The Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS) is today, Monday, January 24, 2022, inviting expressions of interest from external candidates to join its governing body
Established on October 1, 2021, under section 36 of the Technological Universities Act 2018, TUS is Ireland’s third technological university, with six campuses across the Midlands and Midwest.
The new technological university is expected to transform the availability and accessibility of university provision across the Midlands and Midwest, particularly in counties with low third-level educational attainment rates.
TUS Governing Body Chairperson Josephine Feehily highlighted the importance of these positions and the need for the composition of the governing body to reflect a diversity of backgrounds and experience.
“The governing body is essentially the board of the technological university, with a broad range of statutory functions as well as corporate governance responsibilities. Successful applicants will join existing members appointed by Minister Simon Harris and members soon to be elected/selected to represent the staff and students of TUS in helping to lead and set the strategic direction for the technological university as it establishes itself.
“TUs are entirely transforming Ireland’s higher education landscape, in particular levelling the playing field for students in areas previously underserved. TUS is already reinvigorating the Midlands and Midwest regions, providing new opportunities for economic growth and social transformation.
“Strong independent judgement and objective scrutiny will be key to aiding TUS in further developing its agenda, and so we are looking for high calibre candidates from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences to oversee this period of change.”
According to TUS President Professor Vincent Cunnane, TUS’s inaugural governing body will play a central role in helping the technological university fulfil its considerable potential.
“TUS’s governing body will play a pivotal oversight and strategic development role as the university drives forward an agenda of economic prosperity and social cohesion across the Midlands and Midwest regions by responding to and pre-empting skills needs, developing human capital, and providing stakeholders with new opportunities including research and innovation developments as well as access pathways previously unavailable to them.
“Raising regional productivity will be essential for future economic development in the Midlands and Midwest, especially in the indigenous enterprise sector. A wider and deeper skills base will make both regions more attractive for inward investment, especially by overseas companies, and will help to grow future jobs and incomes, making for a better balance of spatial development in Ireland.”
The external members will be appointed by March 30, 2022. The term of office for these appointments is two years.
Potential candidates are invited to read the candidate booklet, available on TUS.ie and Stateboards.ie, submit an expression of interest, including CV and covering letter, in confidence to governing.body@tus.ie.
Expressions of interest will only be accepted by email, and the closing date for receipt of expressions of interest is Friday, February 4, 2022, at 12 noon; more information can be found here.