President of TU Dublin to step down after period of financial ...

The president of Technological University of Dublin, Prof David FitzPatrick, has announced he is to step down from the role.

In an email sent to staff on Wednesday, Prof FitzPatrick said he would be taking up a position with the University of Nottingham. He is to become provost and chief executive of the University of Nottingham Malaysia, a private operation near Kuala Lumpur, from June 1st.

The announcement comes after a prolonged period of financial turbulence at TU Dublin, which was formed through a merger of the Dublin Institute of Technology colleges at the start of 2019. Prof FitzPatrick, who was previously a senior staff member at UCD, became president at that time. TU Dublin has more than 20,000 students at five campuses around Dublin.

Problems initially came to light with regard to the hiring of consultants to advise on the merger process and the ongoing reorganisation that flowed from it. Concerns were raised when an overspend on the contract was not authorised by the university’s governing body and a review of the its tendering process was subsequently recommended.

It was then reported the university had suffered a deficit of €10 million related to an unexpected 2,500 drop in student numbers. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) intervened and subsequent reviews found the shortfall was actually €8.6 million.

A report by external consultants BDO attributed the overstatement to a number of human errors and suggested that communication between key departments needed to be improved.

There had, however, been a significant drop in student numbers and though the precise number reported shifted in the months that followed, the uncertainty generated additional concern inside the university and at the HEA regarding governance structures and procedures.

The university’s reaction to those concerns also appeared to generate frustration at the HEA. After a recent meeting between senior officials at the two bodies, HEA chief executive Dr Alan Wall wrote to the chair of TU Dublin’s governing body, Dr Charles Larkin, to express “serious concerns with the apparent lack of urgency, responsiveness and conduct by the governing body to address this matter in a timely and constructive manner”.

He said that “strong leadership” was “critical to the delivery of TU Dublin’s financial wellbeing, operational resilience, performance and reputation”.

Dr Wall added: “There is a requirement for strategic, adaptive and timely responses to these matters, which are of serious concern to me.”

Dr Larkin subsequently wrote to staff saying the governing body would become more involved in the day-to-day management of the university. In recent weeks, however, more than 20 department heads signed a letter to Prof FitzPatrick raising concerns about financial management and teaching staff passed a number of motions of no confidence in him.

In his email, Prof FitzPatrick said he had made the decision to leave TU Dublin last year. He acknowledged the financial and governance issues, and said that “having put the key elements of a platform for growth in place, I also recognise that this is an appropriate time for new energy to take the reins”.

“In the time before I stand down, I’m committed to ensuring that we develop a financial recovery plan that will demonstrate a sound financial footing.”

In a statement, the university’s students’ union welcomed Prof FitzPatrick’s decision and said it agreed “a change in leadership is overdue. The SU anticipates this change positively and looks forward to a renewed focus on the student experience”.

Though Prof FitzPatrick will formally leave TUD at the end of May, his role and functions will be taken on an interim basis with immediate effect by Professor John Doran, Dean of Sciences and Health at the university.

The appointment was confirmed in a message to staff issued on behalf of the governing body after it met on Wednesday evening.

Separately, the university also confirmed that its chief operating officer, Denis Murphy, will leave his role in the summer. It said he had informed the governing body on Wednesday that as he will reach retirement age then, it is his intention to depart.

Listen to our Inside Politics Podcast for the latest analysis and chatSign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phoneFind The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date