Twenty-two Notre Dame students, including 18 undergraduate students and four graduate students, were awarded Fulbright Scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year, ranking 12th among U.S. doctoral institutions. Slightly more than 30 percent of the Notre Dame students who applied to the program were accepted, exceeding the respective rates for the 11 schools ahead of Notre Dame in the rankings.

Notre Dame has been a top producer of Fulbright students 13 times since the 2009-10 academic year. Full results are available online at the Chronicle of Higher Education.

“Last year's Fulbright process was unusually challenging due to shifting federal funding priorities. Many countries lessened the amount of awards they offered halfway through the process,” said Elise Rudt-Moorthy, associate director of national fellowships with Notre Dame’s Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement. “However, our students worked incredibly hard to earn their placements and then displayed great patience amid uncertainty. It was a pleasure and honor to serve them alongside my colleagues Mathilda Nassar, Emily Hunt, Michael Skalski and Veronica Vos.”

Mary Ann McDowell, a professor of biology and associate dean for professional development at the Graduate School, offered similar praise.

“Fulbright awards are highly competitive and recognize academic excellence, leadership potential and a strong commitment to global engagement and public service,” McDowell said. “The continued success of Notre Dame students earning Fulbright awards reflects their remarkable talent, dedication and drive to make a meaningful difference in the world. I am sincerely thankful to the exceptional teams in the Graduate School’s Office of Grants and Fellowships and the Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement, whose guidance and expertise are instrumental in supporting students throughout the Fulbright application process.”

Established in 1964, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship educational and cultural exchange program, offering students the opportunity to study, teach or pursue research or other projects abroad.

For more information on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu (undergraduate students) or graduateschool.nd.edu/graduate-training/research-communication/the-office-of-grants-and-fellowships/ (graduate students).

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on February 04, 2026.

The annual observance of Walk the Walk Week is rooted in Notre Dame’s mission as a Catholic university, and in the principles of Catholic social teaching, which call us to live in solidarity with all people, particularly the most vulnerable, and to honor the God-given dignity of every person.

Among the week’s events is a keynote conversation titled “Champions of Hope” at 4 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 26) in the Reyes Family Board Room (215/216 McKenna Hall). The talk, which will focus on what it means to lead with integrity, moral courage and hope, will feature two distinguished business leaders, both of whom are members of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees and former Notre Dame football student-athletes — Tracy Graham ’95 and Byron Spruell ’87, MBA ’89 — in conversation with University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. This event is free and open to the public and will be live streamed.

Graham is the founder and managing principal of Graham Allen Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in technology and tech-enabled businesses across the U.S. He is currently focused on leveraging data and artificial intelligence to help companies evolve via digital transformation.

Graham began his career by founding Internet Services Management Group, which became one of the largest privately held ISPs in the United States. He then went on to co-found GramTel Inc., a managed data center provider, in partnership with The Jordan Company. As CEO of GramTel, he led the company to become the largest provider of managed data center services in Indiana and the largest privately held provider in the Midwest. He successfully sold GramTel to Cincinnati Bell in 2007.

Graham completed a bachelor of arts degree from Notre Dame, where he was a member of the Fighting Irish football team from 1992-95. He is also a dedicated public servant, philanthropist and community advocate who serves on the boards of Lippert Components and 1st Source Bank, in addition to his role on the University’s Board of Trustees.

Spruell serves as president of league operations for the National Basketball Association, where he oversees critical league operations. In that role, he effectively integrates the departments of domestic and international basketball operations, referee operations and basketball strategy and analytics.

Spruell also collaborates with USA Basketball and the International Basketball Federation to promote the global growth of the game and development of players worldwide. He joined the NBA in 2016 from Deloitte where he last served as a managing principal and marketplace leader.

He has served on several charitable boards and committees, and is currently on the boards of Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago, the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York and Aon, a leading global professional services firm. He is also on the board of governors of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Spruell earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in finance from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of the football team from 1984-87, serving as co-captain in 1987. On the University’s Board of Trustees, he chairs the Undergraduate Education and Student Life Committee.

An annual Candlelight Prayer Service for members of the Notre Dame community will also take place at 8 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Main Building Rotunda, with Father Dowd presiding and a keynote reflection from Rev. Hugh R. Page Jr., vice president for belonging, engagement and mission and advisor to the president.

The prayer service will be followed by a candlelight procession to the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue and a dessert reception in the Sister Thea Bowman Center in the LaFortune Student Center.

Other Walk the Walk Week events include a campus-wide donation drive for classroom, cleaning and art project supplies for local organizations working with children and teens, as well as a student service project on Saturday (Jan. 24) packaging after-school kits for local youth.

A complete list of events is available at walkthewalk.nd.edu.

Contact: Carrie Gates, Associate Director of Media Relations, 574-993-9220, c.gates@nd.edu

Administered by the U.S. Department of Education, the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant will be used to support children’s literacy by expanding the number of individuals connected to schools, from tutors and aides to parents, who are trained in the science of reading.

