UL to spend €60k on 'executive search services' to replace president after overpayment controversy

Darragh Mc Donagh

The University of Limerick is set to spend €60,000 on executive search services to find a new president, after the previous officeholder resigned in the wake of controversies involving overpayments for property purchases.

Last year, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General found that the university had overpaid for a former Dunnes Stores site in the city by €3 million, while the price paid for 20 houses in Rhebogue was €5.2 million over the actual value.

Former president Kerstin Mey resigned following a mediation process in June 2024 after students and staff expressed no confidence in her leadership. She had been on leave since the previous March.

She was paid €215,663 during her last 11 months in the role, having received a salary of €225,559 in 2023.

Last October, the Public Accounts Committee was told that Ms Mey was continuing to be paid €175,000 per annum following her resignation in a new role as a professor of visual culture at the university.

Last week, the university said its governing authority would be leading a search and selection process to replace Ms Mey, and that this work was now advancing, more than 12 months after her resignation.

However, it appears that much of this work will be outsourced after the college published an advertisement seeking tenders for “executive search consultants” earlier on Wednesday.

These consultants will assist a “search board” and “selection board” within the university in its bid to find a permanent replacement for Ms Mey. The role has been filled in an acting capacity by Professor Shane Kilcommins.

The service provider will be expected to compile lists of suitable candidates and attend meetings of the university search board. They will also conduct consultations with various groups, including the Friends of the University of Limerick.

It will also draft an advertisement for the role, which will be published in both national and international media, and will be involved in the identification of the successful candidate.

The consultants will also be tasked with compiling “in-depth” background information on each candidate for the selection board, along with other briefing material on short-listed individuals.

The deadline for prospective service providers to tender for the contract, which is valued at €60,000 plus VAT, is July 23rd.