Kerstin Mey
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Kerstin Mey (born 1963) is a German academic and president of the
University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...
. She was the first woman to head a university in Ireland, on an acting basis, and having participated in an international competition, was appointed to the full position with effect from 8 October 2021. She held positions in a number of universities in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
before moving to
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
in the west of
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.


Early life and education

Kerstin Mey was born in
East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
, Germany in 1963. She attended
Humboldt University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick W ...
, where she studied Art and German (language and literature); she earned a PhD in Art Theory and Aesthetics from the same university and took up a lecturership and executive assistant role there in 1990.


Academic and administrative career


UK & Northern Ireland

Mey moved to the UK in 1992 and worked as DAAD Lektor for German language at
Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of a ...
in 1992. During her time at Warwick, she studied for a PG Dip in European Cultural Policy and Administration and was awarded a short-term fellowship at the Henry Moore Institute Leeds for a research project on contemporary sculpture. In 1996, she was appointed as Lecturer in Fine Art at Duncan o
Jordanstone College of Art and Design
University of Dundee and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2002. From 2004 to 2009, she led the research area ‘Art and its Location’ in Interface: Centre for Research in Art, Technologies and Design at the
University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
and served as the Centre’s Acting Director between 2008 and 2009. From 2005 to 2008, she also headed up the Research Institute in Art and Design for the University. She held a full professorship in Fine Art and was the artistic director of ISEA 2009: Engaged Creativity in Mobile Environments on the island of Ireland. In 2009, she moved to th
University for the Creative Arts
in England heading up the organisations research and enterprise function as its Director. There she focused on building the university’s research infrastructure and culture, and advancing the practice-based PhD programme in partnership with University of Brighton. In 2013, she became pro-vice-chancellor and executive dean of the Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design, the leading faculty within the
University of Westminster The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Po ...
, where she was also professor of Contemporary Art and Theory. As pro-vice chancellor she co-led an ambitious academic transformation programme with the embedding of the university-wide electives and graduate attributes in the undergraduate curricula across the institution.


Ireland

In April 2018, she became the vice-president for Academic Affairs and Student Engagement for
University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...
(UL) as well as the institution's Professor of Visual Culture. She introduced and led an ambitious academic transformation programme and ensured the smooth transition to hybrid and online learning of the university during Covid19. In July 2020, Mey was appointed interim president of University of Limerick, the first woman to head up an Irish university in the 428 years of history of the sector. The university ran a global search for the presidency over the following months, and Mey was announced as the winning candidate, and formally appointed to the role at the meeting of its governing authority on 8 October 2021. During her presidency, Mey pursued an organisational transformation agenda and University of Limerick significantly improved its performance. It achieved Athena Swan Silver award as the first HEI in Ireland. Mey introduced innovative professional role profiles to the HE sector in Ireland and facilitated the bottom-up development and implementation of a pioneering, systemic and mission-based Sustainability Framework to 2030. UL moved into the 500 globally leading universities and grew its international recognition for impact and sustainability. In 2021, she oversaw the development and subsequent implementation of the pioneering, industry sponsored Immersive Software Engineering BSc/MSc. To address mainly legacy issues, Mey attended Ireland's Public Accounts Committee in 2021, 2022 and as well as 2023 in what some commentators described as an "inept performance", with one question asked 23 times. In March 2024, the trade union in the university voted "no confidence" in the president, and 10 of the 13 members of UL's executive committee other than Mey, including the deputy president, wrote that "We wish to advise you that we do not consider it is in the best interests of the University of Limerick for you to continue as president", and "We do not have confidence that you will approach this in an appropriate manner". This was following a "significant over payment" (around 5.2 million euro) by UL for 20 houses for students, an overspend which, combined with provisions for a previous over payment for a site in central Limerick under her predecessor, created temporary budgetary pressures for the university. The development also turned out to lack planning permission for use as student accommodation. Mey notified the Public Accounts Committee on 23 March 2024 that she would not be able to make a scheduled appearance on 11 April 2024 but that she will honour the invitation at a later point during that term. On 14 June 2024, UL chancellor Brigid Laffan announced Mey would resign from her role as president on 1 September 2024, continuing at the university as a full professor of Visual Culture.


Other roles

Mey has held a number of  leadership and governance positions in international higher education. Amongst others, she was Director of CREST now
GuildHE Research GuildHE Research is an organisation that provides training and support for researchers and students in Britain. It is a sub-association of GuildHE. GuildHE Research was known as the Consortium for Research Excellence, Support and Training (or CR ...
, the research consortium of the UK higher education interest group for small and specialised universities. She served on the Austrian Science Board, a 12 member strong advisory for the Federal Minister with responsibilities for higher education and research appointed by the Austrian Parliament from 2012–2018. Mey was an Executive member and Vice Chair o
CHEAD
Council for Higher Education in Art and Design, UK. Between 2019 and 2024 she served on the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Ireland, and she chaired the Council of the Irish Universities Association in 2023. She also held board and advisory positions in cultural organisations. Between 2008-9 she steered the Ormeau Baths Galleries, the then premier venue for contemporary art in Belfast, Northern Ireland, through a complex transition phase as Chair and acting CEO.  Amongst others, she was on the board of PAL, Performing Arts Labs, UK, and served on the ISEA International Advisory Committee. She also served as a member of the board of directors of the
Irish Chamber Orchestra The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is an Irish classical music ensemble, administratively based at the University of Limerick. János Fürst founded the ICO in 1963. The ICO consisted only of strings as its regular ensemble for many years, adding wi ...
and is a member of the board of Eva International Biennial and the
Hunt Museum The Hunt Museum () is a museum located in The Custom House, Limerick, the Custom House in the city of Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It holds a personal collection donated by the John Hunt (antiquarian), Hunt family, it was originall ...
.


Research

Mey’s research is concerned with 20th century contemporary art, aesthetics and public pedagogies. It includes inquiries on the relationship between art and identity formation artistic research, and the relationship between art, documentation and archives. Her current focus is directed at the nexus between contemporary creative practices and the development of narrative frameworks in relation to value hierarchies, models of practice and social transformation processes towards sustainability and regeneration.


References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mey, Kerstin 1963 births Living people Presidents of the University of Limerick Women heads of universities and colleges German academic administrators German women academics German contemporary artists People from East Berlin Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Academics of the University of Westminster