In line with Section 24 of the Universities Act, 1997, the Governing Authority is responsible for the appointment of a person to be the chief officer (President) of its university. The Minister has no role in this process.
The position of President in the University of Galway has been vacant since Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh resigned from his position on September 6th 2024. Professor Peter McHugh was appointed Interim President of the University of Galway by the Governing Authority; his term commenced on 7th September 2024.
The Department has been informed that the process to recruit the next President, being led by the University Governing Authority, Údarás na hOllscoile, is well underway, having commenced in July 2024 upon receipt of notice from the former President. The relevant committees of the Governing Authority have been established to run the process (a Presidency Working Group - Meitheal Uachtaránachta, Search and Selection Committees), and an Executive Search Agency has been procured to assist with the recruitment process.
It is planned that the campaign to recruit a new President will be publicly advertised in the next week and will remain open for a six week period. It is intended that an appointment will be made by the end of July 2025, following a selection process.
