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Notre Dame in 2024

2024-12-26T17:00:00-05:00

As the University of Notre Dame stands on the threshold of its next bold iteration, we celebrate breakthroughs in research and the launch of key strategic initiatives in mental health, democracy, poverty, and more. We celebrated the start of a new era of leadership while making bold commitments to increase affordability and access. Anchored by our mission to be a force for good in the world, Our Lady’s University stands poised to take on a new year. But first, we reflect.

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Merry Christmas from Notre Dame

2024-12-19T15:14:00-05:00

May we be the seekers of truth, the sustainers of hope, and the builders of bridges that our world needs.

– Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., University President

Reasons to serve

2024-12-16T13:30:00-05:00

History, West Point, and 9/11 memorial inspire ND ROTC students in New York

About two dozen seniors in the Notre Dame Army ROTC program were impressed with the mealtime rituals at the United States Military Academy at West Point: the corps formations with drums and bugle, the historic Washington Hall that reminds visitors of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, and the efficiency and precision of feeding 4,000 cadets in a matter of minutes.

But when the Notre Dame students in school gear waded into the cavernous mess hall with the gray-clad Army cadets, a chorus of boos erupted.

James Lindell, a senior from Hawaii who wore a Notre Dame Glee Club jacket, said he didn’t mind. He expected it on the Thursday before Army faced Notre Dame in a football game at Yankee Stadium in late November.

“I understood it was all in the spirit of competition,” Lindell said. “Once we all sat down at lunch, I got to meet the cadets I was sitting with. The football rivalry was quickly an afterthought to learning about each other’s college experiences.”

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Con todo el corazón (With all our heart)

2024-12-12T08:41:00-05:00

Coro Primavera celebrates Latino community on campus

Enter the Basilica of the Sacred Heart during the 3:30 Sunday Mass, and you’ll hear a choir singing the tunes of the same church songs you remember—except the lyrics are in Spanish. Or you may hear some different melodies that bring new meaning to the word catholic, or universal.

Coro Primavera, Notre Dame’s Spanish choir, sings every Sunday at La Misa en Español in the Basilica. The choir treats each Mass as a celebration that not only uplifts the spirit, but also fosters a profound sense of belonging and pride, where the richness of Latino heritage shines through. That’s the goal for Jaimie Lopez-Alvarez, a senior and Coro’s co-president.

“Coro, for me, is really a space to de-stress and step aside from the busyness of campus, and it also helps me feel closer to home because I’m also part of a choir back home, so I feel really connected to my culture,” she said. “Being so far from home, it reminds me of my family, but it also helps me grow my faith in a different way, incorporating my love for music and song.”

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How was your break? What we did while campus was on vacation, summer 2024

2024-08-20T10:59:00-04:00

University photographers Barbara Johnston and Matt Cashore share a little of what they’ve photographed since the pomp and circumstance of Commencement came to a close.

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"Learn every day"

2024-05-08T09:14:00-04:00

In October, it was announced that Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., would step down from his role as the 17th president of the University of Notre Dame. He has shaped and grown the University and its impact over the past 19 years in research, global engagement, and by attracting super faculty and the highest caliber students, just to name a few.

In this special episode of Notre Dame Stories, Father Jenkins reflects on his tenure with host Jenna Liberto.

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Notre Dame as a leading research university

2024-03-22T08:50:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame has experienced transformational growth in research over the past decade. The evidence is everywhere on campus, both in the talent of the faculty and the resources devoted to making Notre Dame a leading research institution.

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, host Jenna Liberto talks to Vice President for Research Jeff Rhoads, who shares his plans for expanding the University's impact globally.

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Women Lead 2024

2024-03-07T09:33:00-05:00

As the University of Notre Dame celebrates International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, meet eight individuals who are accelerating progress in their respective fields and advancing the University’s mission as a leading research institution that is a means for good in the world.

Read their stories

Breathe with both lungs

2024-02-23T14:00:00-05:00

Notre Dame's theology chair demonstrates Catholic character in a global context

What comes to mind when you think about the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame? Likely, an image of traditional Roman Catholicism. But the Church is a global body with diverse traditions and people who lead them. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the life story of the chair of Notre Dame’s Department of Theology, Father Khaled Anatolios.

In this episode of Notre Dame Stories, we explore one way the University embraces and advances its Catholic character in the global context.

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G.K. Chesterton and Notre Dame

2023-10-27T10:53:00-04:00

The writer’s things add a new dimension to the University’s presence in London

When Rev. Charles O’Donnell, C.S.C., assumed the presidency of the University in 1928, he sought to bring to campus guest lecturers who could help elevate Notre Dame’s academic reputation. One such invitation was extended to Gilbert Keith (G.K.) Chesterton of England. It was, in some ways, an obvious choice: At the time, Chesterton was the most famous Catholic writer in the world.

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Defending democracy

2023-10-20T09:23:00-04:00

Kellogg visiting fellows work toward justice in their native countries

The democratic government in Ukraine is under military attack from a Russian invasion, while the democracy in Nicaragua was undermined from within by an elected but autocratic leader.

Representatives from both countries — Nazarii Stetsyk and Juan Sebastián Chamorro — are among the nine visiting fellows currently participating in a program the Kellogg Institute for International 91��Ƶ has run since 1983. This residential program offers visiting faculty the time to pursue scholarly inquiry wherever it takes them, advance their personal research and collaborate with other scholars from across the U.S. and world.

In the spirit of this year’s Notre Dame Forum focusing on “The Future of Democracy,” here are their stories, which illustrate two of the ways that democracy can be threatened or dissolved. In a world where democracies are measurably losing ground, their experiences offer profound lessons in the ongoing fight for freedom, justice and a government that is responsive to the needs of its people.

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G.K. Chesterton and Notre Dame

2023-10-20T08:12:00-04:00

In this episode, we look at the relationship between the great Catholic intellectual G.K. Chesterton and the University of Notre Dame. Chesterton spent a semester on campus in 1930, lending his intellectual prowess and good humor to the Notre Dame community. Today, a collection of his personal belongings is adding a new dimension to the University’s presence in London.

The connection between dreams and work productivity

2023-09-22T09:32:00-04:00

We know that a good night’s sleep can help you at work…but what role do dreams play in your 9-to-5? We sat down with Casher Belinda, assistant professor for management at the Mendoza College of Business, to discuss a new study that shows how the emotions we experience at night can help us during the day.

A picture of drought: ND ecologist matching NASA images with field data to measure forest health

2023-09-13T15:48:00-04:00

Nate Swenson strides so quickly through the Wisconsin forest while carrying a large pole clipper that postdoctoral researcher Vanessa Rubio usually follows the 40 feet of rope dragging behind him.

When they reach the designated plot, Swenson extends the clipper about 30 feet high and pulls the rope to snip off a leafy twig from the canopy of a tall, tagged tree. The twig floats down through the dappled sunlight and lands in his hand.

It would be a majestic scene but for the mosquitoes. Hundreds and thousands of them, swarming everything that smells like warm blood.

Swenson cuts twigs from nine sample trees in each plot where the reflection of light from the leaves could show up in a space-based image. Rubio selects one leaf from each twig, folds it into a labeled test tube, and drops it in a metal canister of liquid nitrogen.

This flash freezing will preserve its RNA, which degrades quickly otherwise. Later in his campus lab, Swenson can study the leaf’s gene expression, which changes as it is stressed by drought later in the summer.

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How Notre Dame became the "Fighting Irish"

2023-08-23T14:12:00-04:00

One of the more popular stories we've produced is on the origin of the University's athletics nickname, the "Fighting Irish."

As the football team prepares to open its season in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, we revisit that history to open the new season of Notre Dame Stories.

Guest narration by Brian Ó Conchubhair of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish 91��Ƶ.

Explore the University's relationship with the Emerald Isle at: https://www.nd.edu/stories/ireland-series/east-and-west/

The Census Tree

2023-08-14T10:45:00-04:00

Kasey Buckles is more of an economist than a family genealogist. Most of her past work explores the economics of the family, demography, and child health.

But she decided to try the genealogy website FamilySearch because she was working with Brigham Young University economist Joseph Price on a study of intergenerational mobility. Buckles knew how difficult it can be to track and link the historical records of one person over time, especially women who change names when they marry.

