Mary Immaculate College is pleased to announce that leading biblical scholar, Professor Dermot Nestor, has been appointed as the 11th President of Mary Immaculate College (MIC).
Professor Nestor, originally from Caherdavin in Limerick City, will take up the post in early November, succeeding Professor Eugene Wall who is scheduled to retire later this summer.
Professor Nestor is currently based in Sydney where he is Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Australian Catholic University (ACU). He joined ACU in 2011 from the School of Religions and Theology at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) where he completed his BA (Hons) and his PhD on the topic of ancient Israelite identity. At ACU Professor Nestor served as National Head of School (Theology) and for an extended period, as Executive Dean for the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy. In this role he actively contributed to and provided leadership of a wide range of collaborative international projects and programs on topics that include integral ecology, interreligious dialogue, and biblical and early Christian studies. Professor Nestor has published widely in his specific areas of expertise (ancient Israelite history and religion), and has successfully supervised numerous PhD students. His current work on the archaeology of ancient Israel explores the potential for augmented reality platforms to extend access to the discipline and to contribute to more participatory models of cultural heritage.
Speaking on his forthcoming appointment, Professor Nestor said: “It is a genuine honour to be appointed the 11th President of Mary Immaculate College. It is a role I accept with deep humility and extended gratitude. First of all, I thank the Trustees, and particularly Bishop Brendan, for the faith they have placed in me. Secondly, I acknowledge and acclaim the significant and substantial efforts of former Presidents, particularly Professors Eugene Wall and Michael Hayes. Their imagination and industry has established MIC as Ireland’s leading Catholic College of Education and the Liberal Arts. Finally, I appreciate and acclaim the wide-ranging contributions of MIC staff, students, and alumni, along with the College’s many stakeholders and partners. Their dynamic articulation of the founding vision of Catherine McAuley has ensured the enduring distinctiveness of MIC’s mission commitment and its signature role within and for the wider community. I look forward to working with all members of the College community in building on the legacies that are firmly established, and co-creating the conditions within which MIC can advance its compelling and necessary vision of opportunity for all”.
Congratulating Professor Nestor on his forthcoming appointment Bishop Brendan Leahy, Chair of the MIC Trustees and Governing Authority, said:
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Dermot Nestor as the next President of MIC. With over 20 years’ experience as an academic, researcher and leader, Dermot’s appointment comes at a particularly exciting juncture in the College’s history and he is expertly placed to lead MIC through its next stage of development. The Sisters of Mercy co-founded MIC and the ideals of Catherine McAuley, who established the order, continue to inform the College’s ethos. Catherine McAuley passionately believed in the provision of refuge and the creation of better opportunities through education for those most marginalised in society. With Dermot’s research interests in the sociology, philosophy and history of religion, material culture and Biblical Studies, we can be sure that he will strive to deliver on this vision and will encourage the MIC community to continue making a positive impact on all aspects of society.
In its 125th anniversary year, I am pleased to say that MIC is thriving in terms of student numbers, academic provision and ambition. Given the excellent calibre of staff and students, I am confident that under Dermot’s stewardship and strategic vision that MIC will continue to flourish and play a significant role in the Irish higher education landscape and to bring about impactful change both for its students and the wider community.”
Bishop Leahy added his sincere thanks to retiring MIC President, Prof. Eugene Wall, saying:
“Eugene’s tenure as president has been extremely successful but the six years he has occupied that role make up only a fraction of the 44 years in total that he has spent at MIC, beginning as a lecturer and, prior to his appointment as president, as Registrar/Vice-President for Academic Affairs. In his distinguished career, he has made an enormous contribution, not just to the College, but to Irish education as a whole in terms of research and active participation in numerous organisations including the Teaching Council, the NCCA, CHoICE and City Connects to mention just a few. He has also enhanced the College’s international profile and partnerships, adding to MIC’s appeal as a destination for study, research and work. I wish him the very best as he embarks on his next chapter and thank him most sincerely for his tireless dedication to MIC and to the Irish education system for the past four decades.”
Dermot is married to Mary Ryan and they have two boys, James and Richard.
