Mitchell scholarship programme celebrated

A scholarship programme to mark the contribution made by Senator George Mitchell in shaping the future of Northern Ireland was highlighted by Minister for Employment and Learning, Carmel Hanna, during a reception in Dublin last night.

During the reception, in honour of the George Mitchell Scholarship at the National Gallery in Dublin, Carmel Hanna said: “The programme not only recognises the crucial contribution Senator George Mitchell made to the peace process in Northern Ireland, but also provides an opportunity for students from the United States to develop their perspectives through studying at Universities in Ireland.”

The George Mitchell Scholarships are the brainchild of the US-Ireland Alliance, a Washington based, non-partisan, non-profit making organisation. The programme provides scholarships to US students to pursue one-year postgraduate study in Ireland, North and South.

Confirming her support for the programme, which has seen a number of US students arrive in Ireland to study since September 2000, Carmel Hanna said: “At present my Department is funding the costs of two Mitchell Scholars studying at Queen’s University and the University of Ulster.

From the feedback received, I understand that the programme is meeting the aims of the academic development of people who could well be future American leaders.

“It is imperative to our political development and social well-being that such leaders will in turn develop an informed understanding of the people here and the issues affecting them, both now and in the future.”

(AMcE)