Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) may face financial penalties for spending €13,000 on a retirement function for its president which featured a dolphin-shaped ice sculpture. CIT’s current president Dr Barry O’Connor told the committee that “lessons have been learned” and that an individual should not be in a position to organise their own retirement party. These expenses will also be reported annually to a finance committee of Cork Institute of Technology’s governing body. The committee heard that Cork Institute of Technology reported a deficit of €1.2 million in 2015, with State funding down by about 28 per cent over the previous seven years. This included using an independent firm of solicitors and and consultants to examine a range of claims against the institute.

Source: The Irish Times May 24, 2018 17:17 UTC