A leading Scottish academic has been named as the first President of the newly formed Munster Technological University (MTU), which has been created following the merger of Tralee and Cork's institutes of technology. Last Thursday Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris announced that Professor Maggie Cusack has been appointed President of the MTU, which is due to be officially established on January 1, 2021. The announcement comes just a week after Minister Harris signed the order to dissolve IT Tralee and CIT and follows a four-month recruitment process that was handled by leading international 'executive search' firm Perrett Laver. Professor Cusack has enjoyed a long and successful career in academic leadership and research.