Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan TD officially marked the incorporation of Shannon College of Hotel Management with NUI Galway on 9 November 2015. This integration is the culmination of a considerable amount of work between Shannon Airport Group, Shannon College and the University. The mutual benefits of the integration for NUI Galway and Shannon College of Hotel Management, led by Dr Phillip Smyth, will be seen over the coming years.

Bringing educational institutions together is an important part of the Higher Education Authority’s strategy for reconfiguring higher education in Ireland. NUI Galway’s Strategic Plan for the coming years - entitled Vision 2020 - includes among its goals the integration of Shannon College of Hotel Management and St Angela’s College Sligo with the University.

The vision for this merger is to sustain and develop excellence in the participating institutions, and to ensure that available resources are put to best use to meet the challenges of today’s research, education and learning landscape.