Sheila O’Malley Fuchs : Citation for Degree of Doctor of the University

Sheila O’Malley Fuchs is a distinguished and successful business woman, a leading member of the Irish American community, a tireless worker for many good causes, especially on this island, a true friend of Queen’s University Belfast, and a highly effective member of the University’s Foundation Board, on which I have had the privilege of serving with her.

History
Sheila O’Malley’s mother, Nora O’ Toole was born in Belfast. She and her husband Francis Samuel O’Malley left these shores first for Canada, eventually settling in Cleveland, where Sheila, one of three girls, grew up. Sheila attended Boarding school, and later went on to graduate with a BA in Political Science from Marymount Manhattan College. She came to New York, still in her early twenties, to work for Estee Lauder as Director of Training and Field Services. In 1976, she moved on to another well known brand name, Revlon, where she became Vice President of Product Development. Between 1986 and 1993, she was President of Ashford Group Inc., thus beginning a long association with the famous and historic Ashford Castle Hotel in County Mayo, the County of birth of one of her most distinguished ancestors, of which more anon.

Business
In 1993, Sheila O’Malley, along with business partner, and husband, Joe Fuchs, himself a former Managing Director of one of America’s leading media analysts on Wall Street, formed Rockfleet Media, with Sheila becoming President and Chief Operating Officer, and Joe Chairman. The company first owned and produced a number of newspapers and other publications in the State of New Jersey, before moving on to acquire a number of Television Stations in locations as widespread as Wisconsin, Bangor Maine, and Colorado Springs. Sheila and Joe continue to run this very successful media company to this day.

The choice of company name is itself interesting. In the late 1500’s, it was a different O’Malley woman, Grace O’Malley, who proudly and fiercely led the defence of her Mayo clan’s honour and fortune. Today, another O’Malley woman, Sheila, may have become the clan’s modern day standard bearer, and surely it can be no coincidence that she and her husband chose Rockfleet as the name of their company, a name which derives from the area near Clew Bay in Mayo, where the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley’s castle was located.

Philanthropy
In addition to being an extremely successful business woman, wife, and mother, Sheila has also given back generously to society in a great variety of ways. She was, for example, President of the Irish Georgian Society, founded in 1958 by Desmond Guinness to promote the conservation of buildings of architectural merit of all periods in Ireland ; she has been a Trustee of Stonehill College, founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross in Massachusetts; she has also been a Board Director of the Women’s Campaign Fund, which supports the leadership role of women running for public office; and for 12 years she was on the Board of one of the world’s foremost ballet companies, the American Ballet Theatre, which gave her a continuing association with the art-form which is her first love. She studied dance for years, and it became an important part of her life.

But perhaps her most enduring contribution to public life and the community has been through the leadership role she has played with The American Ireland Fund.

The Ireland Funds were founded nearly thirty years ago by Sir Anthony O’Reilly, the Irish born businessman, sporting hero, and philanthropist, and a group of other like-minded people. Its mission is to be the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry, and friends of Ireland, dedicated to raising funds to support peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education, and community development throughout the island of Ireland. It has been extraordinarily successful in the pursuit of its mission, having raised in excess of $300m. Sheila O’Malley Fuchs has played a significant role in this success. She has served in a wide variety of roles with The American Ireland Fund, and its Committees, and has been a Board Director since 1983.

Queen's University
So in 2003, when the Queen’s University Foundation was seeking someone as an additional member to join its Board, who was successful in their chosen field, had great business networks, and had strong links into the Irish American community, it was entirely natural that it should turn to Sheila. And she has proved to be an outstanding contributor to the work of the Foundation. The primary purpose of the Foundation is to generate financial support for the University’s capital development programme and academic initiatives. In its first Campaign, which is coming near conclusion, it has been instrumental in raising and leveraging close to £150m towards projects as diverse as the refurbishment of the Great Hall, the establishment of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, the Cancer Centre, the development of the Elms Village, improved sporting facilities, and the refurbishment of the Students’ Union—all designed to enhance the Queen’s Experience. But the Flagship Project of this Campaign has been the new Library, costing more than £40m. That is a not insubstantial sum to raise, and I can tell you it was not easily achieved. Indeed, when, after mining almost every conceivable source of funds, we reached a total of nearly £36m, including a Challenge Grant of £10m which was conditional on us reaching the remainder of the £40m target, the Foundation Board experienced the mixed feelings of euphoria with having achieved such success, alongside genuine concern about what new tricks we could bring off to close the £4m gap. Step forward Sheila O’Malley Fuchs, who played the pivotal role in approaching her long-standing colleague in The Ireland Funds, Sir Anthony O’Reilly, and persuading him to contribute not just some, but all of the remaining funds—a staggering £4m—through a combination of personal donation, a guarantee through The Ireland Funds, and a contribution from Independent News and Media, part of the O’Reilly business empire. As a result, Queen’s’ new world-class, state of the art library, now taking shape at the Botanic side of the main campus, will become known as the Sir Anthony O’Reilly Library. It will become the central hub of the University, not only providing normal study space, but containing the latest technology, including fully integrated and flexible wireless technology, multi media facilities, a language laboratory and a purpose-built Special Collections area for the care and display of unique and rare manuscripts accessible to academic researchers. When the Library opens in 2009, just after the centenary of the granting of the University’s Charter, Queen’s will have a Library fit for purpose, fully meeting 21st Century requirements. All associated with Queen’s will have good cause to be proud of the new Library.

Doctor of the University
But those of us who are aware of the whole story know that it might never have come about without the immense efforts, and persuasive skills, of Sheila O’Malley Fuchs. And how appropriate it is today therefore that Queen’s has the opportunity, on American Independence Day, to mark Sheila’s lifelong achievements, in business, the media, charity, and the arts, as well as her lasting contribution to this wonderful University. Vice Chancellor of the University, with the authority of the Senate, I ask you to confer on Sheila O’Malley Fuchs the degree of Doctor of the University, Honoris Causa.