Limerick Woman Appointed as Vice-President, Academic Affairs of Mary Immaculate College
Limerick native and leading sociologist, Dr Niamh Hourigan, has recently been announced as the incoming Vice-President, Academic Affairs of Mary Immaculate College.
Dr Hourigan has worked for four Irish universities in various capacities during the course of her twenty year career in higher education in Ireland. She has recently completed a three year term as Head of the Department of Sociology at University College Cork, where she is currently Senior Lecturer in Sociology having previously served as the Director of Graduate Studies in Sociology for six years.
Dr Hourigan has published widely on a range of themes and her publications including the monographs 'Rulebreakers' (Gill and Macmillan, 2015) and 'Escaping the Global Village: Media, Language and Protest' (Lexington Books, 2003, 2004). She also edited the influential collection 'Understanding Limerick: Social Exclusion and Change' (Cork University Press, 2011). She is a former Chair of the Editorial Committee of Cork University Press and a former editor of the Irish Journal of Sociology. She has also served as External Examiner at the Limerick Institute of Technology and an adjudicator for the NUI postgraduate scholarship scheme.
During her early career, Dr Hourigan was based at St Angela's College of Education, Sligo, for four years as part of programme team establishing a joint BA (Economics and Social Studies) between the College and NUI Galway. She is a frequent contributor to the Irish media and is a native of Limerick city.
Speaking on her appointment Dr Hourigan said “I am delighted to be taking up the role of Vice-President of Academic Affairs at MIC. The College is at a very exciting juncture in its development as its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes go from strength to strength, the excellence of its research is widely recognised and its campus continues to transform in such an impressive fashion. I look forward to supporting both staff and students in MIC in contributing to the College's mission to make a unique impact on higher education and teacher education”.
Congratulating Dr Hourigan on her appointment was Professor Eugene Wall, President of MIC who said “I would like to warmly congratulate Dr Hourigan on her forthcoming appointment to the post of Vice-President Academic Affairs in MIC. Together with my colleagues, I look forward to working with her in dynamically shaping the future of the College. Given her demonstrated expertise and experience, I have great confidence that she will play a pivotal role in leading the academic development of the College in the years ahead”.
Dr Hourigan will take up the position in March 2019.
Mary Immaculate College is a multi-campus institution with a student population of 5,000, offering ten undergraduate degree programmes in Education and the Liberal Arts, as well as a wide range of Continuing Professional Development offerings for teachers and numerous postgraduate opportunities to Master's and PhD level.