The award positions Indiana as one of just 10 states receiving an EIR grant this cycle.

“We are thrilled that Indiana has been selected for this highly competitive federal award,” Gov. Mike Braun said. “Through a partnership between the state of Indiana, higher education and community-based organizations, we can ensure more Hoosier students, in every corner of our state, are building the foundational literacy skills that prepare them for lifelong success.”

Building on the successful Tutor-ND model developed by researchers at Notre Dame, IDOE will scale the Tutor Cognitive Science Connection Hub (Tutor-CogSci), a capacity-building model integrating high-impact tutoring with workforce development, to serve additional students — particularly in rural and underserved areas of the Hoosier state.

“The Tutor-ND program reflects the University’s long-standing commitment to expanding educational opportunities through data-driven practices and partnerships that strengthen communities,” said University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “We are deeply grateful for the generosity of the Department of Education, which will allow Tutor-ND to broaden its crucial support for educators and students across Indiana.”

Tutor-CogSci supports college and high school students, aides and other school-connected adults through interdisciplinary learning design teams connected to university researchers and teacher educators. These teams then partner with schools, bolstering schools’ capacity to sustain effective literacy support while contributing to ongoing learning about what works.

Together, Notre Dame, IDOE and WestEd will build the human infrastructure needed to meet Indiana’s reading goals at scale; develop the youth-serving workforce, especially aspiring teachers, pediatricians, cognitive scientists and parents; and ensure continuous improvement through data-driven, design-based implementation.

“Helping children learn to read is a universal good, and that’s what brings so many Hoosiers together to do this work,” said Nicole McNeil, professor of psychology and the Sweeney Family Director of the Center for Educational Research and Action at Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives, which will manage the day-to-day aspects of the project. “Indiana is demonstrating what’s possible when leaders value research evidence and invest deeply in early literacy. We’re honored to support the educators who are leading this work.”

WestEd, a nonpartisan research, development and service agency that works to promote excellence, improve learning and increase opportunity for children, youth and adults, will serve as the project’s independent evaluator to ensure the project yields high-quality evidence to guide practice and policy.

“As evaluators, we’re excited to support this initiative that fundamentally rethinks how we scale effective tutoring,” said Jodi Davenport, vice president of learning sciences and technology at WestEd. “By grounding tutors in cognitive science and engaging college and high school students as tutors themselves, this project creates a multiplier effect: improving third-grade reading outcomes today while building the educator workforce of tomorrow.”

“This grant will help us accelerate student learning through targeted, high-impact tutoring, deepen our commitment to the science of reading and better support educators and students across all 92 counties.

Indiana is uniquely positioned to tackle one of the most urgent challenges in education: ensuring that every student receives effective, relationship-focused literacy instruction tailored to individuals’ needs.

Tutor-CogSci has been refined and tested over four years, producing gains in school readiness and reading achievement. Unlike outreach programs that deploy untrained “reading buddies” or “homework helpers,” it connects tutors directly to cognitive science, preparing them to support the full developmental literacy trajectory.

University partnerships are central to this strategy, supplying well-trained, mission-aligned tutors while advancing research and workforce development, prioritizing formation, relationships and learning outcomes over profit, ensuring fidelity, replicability and scalable impact. Tutor-ND currently partners with the Alliance for Catholic Education to support summer enrichment and learning at the Notre Dame Robinson Community Learning Center.

“Central to our state’s continued improvement in literacy is bringing everyone to the table to identify and deploy solutions,” said Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education. “This grant will help us accelerate student learning through targeted, high-impact tutoring, deepen our commitment to the science of reading and better support educators and students across all 92 counties. We are grateful for this opportunity and eager to get to work for Indiana students!”

Since its inception, Tutor-ND has worked with schools and community organizations to build capacity for high-impact tutoring through cognitive science. Its literacy partnership with the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) began in 2021-22 with two pilot schools and a small group of students in grades two to four. The following year, the model expanded to nine SBCSC schools that collectively served about 1,600 students in grades two to four. In 2023-24, with AmeriCorps support, Tutor-ND added on-demand training, curriculum inserts and assessment guides, supporting new partnerships with Catholic schools, community centers and universities, including Boston College and the University of Dayton.

Today, the program supports high-impact tutoring across nine SBCSC schools during the school day, provides on-demand assistance for community-based and after-school tutors, trains school staff to lead summer programs and shares science-of-reading-aligned materials with families. It is part of the Aspiring Teachers as Tutors Network, a national collective organized by Deans for Impact that brings together educator-preparation programs and nonprofit tutoring initiatives to strengthen the formation of future educators through high-impact tutoring.

Coinciding with the rollout and expansion of the program, SBCSC’s IREAD pass rate rose from 53.7 percent in 2021 to 70.8 percent in 2025 — the largest gain among comparable public districts in the state. Those partnered with Tutor-ND increased IREAD pass by 26.4 percentage points, five times the state average over the same period. Work with Catholic schools resulted in increases to above 95 percent pass rates for all participating schools.

Additional information about Tutor-ND is available online.

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on January 15, 2026.

