Joe Biden to Speak at Upcoming Symposium Honoring Legacy of Dan Rooney

Duquesne University and The Ireland Funds will host Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States, at an event honoring the life of former Pittsburgh Steelers Chairman and U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney on Friday, March 16. Members of the campus community and the public are invited to watch this invitation-only event live at www.duq.edu/rooney-webcast.

Biden will serve as the keynote speaker at Slainte! Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dan Rooney, a day-long symposium that will explore Rooney’s impact on Pittsburgh, Ireland, the Catholic Church and the National Football League (NFL). A 1955 graduate of Duquesne’s Palumbo-Donahue School of Business, Rooney died last year at the age of 84.

Joe Biden

While Biden was vice president, Rooney served as the Obama administration’s ambassador to Ireland from 2009-2012. During his tenure, Rooney became the first U.S. ambassador to visit all 32 counties in Ireland.

“Dan Rooney was an extraordinary member of the Duquesne family,” said President Ken Gormley. “Through his personal, business and civic leadership, he inspired me personally and generations of our students and alumni. The symposium will reflect upon Dan’s accomplishments and salute and celebrate his impact on the lives of people in Pittsburgh and throughout the world.”

Panel discussions during the event will focus on various aspects of Rooney’s career, including his impact as U.S. ambassador to Ireland and in creating the NFL’s Rooney Rule—a policy requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operations jobs.

Event moderators and panelists will include:

  • Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
  • The NFL Today analyst and former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher
  • Former CIA and NSA director General Michael V. Hayden, A’67, MA’69
  • Worldwide Ireland Funds President and Chief Executive Officer Kieran McLoughlin
  • NFL Vice President Jeff Pash
  • Former Steelers Charlie Batch and Rocky Bleier.

Symposium co-host, The Ireland Funds, was co-founded by Rooney. The organization, established in 1976, is a global philanthropic network that promotes and supports peace, culture, education and community development throughout Ireland, and Irish-related causes around the world. To date, The Ireland Funds has raised more than $500 million for causes in Ireland and beyond, benefiting more than 3,000 organizations.

The full agenda of the day’s events and speakers can be found at www.duq.edu/rooney.