US Envoy praises ATU's deep community relations, cross-border links

The US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy III, says Donegal can benefit long into the future from ATU’s links to Northern Ireland and its community connections.

Kennedy, a grandnephew of President John F Kennedy, was conferred with the inaugural honorary doctorate at ATU on Wednesday afternoon.

ATU was launched as a university in 2002 and the recipient of the first honorary doctorate pointed to the just-announced Veterinary Medicine course, which is due to begin next autumn, as an example of how the area can thrive.

“The educational links between institutions in Northern Ireland and the Republic are critically important,” he said. 

“They also have to be connected to the jobs and the character of those communities.

“In Downtown Boston, veterinary services isn’t necessarily something that will drive the economy. Here, it is critically important so the opportunity to build out that programme and to be able to feed that part of an economy so you are then able to serve the farmers and folks who are powering the region with the resources they need to sustain their business, farms and livelihoods, that’s the whole point of this chain. 

“That is what ATU does so beautifully.”

Representatives from the North West Tertiary Education Cluster were present at Wednesday’s ceremony, where the official presentation was made by ATU President Dr Orla Flynn and Dr Billy Bennett, the vice President for Academic Affairs and Registrar.

Paul Hannigan, the Vice President for Cross Border Engagement and Head of College ATU Donegal, said it was the intention for ATU to become “the most prominent university in the Republic of Ireland for cross border engagement.”

It was a central theme when Kennedy spoke afterwards.

“The history here tied to Northern Ireland tells the story of overcoming hardship, breaking down barriers and forging connections,” Kennedy said.

“This town is a symbol of that progress and ATU is a cornerstone to that process. Nowhere is that more evident than the North South Engagement Centre. 

“The North South Engagement Centre is a model for how education can be used as a tool to unite – not just people, but ideas, aspirations, and futures.

“This is the work of visionaries. It reflects ATU’s belief in the power of connection and a future filled with possibilities. 

“Graduates of this university are given the tools to do something transformative – build bridges where there once were walls, and help shape the future not just of Donegal, but of this entire island.”

Kennedy is a son of US Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II and a grandson of US Senator and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy,

In December 2022, he was appointed by President Biden as the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland.

He is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School.

He said: “ATU has done so many transformations because this place knows its students. You educate thousands of students here from the island of Ireland and thousands more from around the world.

“You unlock their passions and spark their curiosity. You offer courses that span an enormous spectrum of skills and interests, but all tied to the community and connected to ATU. That connection matters. 

“Those deep relations with communities mean that you know exactly where the gaps are in industries like tourism, IT, construction, with skills that the workforce of tomorrow will need to compete against AI and global supply chains.

“The connection ATU has to its community, to its employers, to know the skills that the students will need, not just in order to succeed and get a job, but to sustain a livelihood, to be able to raise a family, to be able to raise children and be able to stay in the community they call home, rather than having to feel the pressure of moving to major cities.

“ That is a massive challenge we are seeing all over the world. The solution to challenges like that are the ATUs and expanding and resourcing them and making sure that they serve the students the way ATU does.”