The Board of Trinity College Dublin
Link to Governance Principles and Values
With effect from the September 2023, the Board (of 25 Members) will consist of:
External Members (10) appointed by the Board as follows:
• The Chairperson, and
• Nine Members of which three will be nominated by the Minister
In addition to:
• The Provost
• Six Members elected by the Fellows, including the Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer ex officio
• Three Members elected by the Academic Staff who are not Fellows
• Two Members elected by the Professional, Technical, Administrative and Support Staff
• Three student union members.
Under the terms of the Statutes, the Supplemental Charter of 2022 and the Higher Education Authority Act, 2022:
“4.(2) Board shall comprise:
(a) external members appointed by the Board as follows:
(i) the Chairperson, and
(ii) nine persons other than the Chairperson,
three of whom shall be nominated by the Minister and seven appointed in accordance with a process determined by the Board and approved by the Minister, provided that the Board or the Minister, as the case may be, shall be satisfied that any person so nominated for appointment, or appointed, shall be suitable for appointment by reason of his or her possessing knowledge of, and experience in, matters connected with the objects and functions of the College so as to enable him or her to make a substantial contribution to the effective and efficient performance of those functions;
(3) In nominating and approving external Board members, the Board shall have regard to the objective that not less than 40 per cent of its members shall be women and not less than 40 per cent of them shall be men and that the membership of the Board shall broadly reflect the composition of Irish society, including persons who are competent in the Irish language.”
The Nominations Committee of the Board is currently seeking nominations for potential external Board members. Please note that nominations are explicitly being sought in respect of potential external members and as such current student or staff members may not be proposed in this instance.
Once all the nominations have been received, the Nominations Committee of the Board will consider them and bring recommendations to the Board in June in relation to the seven Board positions, and in September that of Chair, for consideration and approval. The Committee may seek to meet with the nominees.
By way of information, the term of office of a Board member is four years with the possibility of a further four-year term by mutual agreement. The time commitment required includes a Board meeting of usually three hours duration (with in person attendance in Dublin) currently held once a month from October to June, along with associated pre-reading and preparation time as well as any work on Board committees and working groups. A fee for Board membership is not payable but reasonable expenses for travelling to meetings would be paid. All Board business is confidential, and the Provost is the spokesperson for the Board.
Further information on Trinity can be found in our Strategic Plan 2020-2025 available here and further information on the Board can be found on: https://www.tcd.ie/Secretary/governance/.
We would be grateful to receive any nominations from you by close of business on 13 July 2023.
Link to Board Skills and Experience Matrix, and Fundamental Criteria for Membership here