Donations from US billionaire have paid for large chunks of our educationinfrastructure, writes Emmet Oliver
Once asked why he decided to transfer most of his massive fortune to a philanthropic foundation, Charles (Chuck) Feeney, is said to have replied: "You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time."
While there is no doubt a personal fortune worth over $4 billion would buy you a lot of shoes, Feeney's decision about 20 years ago to get rid of this colossal wealth has had considerable benefits for the Irish education system, and more precisely for our seven universities.
Take a walk through any of the university campuses, and while you will not know it, you are likely to be walking in, or near, some building or research facility funded by the camera-shy businessman from New Jersey.
He has been funnelling money, through his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, into the third-level system for over a decade. Up to now the scale of Feeney's "give while you live" philosophy has been shrouded in relative secrecy.
Colleges were asked not to acknowledge the Atlantic connection and the foundation did not even have a website giving outsiders the scantiest details.
Unlike other donors to third-level colleges, there are no plaques marking its benevolence, and Feeney has repeatedly turned down offers of honorary degrees.
However, in recent months the foundation has decided to come out of the shadows, at least a little. Mr Feeney would still rather not talk to the press, but the foundation has set up a website giving some details of its operations.
Colleges receiving funds will now be allowed to thank the foundation publicly and this happened last Friday at an announcement in the Royal College of Surgeons. "We are no longer pursuing a policy of anonymity," says an information pamphlet on the organisation. However, it emphasises that its low profile will continue.
Dr Edward Walsh, the former president of the University of Limerick (UL), is understood to have been the first Irish academic to strike up a relationship with Feeney and his team at Atlantic. "He was perfect from our point of view in that he was prepared to financially support things like research and infrastructure, but at the same time he sought no role in the running of the university," Dr Walsh told The Irish Times.
"He would never strike you as a very wealthy man. He is very unassuming, but also full of energy and curiosity about things in Ireland," he adds.
He says UL wanted on many occasions to thank Feeney and his team, but they declined. Asked why he was prepared to donate so much money to Irish institutions, Dr Walsh said: "Well, he firmly believes that the key to Ireland's future is building up our knowledge base and this was a key way to stimulate the economy."
Dr Michael Mortell, former president of UCC, also built up a good relationship with Feeney
According to sources, UL, DCU and UCC have done the best out of Atlantic, although Trinity College has done well in more recent times. DCU, Trinity and UL have received several large tranches, some of them over $10 million.
The money, however, does not come easy, say third-level sources. "They put you through a very rigorous process and want to know exactly what the project is about," said one. "The Atlantic connection is one of the key relationships for any university president to maintain and they work hard at it," said another.
Overall, about $500 million has gone on education, with institutions in Northern Ireland also doing well.
While some university figures are sensitive about the relationship in case it be seen in a darker light, others say the process is established practice throughout the world, with prestigious places like Harvard and Cornell universities raising not millions, but billions, from philanthropists like Feeney.
According to information supplied by university sources, the foundation has several billions yet to spend and the world is Feeney's oyster, with donations now being made in South Africa and Asia.