UL rebrand costs reach €172,000 

The university recorded a surplus of €3.9m amid the Covid-19 closure of the campus, according to new consolidated accounts

The University of Limerick spent a combined €86,670 on 'brand refresh' and 'brand implementation' programmes last year. That amount followed a spend of €85,453 on the brand refresh project in 2019. File picture: True Media

The cost of the rebranding of University of Limerick (UL) has now risen to more than €172,000 in the past two years. 

It comes as UL returned to the black with a surplus of €3.9m amid the Covid-19 closure of the campus, according to new consolidated accounts.

The university spent a combined €86,670 on "brand refresh" and "brand implementation" programmes last year. That amount followed a spend of €85,453 on the brand refresh project in 2019.

The spend in the 12 months to the end of September included €57,710 on the brand refresh and €28,960 on brand implementation.

The new accounts show that UL posted a surplus of €3.9m during the pandemic year after a loss of €2.1m. 

It came as revenues increased 3% to €289.8m, boosted by academic fee income which increased by €10m and operating costs which fell by €7.2m.

Reduction in operating costs

According to the accounts, the timing of the Covid-19 shutdown last year meant that most of the academic fee for the year had already been billed, while the closure of the campus “led to a significant reduction in operating costs”.

Operating costs fell to €67.6m from €74.8m, even as income generated from residences, sports and concert hall fell by €7.5m. 

Des Fitzgerald stepped down from his post as college president at the end of August for health reasons. His salary for the year was €196,665 and the accounts confirm he was paid his notice to the end of 2020.

The accounts also confirm the college spent almost €2.8m on a new climbing wall at its sports arena. 

'Centre for student life'

Another major item of capital expenditure included €2.8m on the "centre for student life" where students “can relax, chill, party, play, be informed, be advised, supported, network and live life”.

The university’s spend on consultants last year increased slightly, to €3.14m, including €681,103 for "strategic project change management and advisory services".

The top earner at the university in the year was a consultant professor at the UL School of Medicine who received between €380,000 and €390,000. 

Part of the pay to the consultant professor is a retrospective pay award that “arose from a settlement following a High Court decision on a number of lead cases”, according to a note to the accounts.