Professor Gina Quin will retire from her role as President of National College of Ireland (NCI) when she completes her second term in August of this year.
The past ten years have seen continued growth at NCI and Professor Quin’s visible legacy will be the significant extension of the college in Dublin’s North-East Inner City through the purchase of Spencer Dock, a companion building to the original Mayor Square building, forming a strong campus presence in the IFSC and NEIC.
Professor Quin has overseen significant organisational change, underpinning the resilience of NCI, its reputation as a college that maximises access to higher education, its clear impact on Dublin’s inner city educational achievements, and engagement with employers. The President has expressed sincere gratitude to NCI’s Governing Body for their faith in her and to her colleagues for their expertise and support.
On her watch, research at the college has been prioritised and grown to new levels; academic excellence and pedagogy, including innovative methods of delivery to increase access, have remained a priority, and NCI’s unique relationship with industry has been nurtured.
Professor Quin has championed the achievement of NCI’s Athena Swan bronze award, which particularly acknowledges NCI’s intersectional approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, and NCI’s Autism Friendly HEI designation by AsIAm, among many other EDI programmes.
Core to Professor Quin’s vision has been the shepherding of NCI’s Early Learning Initiative (ELI), which continues to have a direct and positive impact on marginalised families in disadvantaged communities, not just surrounding the college, but nationally.
She has excelled at keeping the college on mission: ‘to change lives through education’, placing students at the heart of NCI. Under her leadership, NCI became one of the first HEIs to sign a Student Partnership Agreement with the Students’ Union. It was her drive to deliver more for students, and to deliver better access to higher education, that secured the campus expansion of NCI Spencer Dock.
Professor Quin leaves National College of Ireland, as it celebrates its 75th anniversary, bigger, stronger, and ready for the future. NCI’s Chairman, Mr Brendan McGinty, notes, “Over the past 10 years, under Gina’s leadership, the college has delivered an immense organisational performance, which has consolidated NCI as a leader in the educational sector, while honouring its mission to widen participation and access to higher level education.”
The Governing Body of NCI has already commenced the recruitment process for the next President and are prepared, with Professor Quin, for a smooth handover at the start of the new academic year. Full details of the recruitment process, including the role specification, and opportunities for engagement with the executive search firm supporting NCI in this appointment, are available via the Perrett Laver website.