[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 140 (Friday, October 15, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S12727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMENDATION FOR THE IRISH EISENHOWER EXCHANGE FELLOWS

 Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, today I would like to call to 
your attention a very special anniversary which is taking place in my 
home state. Ten years ago, a group of emerging leaders from Northern 
Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, hosted by the Eisenhower Exchange 
Fellowships, met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to launch an exciting 
experiment in international cooperation.
  The Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships is a private, non-profit, non-
partisan organization created in 1953 by a group of prominent American 
citizens to honor then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his 
contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman and world leader. 
Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships seeks to foster international 
understanding and productivity through the exchange of information, 
ideas and perspectives among emerging leaders throughout the world. The 
Eisenhower network numbers 1300 Fellows from 100 countries. Currently 
two Eisenhower Fellows are heads of government; over 90 Fellows have 
served at the cabinet level or above. More than 220 have become CEOs.
  The Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships brought this group of fourteen 
Irish Fellows, consisting of seven Fellows from the North and seven 
from the South, to the United States for a two-month program. They came 
from all types of professional backgrounds, working in business, 
government, religion and law. They came from many perspectives and 
diverse political and personal beliefs. Through the auspices of the 
Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, they met on common ground in 
Philadelphia in 1989, and they've been meeting and working together 
ever since.
  They decided to commemorate the tenth anniversary of their Single 
Area program by returning to Philadelphia. There they will gather to 
look back on the last ten years and look forward to the next 
millennium. These Irish Eisenhower Fellows are to be commended for the 
contributions they have made to their region and to greater 
international understanding in the past decade--and they think of 
Philadelphia as their second home.
  In the spirit of Dwight D. Eisenhower, in whose honor the 
organization was founded, the Irish Fellows work together in a 
pragmatic way to ensure understanding, respect, and reconciliation. 
Building bridges across cultural and political divides, they have 
played and continue to play important roles in the peace negotiations. 
They have made important contributions to economic growth, to the 
social welfare of their communities, and to more effective and 
efficient public administration. They have worked effectively towards a 
more dynamic economy, seeing the importance for their region to play a 
role in an evolving Europe and in the world.
  By continuing to find outstanding new Eisenhower Fellows from a 
number of professional fields, they help to promote awareness and the 
exchange of ideas between Irish emerging leaders and their American 
counterparts. By sponsoring USA Eisenhower Fellows and bringing them to 
Ireland, they expand the horizons of emerging young U.S. leaders. In 
both these activities, they strengthen the bonds between our countries.
  In the spirit of fellowship and unflagging curiosity about the world, 
they come together every nine months to confer on topical issues, to 
plan for future Eisenhower Fellowships, and to renew and strengthen 
their friendships, which cross national borders and historical 
differences. They serve, in effect, as a model alumni organization, 
which constantly renews its parent body through its energy and 
innovation.
  I would like to commend their reunion weekend in Philadelphia, 
October 14-17, and wish them the best of luck in their continuing 
mission to establish friendships and improve understanding on a 
personal, local, national, and international level.

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