ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE DUBLIN ON THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER, 1998
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE AMERICAN COLLEGE DUBLIN ON THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER, 1998
I am delighted to have been invited to visit American College, Dublin at this important milestone in the Colleges' history in Dublin - when you have opened the recently completed extension to the Rooney Library.
I am also delighted to be here for the presentation of an award for personal achievement and I would like to congratulate Katherine Fraser on her excellent essay on the subject of “A Borderless Society”. Her vision of a world without political divisions is both hopeful and achievable. I would encourage not only Katherine, but all of the students at American College Dublin, to strive at all times, and all they do, towards the goal of a united world.
The idea of a borderless society is something which exists, albeit in microcosm, at American College Dublin. Looking around me I see students from many different countries, a multicultural college in the centre of Dublin. In such an international setting, students can broaden their knowledge and perspective of the global environment.
The links with Lynn University in Florida provide an opportunity for students to study abroad and train them to adapt to changing economic, political and social climates as they prepare to enter the workforce of the 21st century.
The extension to the Rooney Library at American College will provide a greatly enhanced range of materials to both staff and students at the college and will be of immense value to all who use it. I know the Rooney family are aware of the gratitude of all the college for their continued interest in this educational facility, and it is due to their generosity that such a state-of-the-art facility, with electronic links to Lynn University, is available on this campus.
Indeed another ongoing project at both American College Dublin and Lynn University, inspired by one of the Rooney family, is the Peace Scholars Programme. Since its introduction in 1996 the programme has provided an opportunity for two Northern Ireland students from Catholic and Protestant traditions to study at American College Dublin and Lynn University on a full scholarship, to enable these young people to better understand each other and be in a position to return as ambassadors for peace and reconciliation.
In a borderless society, the different traditions and cultures must live and work together and look beyond their past towards a harmonious environment for the good of all. The Peace Scholars Programme embodies the objectives of such a society and I extend congratulations to all who are involved in this initiative.
To the Board of Trustees, President, staff and students at American College Dublin I extend my thanks for the invitation to your college today.
I wish all the students success in the years ahead and I am confident that your time here will have a positive influence on your future role in the new millennium.