limerick controversies
UNIVERSITY of Limerick authorities are “fully united” following an emergency meeting of UL’s governing authority, which has heard that “outstanding governance matters” need to be concluded “once and for all.”
According to a statement issued to the Limerick Leader this Tuesday, “the executive committee is fully united and is working with the UL President Professor Kerstin Mey and Provost and Deputy President, Professor Shane Kilcommins together with the governing authority to address any outstanding governance matters.”
And despite sources suggesting last week that Mr Kilcommins had resigned on May 25 in the wake of the university’s appearance at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the statement issued by a spokesperson for UL points out that “Professor
Shane Kilcommins has not and did not resign from his role as Deputy President and Provost of University of Limerick.”
In an email sent to UL staff and students this Monday, the university’s governing authority stated that all outstanding issues regarding the City Campus “must be tackled urgently”.
Following a heavily criticised appearance of UL President Kerstin Mey before the PAC, the emergency meeting took place on Sunday.
After the meeting, it was agreed by UL’s governing authority that the way the questions at the PAC were answered, “reflected poorly” on the university.
The email also stated that “given the legal advice,” UL’s governing authority accepted that a “discussion in public session was not straightforward.”
They stated that transparency was “intrinsic” to “good governance and how the university communicates”.
UL’s president agreed to fully resource a strategic governance committee, which will be led by Provost and Deputy President Shane Kilcommins.
According to the governing authority, the first order of business of the committee must be to “unblock” any impediments to the governing authority viewing the KPMG report, which the governing authority commissioned to begin with.
The report contains details of UL’s purchase of the former Dunnes Stores site on Sarsfield street, which cost them €5m over a council value.
The governing authority has also requested to be regularly updated on the progress being made, and the first report should be presented to them on June 15.
Several staff members told the Limerick Leader that they were left “appalled by the management” following the PAC appearance, as well as by Professor's Mey “circus-like performance” and “soap-opera performance” in PAC.
As a result, “many professors” signed a letter that was presented to UL's governing authority, as they felt they were “left in the dark.”
The letter which will be responded to, according to a spokesperson from UL.
In another email sent to staff on May 24, the UL president said that part of the criticism received following PAC was “completely fair.”
She stated that she was “keenly aware of the concerns expressed” by many staff members following the institution's PAC appearance, particularly about replying “too defensively” to some of the questions about the City Campus.
During the PAC sitting, she admitted that the governing authority of UL had never seen the KPMG report into the €8 million acquisition of the former Dunnes Stores.