Thomas Noel Mitchell (born 7 December 1939) is an Irish academic who served as the 42nd

Provost of Trinity College Dublin The following persons have been provost of Trinity College Dublin. References {{University of Dublin, Trinity College Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity o ...

from 1991 to 2001.

Biography

Mitchell was born in

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

on 7 December 1939, to Patrick Mitchell and Margaret Mitchell. He was educated at St Nathy's College in

Ballaghaderreen Ballaghaderreen () is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It was part of County Mayo prior to 1898. It is in the north-west of the county, near the borders with counties Mayo and Sligo, just off the N5 road. The population was 2,387 in the 2 ...

. He graduated with first-class honours with a B.A. and M.A. in Latin and Greek from

University College Galway The University of Galway () is a public university, public research university located in the city of Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Ga ...

. He earned a doctorate from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

and a Litt.D. from

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

. He started his academic career as instructor at

from 1965 to 1966. He joined the faculty of

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

in 1966, first as assistant professor (1966-1973), then associate professor (1973-1978), and full professor (1978-1979). He returned to the

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 ...

as Professor of Latin at

in 1979. His work on Cicero and Roman Republicanism has won him wide acclaim and has been described as a monument in the field. He served as director of Hibernia College in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and was the former chairman of the boards of St. James’s Hospital and the Ireland National Children's Trust. He was on the Irish Council for Science, Engineering and Technology. He also served as director of the Trinity Foundation. In 1991, he was the first Catholic to be elected and appointed as Provost of

, since Micheál Ó Mordha (Michael Moore) was provost from 1689-1690. He is a member of the

Royal Irish Academy The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...

and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

, and is a Fellow of

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is Colleges of the University of Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title for ...

and St. John's College, Cambridge. He holds honorary doctorates from numerous universities, including the

Queen's University, Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

Charles University in Prague Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the oldest universities in the world in continuous operation, the oldest university north of the ...

, the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

, and Victoria University, Melbourne.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Thomas Noel 1939 births Living people Alumni of the University of Galway Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Cornell University alumni Fellows of Trinity College Dublin Members of the Royal Irish Academy Provosts of Trinity College Dublin Swarthmore College faculty International members of the American Philosophical Society People from Castlebar People educated at St Nathy's College Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge