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Press release

Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD, appoints the new Board of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD)

Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton TD, today announced the appointment of the new Board (An Bord) of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD).

Following an open recruitment process, the Minister is pleased to appoint the following members to An Bord:

  • Dr Richard Thorn, Chair
  • Ms Sinéad Ryan
  • Ms Jane McDaid
  • Ms Christine O’Donovan
  • Mr Frederick M Goltz
  • Mr Darragh Hogan

The following members of An Bord were appointed by the Minister following nominations and elections by the staff and student body of the College:

  • Ms Gráinne Murphy
  • Ms Sonia O’Dwyer
  • Ms Rachel Tuffy
  • Dr Declan Long

NCAD was established under the provisions of the NCAD Act 1971. The College has four faculties – Design, Education, Fine Art and Visual Culture – and offers a large range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

NCAD is based on the site of the Powers Whiskey Distillery in the heart of the Liberties in Dublin’s city centre. It has a community of 1,500 undergraduate, postgraduate and part-time students. NCAD is a recognised College of University College Dublin (UCD) since 2011 with UCD providing accreditation, validation and award of qualifications, enhancement of programmes of study and quality assurance and enhancement.

Minster Bruton said:

“The National College of Art and Design plays a central role in the provision of art and design education in the State. Under the leadership of Dr Thorn as Chair, I am confident that the new members of An Bord will bring their valuable expertise and experience to bear in addressing the issues and circumstances facing the College as well as in supporting the College's education mission and strategic objectives. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Dr Thorn and his Board colleagues every success in their roles.”

The functions of An Bord are prescribed under Section 5 of the National College of Art and Design Act, 1971 and include the management of the College and the organisation and administration of its affairs.

Mary Mitchell O Connor TD, Minister for Higher Education, also welcomed the appointments:

“I would like to express my appreciation for the work of the outgoing Board of the NCAD in making substantial progress in addressing a number of governance issues within NCAD. I would like to acknowledge the particular contribution of the previous Chair, Professor Niamh Brennan. I wish the new members of An Bord well as they continue to develop and implement the necessary frameworks which will not only address these issues but will also assist in the strategic planning and development of NCAD into the future.”

The appointment by the Minister of a Chairperson and 9 members, in addition to the Director of NCAD as an ex-officio member of the Board, meets the necessary requirements for the size of An Bord under the NCAD Act 1971.

ENDS


Notes to the Editor:

The National College of Art and Design (NCAD)

NCAD was established in 1971 and is governed by a board appointed by the Minister for Education and Skills. The College has four faculties - Design, Education, Fine Art and Visual Culture.

NCAD has been a recognised College of UCD since 2011, with UCD providing accreditation, validation and award of qualifications, enhancement of programmes of study, and quality assurance and enhancement.

The College's campus is situated in Thomas Street, in the Liberties area of Dublin.

The current Director Ms Sarah Glennie assumed her post from 3rd January 2018.

The website of the NCAD is available at www.ncad.ie.

Functions of the Board:

The functions of An Bord generally are prescribed under Section 5 of the National College of Art and Design Act, 1971. An Bord is assisted in the discharge of its responsibilities by an Audit and Risk Committee comprising three independent non-executive board members and an external financial expert.

Recruitment Process:

The Ministerial appointments to An Bord follow an open recruitment process which was facilitated by the Department of Education and Skills. An independent panel assessed the applications and provided the Minister with a list of shortlisted candidates from which to make his formal appointments to An Bord. The details of the Ministerial appointees are set out below:

Dr Richard Thorn, President Emeritus of IT Sligo. Dr Thorn previously held the position of Director of Flexible Learning at Institutes of Technology Ireland (IOTI) as well as Head of the Castlebar Campus of GMIT.

Ms Sinéad Ryan, Secretary to the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Ms Ryan has also held the position of Director of Internationalisation at Trinity College Dublin.

Ms Jane McDaid, Founder and Head of Creative Innovation at THINKHOUSE, a creative youth marketing agency based in Dublin with a presence in London.

Ms Christine O’Donovan, Senior Partner and Head of International Asset Finance at Mason Hayes & Curran.

Mr Frederick M. Goltz, Founder of Hattington Capital, London.

Mr Darragh Hogan, Director at Kerlin Gallery, Dublin. Mr Hogan was also a part-time lecturer at the National College of Art and Design.

The following members of An Bord were appointed by the Minister following nominations and elections by the staff and student body of the College:

Ms Gráinne Murphy, Student representative

Ms Sonia O’Dwyer, Student representative

Ms Rachel Tuffy, Academic Staff representative

Dr Declan Long, Academic Staff representative

  • Director of NCAD, Ms Sarah Glennie, is an ex-officio member of the Board

The fees payable to board members are as follows:

The Board positions are unremunerated. Travel and subsistence allowances will be paid in respect of journeys undertaken to attend meetings of An Bord or to transact its business in accordance with approved public sector rates.

Gender balance

The gender balance of An Bord is 36% male representation and 64% female representation.