UNIVERSITY of Limerick (UL) has announced the appointment of a new executive dean.
Dr Sandra Joyce has been appointed the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, after serving as the faculty’s Interim Executive Dean since July 2022.
Dr Joyce will hold the position for the next five years.
Prior to her appointment, Dr Joyce held the role of Director at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance for more than nine years.
“I am deeply honoured to assume the position of Executive Dean of the diverse and vibrant Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for the upcoming five-year period,” she said.
“I look forward to collaborating with colleagues within and outside the University of Limerick as I embrace the exciting and challenging responsibilities of this role.”
Dr Joyce’s appointment was welcomed by UL President Professor Kerstin Mey, who said: “I look very much forward to working with Sandra in her new role and as member of the Executive Committee.”
“While leading the Irish World Academy, she played a key role in several impactful curricular and research developments, including the enhancement of the arts practice research landscape and its broader recognition within and outside of UL.”
“She facilitated numerous important collaborations between the university and the arts sector, including prestigious partnerships with the renowned Silkroad ensemble and the appointment of Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens as artist in residence,” added Professor Mey.
A former course director of the MA Irish Music Studies, Dr Joyce is a traditional singer and bodhrán player who has performed extensively around the globe, with recent performances at Harvard University and Milwaukee IrishFest.
Originally from Tuam, County Galway and now living in East Limerick, Dr Joyce released her solo song recording titled ‘Since you and I have been: Songs of love and loss from the Irish tradition’, which features notable artists Dónal Lunny, Niall Keegan, Cora Venus Lunny, and Ernestine Healy, in February of this year.
