|
UL defends construction of “lavish” President’s house |
|
|
Written by Seamus Ryan
|
|
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 |
|
STAFF and students at the University of Limerick have hit back against allegations by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe that the construction of a multi-million euro residence on the UL campus for the university’s president is “lavish”.
Speaking on RTE’s Morning Ireland radio show last Friday, Minister O’Keeffe said that he had only “recently learned” of the five-bedroomed house. "Obviously at a time of stringent financial constraints one would always ask people in authority to exercise restraint. It sounds lavish," the Minister said. The Minister intends to order a report into the construction of the house.
The three-storey home has reception and living rooms, a double-height dining room with a terrace, a family living room and kitchen and five bedrooms. While UL authorities have confirmed that the university spent 1.1 million euros on the residence up to the end of last September, add-on costs to the house including fixtures and outside infrastructure are likely to leave the final cost at over 3 million euros when the house is ready for occupancy next month
Responding to the Minister’s statements, Eamon Cregan, director of corporate affairs at UL strongly defended the decision to build the residence: "This is private money applied for a public purpose. It is a building on campus which the university will have at its disposal for a wide range of public events and campus functions as well as obviously providing residence for the president. There are similar buildings at other facilities such as Trinity and other colleges and is in line with what happens at the best of international universities.”
The entire cost of the house is understood to have been donated by Atlantic Philantropies, a private foundation created in 1982 by American billionaire Chuck Feeney. The foundation has donated over a billion dollars to Irish third-level institutions including research facilities at UL and Dublin City University, as well as a library at Trinity College Dublin. Since 2001, the first year donations were made public, Atlantic Philantropies has donated over 40 million euros to UL.
Ruan Dillon-McLoughlin, Students’ Union President, announced his support for the building of the residence, saying that “It is part of the long term strategic plan for the University that will help see the University become a world class University in terms of infrastructure.”
Students also appear supportive of the new building, due in part to UL’s history of constructing new buildings with philanthropic donations over its 38 year history. “I reckon the minister is just looking for an easy headline – the money was provided just for this purpose so UL could either take it or hand it back” said business student Shane O’Sullivan.
Health & Safety student Nicki Nesbitt also threw a jaded eye over the Minister’s announcement, saying: “I wonder why Batt O'Keefe is choosing to highlight this issue now? He's been on campus often enough during the construction of the house to ask questions.”
UL President Professor Don Barry will avoid a 10% pay cut when he moves into the residence next month. A 2001 report by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector recommended that university presidents have their salary reduced by 10% if their residence is not on campus or significantly used for official purposes. As the house will be used for university events as well as hosting visiting dignitaries, the pay cut will not be levied.
Welcoming the near-completion of the house last week, Professor Barry said "UL is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful campuses in Europe and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to live on campus while I am President. I look forward to welcoming visitors and colleagues to the house in the coming months and years and to the benefits that this fine building will bring to UL in the future".
|
