Dr. Oliver Murphy, President of IT Tralee, has announced his retirement.

Mr Lionel Alexander, on behalf of The Governing Body of the Institute, thanked Dr. Murphy for his significant commitment to the Institute and for the tremendous contribution he has made to the development of the Institute over a 26 year period. Dr. Murphy joined the ITT in 1994 as a lecturer in Mathematics and Statistics. He subsequently held the positions of Head of Department, Business Studies: Vice-President Academic Affairs and Registrar, until his appointment as President in 2011.

During his tenure as President, the physical infrastructure of the Institute was significantly enhanced with the opening of the €19m Kerry Sports Academy in the North Campus in 2019. Funding of €29m has also been allocated for the construction of a new Science, Technology and Mathematics Building, (STEM) on the North Campus with the planning decision for this building due at the end of the month.  The funding secured for the STEM building was the largest allocation to any Institute of Technology from the €200 million Capital Development Fund allocated by the Department of Education and Skills.  These two capital projects will enable the Institute to integrate all of its activities onto the Dromtacker campus, a long term key objective of the Institute.

During Dr. Murphy's time as President, the portfolio of programmes offered by the Institute has been significantly enhanced with 44 programmes currently on offer through the CAO. Since 2011, the Institute has considerably expanded the delivery of a broad range of programmes via on-line and distance learning with over 1,000 part-time students now studying at the ITT, the largest number of part-time learners registered at the Institute in its history.

During his tenure, there has been a very significant increase in the number of international students studying at the Institute. In the current academic year, ITT has a total of 70 nationalities on campus.  The Governing Body wishes Dr. Murphy a long, happy and healthy retirement.