Tag Archives: UL president

The University of Limerick will this afternoon award an Honorary Doctor of Science to former Ireland rugby captain Paul O’Connell. Dr Paul O’Connell will be the 100th recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Limerick since 1990. Dr Paul O’Connell has a long association with the University of Limerick from his days training in the original PESS swimming pool as a secondary school student, to the years he spent studying computer engineering at UL. He has been a director of the UL Foundation since 2011. In that role in 2012, he gave generously of his time to front the Paul O’Connell Golf Outing, which raised in excess of €50,000 to fund scholarships for students participating in UL’s Access Programme. The scholarships enabled six students from socio-economically disadvantaged areas of Limerick to study degree programmes at the University. Speaking about Paul O’Connell’s Honorary Doctorate UL President Professor Don Barry said, “The awarding of a University of Limerick Honorary Doctorate …

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has confirmed that the University of Limerick continues to have the highest percentage of women at professorial level in the country. Thirty-one percent, or almost one third of professors at UL, are female. This compares to a national average of only 19%. Speaking on the HEA report, UL president, Professor Don Barry said, “A university is about more than just buildings and facilities; it is the people who give universities life; they create a sense of energy and they provide the power to achieve great things. As you will be aware, in UL we are committed to ensuring that all faculty and staff are enabled to achieve their full potential through valuing diversity and equality of opportunity.” UL was last year selected as the only Irish university to participate in FESTA – Female Empowerment in Science and Technology in Academia. A European Commission FP7 funded cross national initiative, FESTA is a five year collaborative project …