June University of Galway President to step down

University of Galway has announced that Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh is to step down from his role as President.

Professor Ó hÓgartaigh notified Údarás na hOllscoile – the University’s Governing Authority at its scheduled meeting this morning.

The outgoing President will remain in the post until the start of the new academic year.

  Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Chair of the University’s Governing Authority, said: “On behalf of the University of Galway Governing Authority, I would like to thank Professor Ó hÓgartaigh for his work, his achievements and his leadership and wish him the best for the future.

“Professor Ó hÓgartaigh steered this University through the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, with a considerate and caring approach. He has lived and worked through the values of respect, openness, excellence and sustainability. He has been a strong advocate for the sector, in particular for student supports and funding, and he departs at a time when the University is positioned strongly for the future.”

Professor Ó hÓgartaigh said: “I have decided to step down from my role as President of Ollscoil na Gaillimhe/University of Galway to pursue other interests.

“After long and careful consideration, I have concluded that this is the right time as our University is developing a new strategy for 2025-2030; we will have a new Governing Authority in early 2025; and we are preparing for a new academic year.

“I want to express thanks for the support and kindness given to me in my time here, and I wish continued success to our students, alumni, researchers and academics and the professional staff who keep my alma mater - this distinct institution, of this place and from this place - among the best in Europe and the world, a university with no gates. Universities play a profound role in society. Education has had a transformative influence on Ireland. It is a challenging time for the sector with significant and welcome changes to be seen in governance. I hope in this context that we see the vision of investment for the next generation come to fruition.”

Professor Ó hÓgartaigh’s tenure at University of Galway has been marked with significant development in a number of areas, including:

• A top 100 university in Europe, as ranked by QS, and #1 in Ireland; top 5 in the EU; and top 50 in the world for our impact on the Sustainable Development Goals, as ranked by Times Higher Education.
• Securing a Bronze Athena Swan award twice in a row for gender equality, as well as 12 schools receiving awards, including a Silver for the School of Engineering.
• The introduction of a Domestic Violence Policy to confidentially support those who suffer domestic violence; a Positive Action policy to support our commitment to having an inclusive working environment for all; and the Active* Consent initiative.
• Securing the highest research income in the history of the university in 2023, and in the last five years our research income was 40% higher than in the five years prior to that.
• Commencing development of a new Library and Learning Commons; a doubling of on-campus student accommodation; and a 22% growth in international student numbers.
• Being ranked by IBEC in the Top100 employers in Ireland for our work on wellbeing.

Bio

Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh became the 13th president of Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway in January 2018.

Previously, he was Professor of Accounting and Dean of Business at UCD, leading its schools in Dublin (UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and UCD Smurfit Executive Development) and its overseas programmes in Hong Kong, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Having attended Scoil Iognáid and Coláiste Iognáid in Galway, Professor Ó hÓgartaigh was awarded a first class honours, first in class graduate, at what was then University College Galway. He trained as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen and has a PhD in Accounting from the University of Leeds. He has been published widely in the accounting field and has previously held academic positions at Dublin City University, UCD and Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

A former Fulbright scholar at Northeastern University (Boston, USA), he has served as Audit Committee Chair at the then Department of Marine, Communications and Natural Resources and as a member of the Audit Committee at the Department of Finance.

He has also served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Avolon, one of the world’s largest aircraft leasing companies where he also chaired its Audit Committee. He was a member of the non-statutory board of the Saolta Hospital Group and Chair of its Strategy Committee.

As President, he has maintained his research interests with his contribution on the history of financial accounting practice in The Routledge Companion to Accounting History (2nd Edition, May 2020). He has also published on academic leadership including a chapter ‘Of things being various’ in Thriving in Academic Leadership (2023).

He is a board member of the National Library of Ireland on the appointment of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and a member of the Council of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). He chairs the Audit & Risk Committees of both.

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