Provost & Deputy President - Professor Shane Kilcommins
Shane Kilcommins is a full professor in Law at the University of Limerick. Prior to commencing the role of Provost and Deputy President, he worked Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Head of the School of Law. His areas of expertise are criminal law, evidence law, criminal procedure, penology and legal philosophy. He is a Fulbright scholar, has been appointed an expert with European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. He has also worked as part of a team of inspectors for the Inspector of Prisons. He also chaired the consultative forum on the Victims' Charter, as part of its relaunch by the Minister for Justice and Equality. He has also acted as an expert adviser to Transparency International Ireland. In 2020, he was appointed to An Garda Síochána's Expert Review Group on Recruit Education and Entry Pathways and Learning and Development, to provide strategic advice and make recommendations on the delivery of learning and development interventions in the organisation.
He has supervised 18 Ph.D. students and 2 postdoctoral students to completion. He is an examiner for the Law Society of Ireland, and sits on the board of the Victims' Rights Alliance. He has authored or edited 9 books with publishers such as Manchester University Press, Willan, Clarus Press and Routledge. He has also published reports and numerous articles in leading journals such as the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, International Journal of Evidence and Proof, International Review of Victimology, The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, European Journal of Criminology, and Criminology and Criminal Justice. In addition, he has contributed 25 chapters to edited books, and presented over 75 conference papers.
The Provost & Deputy President is the University’s chief academic officer, with responsibility for overseeing the quality and delivery of the academic programmes offered by the university and all aspects of a student’s academic journey from admission to graduation. This includes:
- effective accreditation and administration processes for academic programmes ensuring that new programmes are consistent with the university’s academic regulations and that there is a process of continuous academic quality assurance and enhancement;
- fostering a culture of innovation in learning and teaching, to ensure that students benefit from the latest developments in pedagogy and learning technology;
- the effective administration and maintenance of student records to manage the student journey, from initial application, scholarships, enrolment, timetabling, examinations, examination boards, progression and the conferment of awards;
- providing a supportive environment in which students can access everything they need to succeed in their academic journey, from a world-class library and Coop office to a comprehensive range of pastoral and academic support services; and
- ensuring that all students can benefit from higher education regardless of their background or circumstances, by promoting equality and diversity as lived values and proactively assisting underrepresented groups to achieve their potential.