Former Mayo county manager Des Mahon has been appointed as chairman of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT ) governing body.
The five-year appointment was made by Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn. Mr Mahon succeeds Rory O’Connor, whose term ended in May, and Donagh O’Donoghue who was acting chairperson in the intervening period.
GMIT president Michael Carmody has welcomed Mr Mahon’s appointment as GMIT chairman: “Des Mahon’s experience will be a valuable asset in delivering the next stage of development of the institute and we look forward to working together over the next five years.”
GMIT has some 8,160 students (full and part-time ) and almost 660 staff in five campuses across Galway and Mayo. The institute offers programmes in business, engineering, science and technology, hotel and tourism, humanities, and specialist areas such as agriculture and environment, nursing and health sciences, furniture design and technology, art and design, film and television, and outdoor education.
GMIT has formed strategic alliances with NUI Galway and The Marine Institute and is developing alliances with the other institutes of technology in the region to ensure effective provision of higher education. The institute continuously engages with its stakeholders (industry, employers, professional bodies, public organisations, community groups ) to inform key decisions.
The institute also responds to the needs of the region through its programmes of applied research and development in three specialist areas - marine and fresh water, biomedical engineering, and the built environment – and the establishment of a regional innovation hub, support for entrepreneurship, and the provision of relevant and current professional development for the workforce.
