Staff at the country’s largest Catholic university, Mary Immaculate College (MIC) in Limerick, say they feel “very much in the dark” [1] over a process that could see them further subsumed into the University of Limerick (UL).
Fears have been expressed that any move on the future of the college could dilute the Catholic identity of the institution.
Correspondence obtained by The Irish Catholic reveals that MIC staff are concerned about a perceived lack of information over a proposed “structural alignment” with UL.
The move has been described as potentially “one of the most important strategic developments” in the college’s 125 year history by governing authority, including chairman Bishop Brendan Leahy.
Negotiations between the two institutions are ongoing, but “there is no formal record” as the negotiating teams agreed their meetings shouldn’t be minuted, according correspondence sent to members of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) Mary Immaculate branch on May 3.
The alignment process – which Bishop Leahy has insisted would not be a merger – was announced to staff at a meeting in June 2022, but since then “staff remain very much in the dark”, the email says.