AIB chairman to preside at UCC’s governing body

AIB chairman and former attorney general Dermot Gleeson has been named as the chairman of University College Cork’s governing body.

The announcement by university president Dr Michael Murphy comes just weeks after the new body met for the first time and should give UCC a strong voice in the corridors of power.

Mr Gleeson is one of the country’s leading barristers, having returned to practice following his role as top legal adviser to the Fine Gael-led Rainbow Coalition Government between 1994 and 1997.

He is equally well-known in business circles, particularly from his role as non-executive chairman of AIB, one of the country’s biggest companies. The 58-year-old Cork native and former UCC lecturer is a former director of Independent News and Media, and has served on the boards of the Gate Theatre in Dublin, the National Museum of Ireland and was chair of the Irish Council for Bioethics until recently.

Mr Murphy described Mr Gleeson as one the world’s finest legal intellects, and said he would bring a vast array of proven skills to the governing body as UCC enters a challenging era, but one that also holds the promise of many opportunities ahead.

A key focus in the months ahead will be how to address an expected drop in UCC’s budget allocation from the Higher Education Authority over the next three years.

A number of governors were elected late last year by professors, other academic staff, students, non-academic staff and graduates.

The body will be hoping to guide the college to a high share of various State-funded initiatives, including the €2.7 billion strategy for science technology and innovation and the €500-million strategic innovation fund.