Governing Body told to google proposed new NUIG President

Members of the Governing Body of NUI Galway were told to ‘google’ information about the university’s new President – at the meeting in which they approved the appointment.

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh was ratified as the university’s new President by the Governing Body of NUIG at its meeting last September. He replaced Dr James Browne in January.

The meeting was given a short report about the recruitment process for the appointment of a new president, including the work of the search committee, the selection committee and the role of an international recruitment company, Perrett Laver.

They were then informed that the selection committee was recommending Prof Ó hÓgartaigh.

Members were given a “short bio” of the preferred candidate at the end of the written report, but this was not sufficient for some members, according to minutes of the meeting, released following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

“Some members expressed the view that they had expected a more comprehensive report on the presidency recruitment process than that tabled for the Údarás meeting. They stated that they would have welcomed more information in the report such as the personal vision of the preferred candidate, his research experience and standing, his CV, assessment criteria applied during the competition and the identity of the shortlisted candidates. A few members at this point in the meeting, thought themselves unable to support the ratification of the preferred candidate for appointment as President without recourse to further information,” the minutes said.

In response, Gearóid Ó Conluain, secretary of NUIG, said 33 colleagues from the Governing Body, the Academic Council and externally, had a role in the recruitment process. He said that the process of selection had been agreed previously with the Údarás.

Mr Ó Conluain added the selection committee had been entrusted by the governing body to recommend the best possible applicant for appointment and he warned “they should not be second guessed in the work that they had carried out in that regard”.

A discussion about the identify of Prof Ó hÓgartaigh having been “widely known” on campus prior to it being made officially known to the governing body ensued.

A motion to ratify Prof Ó hÓgartaigh was subsequently put to the meeting and it was “agreed without any reservation”.

Following his ratification by Údarás, members of the governing body discussed the recruitment process for the presidency.

During this discussion, Cathaoirleach Justice Catherine McGuinness, “advised members interested in acquiring more information on Prof Ó hOgartaigh, than that presented in the short bio before the meeting, ‘Google’ him as she had drawn down quite an amount of information on that basis”.

The then incoming Student Union President, Lorcán Ó Maoileannaigh, attending his first Údarás meeting, “expressed a degree of discomfiture regarding the ratification of the new president without some understanding of the vision the new president would have for the student body.”

Justice McGuinness said students had contributed to the work of two committees that were “indispensable” to the competition process.

In response Mr Ó Conluain said the previous SU President and other students had “exercised strong leadership” in helping to shape the advice of the committees on the desirable attributes of a new appointee, including a vision for students.

The meeting took a short break at this point, and when they reconvened, a governing body member who was also on the selection committee said the new president was an “exceptional candidate”, whose appointment should be acclaimed by the Údarás.

She called for a “bualadh bos (applause)” in recognition of this. Another member asked the meeting to record a “céad mile fáilte” to the new president.

The minutes added: “A round of applause ensued and the discussion concluded”.