Queen’s University in Belfast has been described as an “incredibly special place” by US special envoy Joe Kennedy III.
Mr Kennedy has been leading a delegation of senior US business and investment leaders on a four-day visit to Northern Ireland.
After taking part in a breakfast event with Stormont politicians at Titanic Belfast, he went on to Queen’s where he officially opened the new Students’ Union building.
He was reminded of a previous US investment in Northern Ireland with one of the DeLorean cars parked at the entrance as he arrived on Thursday morning.
While the car factory in west Belfast went out of business, the car itself was immortalised in the blockbuster hit Back To the Future.
“This is an incredibly special place,” Mr Kennedy said, describing the university as having become a “bit of a home away from home for me over the last year”.
Mr Kennedy also hailed the conference held at the university in April to mark the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Agreement peace deal, at which he said so many recognised the “extraordinary potential, opportunity, history and future of the people of Northern Ireland”.
“That commitment is embodied in this building, I’ve driven by it now a number of times over the course of the past several months, the contrast between this iconic monument that stands behind us, a landmark on this island and for Europe,” he said, referring to the main university building across the road.
“The glistening glass windows and the thriving life blood of this university that you can feel inside these walls.
“It is an extraordinary testament to the past and the bright future that the students’ here represent.”
Mr Kennedy also said he was particularly moved by a statue of George Mitchell, the chairman of the 1990s peace talks in Belfast and later chancellor of Queen’s University.
He said Mr Mitchell is a “hero for those of us that serve in public office and public service in the United States”.
Queen’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer said that the new building has become a hub for students in Belfast with half a million people passing through its doors in the past year.
“From the initial ideas to the finishing touches on the social staircase, it took thousands of hours and hundreds of people to bring this building to life,” he said.
“Every day, the building is buzzing with hundreds of students as they grab a coffee, plug in their laptops for some quiet reading, get some valuable support or grab a gig in the Mandela.
“With almost 40,000 students provided with support from our Student Information Point over the past year and 200 each day getting support from the Pantry, One Elmwood has been a welcome and warm hub to many of our students, particularly during this particularly difficult financial time; and has become the go-to place for information, support, on the house breakfasts and free basic food.
“One Elmwood has been a very stable port during some very choppy waters and we look forward to developing this wonderful building to continue to deliver for the needs of our students.”
