Digital News Report– Mary McAleese, the current president of Ireland, will be honored during a special ceremony at the University of San Francisco (USF) on Thursday, Dec. 11. She will also give a major public address called Ireland: Challenges and opportunities in a global community.
In her 1997 inauguration address she stated, “we know our duty is to spread the benefits of our prosperity to those whose lives are still mired in poverty, unemployment, worry, and despair. There can be no rest until the harsh gap between the comfortable and the struggling has been bridged.” She is noted for her leadership and dedication to justice, equality, and social inclusion and will be given an honorary doctorate degree during the ceremony.
In Ireland, presidential elections occur every seven years. McAleese was re-elected for her second term in 2004 without contest. She is the first woman in the world to succeed another woman as an elected head of state. She is also the first person born in Northern Ireland to become the president of Ireland.
The special ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11 in the McLaren Conference Center on the USF campus, located on Golden Gate Avenue between Masonic Street and Parker Avenue in San Francisco. This event is free and the public is invited to attend (reservations encouraged). A light, coffee reception will follow President McAleese’s speech and the bestowing of her honorary degree. Please reserve your seat by calling USF’s McCarthy Center at 415.422.4260.