3rd September 1998

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The President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, and the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Tony Blair MP, together today performed the dedication of the site for the Springvale Educational Village, a joint venture between the University of Ulster and the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education.

Over 150 VIP guests, including Mrs Hillary Clinton and Mrs Cherie Blair, attended the ceremony, held at the proposed Springvale Educational Village site on Belfast's Springfield Road. Mr Gerard Adams MP and Mr Cecil Walker, MP, who represent the west and north of the city respectively, were also present, as were Mr David Trimble MP, First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly and his Deputy, Mr Seamus Mallon MP.

The groundbreaking and dedication ceremony was performed by Mr Clinton and Mr Blair with the help of two local teenagers, Gerard Quinn and Margaret Gibney, both of whom have been involved in cross community work in west Belfast.

The ceremony marks an important milestone in the development of this innovative educational development both for the city and for Northern Ireland as a whole.

Speaking at the ceremony the University of Ulster's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lord Smith of Clifton, said: "The Educational Village at Springvale is a potent hope for the future (...) The Community has already made its mark. Indeed, this memorable occasion is a triumph for the people of north and west Belfast.

"One of west Belfast's school principals summed up the heart of the Springvale ideal in a few evocative words. He told us that his pupils have faced limited educational horizons for generations. Now, they are presented with the opportunity of access to a University on their doorstep - with all the exciting personal and occupational advantages that brings.

"Community workers and leaders have been and will be involved not only in the design of our Outreach Centre, but also in the delivery of its programmes. That is central to the Springvale way of working

"Springvale, as its name implies, will be a place of growth and renewal, or empowerment and social inclusion. It is the least this community deserves.

Professor Patrick Murphy, Director of the Belfast Institute of Further and Higher Education, said:

"The new educational village here at Springvale will be a symbol of hope for the future of Northern Ireland. Through educational innovation it will be provide a mechanism for social integration, community development and economic prosperity. Its key theme is partnership:

partnership between Belfast Institute and the University of Ulster in bringing together not just two institutions but two educational traditions to produce a seamless progression route for all learners through to the highest levels of education;

partnership between the two institutions and the local communities so that their needs can be identified and catered for in terms of education and training and so that these communities can then shape their own economic and social development;

partnership between communities in an area traditionally blighted by sectarian division;

partnership between the public and private sectors in the design, development and delivery of the project so that the respective strengths of the two sectors can be combined to produce new methods of funding, sponsorship and career development.

"Today we begin the new Northern Ireland."

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk