University of Limerick President Professor Kerstin Mey has announced the appointment of a new provost and deputy president.
Professor Shane Kilcommins has been appointed to the role of Provost and Deputy President for a five-year term, which he will commence on July 1.
He replaces Professor Nigel Healy, who was appointed interim provost in late 2020.
A graduate of UL, Professor Kilcommins worked as an Associate Professor in Law at UCC prior to joining UL in 2014. His areas of expertise are evidence law, criminal procedure, penology and legal philosophy.
Since joining UL, Professor Kilcommins was head of the School of Law between June 2014 and December 2020 and has served as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) since April 2021.
Professor Kilcommins is a Fulbright scholar and works with various national and international bodies in criminal justice related areas. He is an examiner for the Law Society of Ireland, and sits on the board of the Victims’ Rights Alliance.
Professor Mey said she wished Professor Kilcommins “every success in his new role”.
“I would like to thank Shane for his outstanding commitment to the University and his focused, inclusive and systematic work as Executive Dean of AHSS and as a member of the Executive Committee,” said Professor Mey.
Professor Kilcommins said: “As an alumnus, I am both honoured and humbled to be able to serve the University of Limerick in the role of Provost and Deputy President. I have always been very grateful for the opportunity to work with the outstanding staff and students in UL.
“I look forward now to further contributing to our understanding of what it means to be a 21st century university operating in the vibrant Mid-West region of Ireland, and how we as a community continue to provide public value in terms of teaching and research excellence, global and regional engagement, innovation, impact, accessibility and inclusiveness.”
The UL President also announced the appointment of Dr Sandra Joyce, who will take on the role as Interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences on July 1.
Dr Joyce is Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and her research interests include the Irish harp and song traditions, historical ethnomusicology and, most recently, environmental humanities.
A traditional singer and bodhrán player, Dr Joyce has performed all over the world, most recently in Boston, Washington DC, Beijing and Shanghai – prior to the pandemic.
She also performed in a series of recent live-streamed and pre-recorded events for the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention and the Dock Arts Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon.
“Dr Joyce has been Director of the Irish World Academy for the past nine years and put her energies behind the development and promotion of creative arts education and practice-led research in UL,” said Professor Mey.
“I am looking forward to welcoming Sandra to the Executive Committee and to working with her over the coming months, and I wish her all the very best for this new responsibility,” she added.