Key Mayo GMIT Campus appointments announced on twitter
Dr. Richard Thorn has been appointed interim Head of the Mayo GMIT Campus and Kieran Mulvey facilitator in line with the recommendations in the Higher Education Authority report for the sustainable future of GMIT Mayo.
The announcement was made on the GMIT's twitter feed.
It was accompanied by a group photograph featuring Dr. Thorn and Mr. Mulvey.
The initial reaction by members of the Mayo GMIT Action Group is one of disappointment in view of the fact Dr. Thorn's appointment is termed as 'interim'.
A report produced by a working group on the future of the facility had recommended that the severity of the financial situation faced by the campus and the wider institute meant that time was of the essence in implementing the recommendations set out.
As a result, the appointment of 'a permanent head of campus and the establishment of an effective governance structure via the new governing body sub-committee will be the most critical early tasks, as this will provide a leadership framework from which the rest of the recommendations can be rolled out'.
The initial negative reaction to the 'interim' arrangement, however, is reduced by the fact that Dr. Thorn was the first head of the college and is very much aware of what the facility requires going forward.
After his departure from Castlebar in 2001, he worked at director of Sligo IT and was involved in its transformation to one of the finest third-level facilities in the country.
The appointment of Mr. Mulvey, former head of the Workplace Relations Committee, as independent external facilitator will see him oversee the initial implementation process and work with the GMIT Governing Body, executive board and Mayo campus stakeholders to ensure that the structures, processes and conditions are in place to facilitate the full realisation of this plan.
This is expected to facilitate the fasttracking of marketing and programme development initiatives.
The Higher Education Authority envisage that the sustainability plan 'should be fully embedded over a five-year period'.