The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has confirmed that Mr Barry O'Brien, Director of Estate and Support Services at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, has resigned as HEA member.
In a letter released to the media Mr O'Brien said his resignation was in protest over the appointment of Mr Michael Kelly as a full-time salaried Chairman of the HEA, which oversees funding of third level colleges.
Mr Kelly was until recently Secretary of the Department of Health but was appointed Chairman Designate of the HEA following the publication of the Travers Report into illegal care charges.
"I hasten to add that this has nothing whatsoever to do with Mr Kelly's credentials as an eminently qualified and dedicated public servant. My concerns are based on the issue of 'best practice'," Mr O'Brien said in the letter.
A recent strategic review by HEA members suggested that the role of Chairman should be part-time and non-executive, and this view was endorsed by a subsequent OECD review of the third level sector in Ireland.
"Therefore, the Government decision to appoint a full-time, salaried, Chairman is at variance with both the wishes of the Authority and the recommendation of the OECD Review Group," said Mr O'Brien.
"This hasty move is also, in my personal opinion, in contravention of the principles of recommended best practice in the public sector."
Mr O'Brien had served as a HEA member for four years and is a former Army officer.