University of Limerick elects Prof Brigid Laffan as new chancellor

Professor Brigid Laffan was bestowed with an honorary doctorate by UL in 2022. File Picture: Sean Curtin/ True Media.

The University of Limerick (UL)  has unanimously elected Professor Brigid Laffan as chancellor and chair of its Governing Authority.

The institution had failed to elect a chancellor last month, for the first time in its history.

Proposed candidate Rose Hynes, who had been deputy chancellor, failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed among members to ratify her candidacy during a meeting of the authority in early October.

Last week, it was reported that Ms Hynes had resigned to make way for a new candidate.

Prof Laffan, a distinguished academic and political scientist, will now take over from outgoing chancellor Mary Harney, who had been in the role since 2018.

A native of Caherciveen, Co Kerry, Prof Laffan was one of the very first students to attend UL in 1972, when it was known as the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE).

In 2022, UL awarded her an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in in recognition of her exceptional contribution to academia and to European affairs.

Speaking on Thursday, UL President Prof Kerstin Mey said the institution was "truly fortunate to have secured a person of her calibre, international profile, and abilities."

“UL recently appointed a new Governing Authority," Prof Mey said.

"I see it as a great endorsement of this institution that our internal elections and call for external expressions of interest have resulted in persons of such eminence agreeing, pro bono, to support UL and guide our strategic direction as well as overseeing our institutional governance."

Prof Mey added: "This is an incredibly significant appointment for this institution as I know it is for Brigid too.

We could not be in better hands as we work to ensure that UL takes its position amongst the leading academic institutions globally. 

Commenting on her appointment, Prof Laffan said her decision to enrol at UL 51 years ago proved to be "the formative decision of my life and I, and my classmates, have retained a deep empathy and commitment to UL."

“I have watched the university grow and flourish over the last 50 years and now, as the newly elected Chancellor, I very much look forward to being part of its future.” 

Prof Laffan said UL was "an extraordinary institution" and that its impact on region, and its academic excellence and high-quality research, were "plain to see". 

"UL’s international profile is also in the ascendency," she said. "We have much to celebrate and we have even more to achieve. 

"I look forward to working with the President, her executive team and with my Governing Authority colleagues to ensure the continued prosperity and sustainability of our university.”