Garvey to retire from IT Tralee

A Clare man who is head of the governing body of IT Tralee will retire from the position at the end of July.

Flan Garvey, a former Mayor of Clare, has held the role since 2001 and was due to remain as chairman until 2016. The Inagh man told The Clare Champion he is proud of his achievements during his time as chairman.

At the end of last year, 26 members of staff at the college made a complaint of plagiarism against Mr Garvey. This related to a thesis he submitted for his masters at IT Tralee in 2008. Mr Garvey stood aside from his position as chairman of the board while an investigation took place. An external investigation panel found that plagiarism had occurred in two chapters of the thesis but that the plagiarism was unintentional. It also concluded that there was no evidence of conflict of interest. Afterwards, Mr Garvey said he would be returning to his post with immediate effect and intended to remain in the role until the end of his term.

However, IT Tralee this week stated that Mr Garvey informed a governing body meeting on Monday of his decision to retire as chairman of the institute, effective July 31.

“The governing body accepted Mr Garvey’s decision and in doing so acknowledged his significant contribution to the institute during his term as chairman since 2001. The institute has informed the Department of Education and Skills of Mr Garvey’s decision. The institute will be making no further comment on this matter,” a statement from the college said.

Mr Garvey stated on Wednesday that he was glad to have his name cleared and was pleased with his tenure as chairman of the college.
“I am very happy with all my years working for IT Tralee and I am proud of my record there, which is acknowledged in the statement. I am delighted that as expected I was completely and unequivocally cleared of all allegations against me in recent times and that my good name has been cleared. Finally, I am happy with the agreed statement issued by the college and myself,” he concluded.