OCTOBER 1 has been announced as the first day of the Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest.
From that date Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) and Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) will cease to exist, and more than 15,000 students and 1,200 staff across the Midlands and Midwest will be teaching, learning and researching at the newly designated TUS: Midlands Midwest.
On this day also, Ennis will become a university towns for the first time, given the presence of a campus here, while Athlone, Clonmel and Thurles will also become university towns.
The recruitment of a president for Ireland’s first cross-regional university has also begun, with the application process now opened to suitably qualified persons.The inaugural president will be charged with leading transformational change across adjacent regions linked by the River Shannon.
Chair of LIT Governing Body Tony Brazil said, “October 1, 2021 will not only be a significant day in the history of Irish education, but the beginning of what is potentially a new era in investment and development in the regions. TUS: Midlands Midwest will have the capacity to open up third level, active learning, to regions and a people previously underserved. It will further expand the capacity of research and training that will not only support indigenous and multi-national companies already in the Midlands and Midwest, but will encourage further investment and development outside of Dublin. Friday, October 1, 2021 is not just the first day of the month, but the first day of a brighter future for the regions.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.