She decided to look up her great-grandmother, and was surprised to see that some of her U.S. census records were already attached to her profile on FamilySearch. In 1910, the 2-year-old was listed as Mary L. Gaddie. A decade later, she went by her middle name of Lettie. And by 1940, she was a married woman: M. Lettie Caswell.

Buckles knew traditional research methods that attempt to trace a person by following the same name over time would have failed to make the connections.

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Golden Hour

2023-07-24T10:22:00-04:00

For the first time in nearly two decades, the famous dome atop the University's Main Building is being regilded.

The Object of Art: Students explore the galleries and stages of London

2023-07-17T14:17:00-04:00

‘The object of art is to give life a shape.’ — William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

It’s a brisk Thursday morning in October, and a group of Notre Dame students is out for a stroll along the River Thames in central London. They move along the South Bank as their guide, adjunct art history professor Lois Oliver, points out spots of historical and cultural significance. She takes note of a mother and child combing the bank near the river’s edge. The Thames is tidal, Oliver explains, and when the water recedes one can often find bits of pottery or other materials, some of which can date back to the medieval period. More than a few students are wide-eyed at this.

But this isn’t a sightseeing tour. It’s part of an experiential course called London as Art Capital, which exposes students to the rich art scene here. On today’s excursion, students are exploring a part of the city that has come to symbolize rebirth and rejuvenation. The area was heavily damaged during the Blitz, but by the 1950s, it was a sort of ground zero for an attempt at changing the trajectory of the national mood.

‘This extraordinary festival was planned and took place along this part of the river in 1951,’ Oliver explained. ‘It was called The Festival of Britain, and it was a real celebration of the arts, and technology, and manufacture, and really looking forward to a new prosperous age for Britain.’

Flamenco: The soul of Andalucía builds community in South Bend

2023-06-27T09:43:00-04:00

Leaving a restaurant in the city center of Málaga, Spain, flamenco artist Jaime El Estampio spotted a street musician unnoticed by the group of Notre Dame students and faculty—and he spontaneously began to dance.

Ellen Lavelle, a junior on the trip, says that as soon as El Estampio started clapping, a crowd of tourists and locals encircled the Notre Dame visitors and their local artist guide.

“Jaime’s energy was magnetic and his smile infectious,” Lavelle says. “Flamenco isn’t an exclusive dance; it welcomes everyone. It was born on the streets of Andalucía and although it has become very popular to perform on stage, there are deep roots connected to the dance that keep it a dance for all people.”

Flamenco invites participation and connection: between the dancer and the musician, and between the performers and their audience. Through hand-clapping, foot-stomping, and call-and-response, flamenco draws its participants into a shared experience, creating a community in which everyone is seen and heard. Over the last two years, flamenco has created connections between Spain and Notre Dame and between Notre Dame and South Bend, helping to build a community from neighbors.

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A Perilous Journey: Economics students witness the challenges of migration in Mexico

2023-06-15T10:41:00-04:00

A group of migrants at a shelter near Puebla, Mexico, sat in a circle of chairs and stared nervously across at five students from Eva Dziadula's Economics of Immigration class and a few other Notre Dame students studying abroad there.

The migrants were nearly all young men from Honduras. How could they describe the harrowing decision to leave their families and homes or the tortuous trip of thousands of miles on top of dangerous freight trains to get to the border of the United States?

Finally, one took the lead and spoke up.

José said he hopes to do carpentry and painting in the U.S. to provide money for his family. At home, he said, he can't make much money no matter how hard he works, and if he saves anything, it's usually stolen. He was making his third attempt without a “coyote” guide, which can cost thousands of dollars he doesn't have.

Asked about dangers on the trip, José shed some tears talking about the violence they face from Mexican authorities and gangs that often rob or beat the migrants. He said they just want to help their families and hope to be treated like human beings.

The students listened in empathetic silence. Then Jack Kelly, a junior studying pre-health and English, responded in his best Spanish.

“Thank you for sharing your story,” Kelly said. “You deserve respect, both as a person and as someone willing to do whatever it takes to help your family. I'm sorry for what you've had to go through.”

With little more solace to offer, the students stood and shook hands with each migrant in the circle. This kind of face-to-face interaction is exactly why Dziadula brings groups of Notre Dame students to Puebla and Mexico City to witness the journey at its midway point—in a course that focuses on the economic factors and outcomes at the start and end of the volatile subject of immigration.

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