“Congratulations to Emmanuel Uzobuife, his professors and his family on this impressive accomplishment,” University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., said. “Emmanuel represents the very best of Notre Dame, epitomizing the commitment to scholarship and social engagement we seek to instill in our graduates.”

Born in Nigeria, Uzobuife, a Galvin Scholar and Sorin Fellow, moved to the U.S. at the age of 3, settling with his family in the Bronx section of New York as one of seven siblings.

A science-business major with minors in science and patient advocacy, chemistry and musical theater, his interests revolve around the question of how science can intervene where society has failed, with a particular focus on the development and equitable distribution of life-saving drugs to prevent and combat opioid and other substance use disorders.

“It is my honor to be a recipient of the Marshall Scholarship with which I will use to continue to advance Notre Dame’s mission of being a force for good in the world by ‘caring for the least of these,’” Uzobuife said. “I’m deeply grateful to my loving family, my professors, mentors and classmates at Notre Dame, as well as the Galvin Scholars and Transformational Leaders Program for supporting me throughout the years.”

A Transformational Leaders Program Scholar, Uzobuife is active in research and other endeavors at Notre Dame.

He is an undergraduate researcher in the Lieberman Analytical Chemistry Lab, conducts biological education research with Michelle Whaley, teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is co-director of Health and Wellness for Notre Dame Student Government and is a resident assistant in Baumer Hall. He is a member of the Notre Dame Glee Club and the Biotech Club and he worked as an operations supervisor at RecSports for three years.

In his role with the Lieberman Lab, he co-authored a peer-reviewed study evaluating fentanyl test strip efficacy along with the lab’s director, Marya Lieberman, the Nancy Dee Professor of Cancer Research at Notre Dame, and others. He is currently examining the sensitivity of test strips in detecting xylazine, a new and powerful adulterant in illicit opioids.

Away from campus, he is a research intern with the Mayo Clinic Otolaryngology Research Program and in the Walsh Lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In his free time, he volunteers with Our Lady of the Road, a Catholic drop-in center in South Bend.

His interest in substance use stems from his time growing up in the Bronx, where he witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic, as exacerbated by factors such as stigma, poverty and structural neglect.

As a Marshall Scholar, he intends to pursue master’s degrees in pharmacology and toxicology (year one) and drug discovery and artificial intelligence (year two) at the University of Liverpool. He will then return to the U.S. to attend medical school and continue building a career at the intersection of pharmacology, public health and equitable medical care.

“Manny brings his passion for science to bear on real problems in our community,” Lieberman said. “In his research, he helped evaluate the quality of lateral flow immunoassay test strips that are used to detect the presence of fentanyl and other harmful opioids in street drugs, which resulted in a co-authored paper in the journal Harm Reduction. After he learned about the risk of opioid-laced pills to the student community, he planned a series of workshops about opioid use, drug stigma and training in Narcan use for pre-professional undergraduates, dorm rectors and RAs. Through these workshops, 107 campus participants received training and free Narcan.”

Established in 1954 to commemorate the Marshall Plan, the Marshall Scholarship supports Americans of exceptional ability to pursue graduate-level studies in the U.K., covering university fees, cost of living, research and thesis grants and travel to and from the U.S., among other expenses.

In applying for the award, Uzobuife worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE), which promotes the intellectual development of Notre Dame undergraduates through scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships.

“I am pleased to congratulate Manny on his selection as a 2026 Marshall Scholar, our third in four years,” said Emily Buika Hunt, assistant director of scholarly development at CUSE. “At Notre Dame, Manny has pursued academic excellence while also demonstrating a deep commitment to serving our community through research, outreach, mentorship and music. His dedication to saving lives is representative of Notre Dame's core values and we are excited to watch his continued growth as a Marshall Scholar.”

Buika Hunt thanked the Transformational Leaders Program, the Mary E. Galvin Science and Engineering Program, CUSE Associate Director of National Fellowships Elise Rudt-Moorthy “and the many mentors Manny has had both within and beyond the Notre Dame community for the advice and mentorship they've offered to him during his time at the University.”

For more on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu.

Contact: Erin Blasko, associate director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on January 06, 2026.

The grant will also support the establishment of a robust, interconnected network that will provide practical resources to help navigate challenges posed by rapidly developing AI. Based on principles and values from Christian traditions, the framework is designed to be accessible to people of all faith perspectives.

“We are deeply grateful to Lilly Endowment for its generous support of this critically important initiative,” said University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “Pope Leo XIV calls for us all to work to ensure that AI is ‘intelligent, relational and guided by love,’ reflecting the design of God the Creator. As a Catholic university that seeks to promote human flourishing, Notre Dame is well-positioned to build bridges between religious leaders and educators, and those creating and using new technologies, so that they might together explore the moral and ethical questions associated with AI.”

With the support of a $539,000 planning grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded in October 2024, ECG spent the past year mapping the landscape of faith-informed work in AI ethics. Drawing on insights from more than 200 conversations with representatives of these various constituencies, ECG created DELTA, a Christian-inspired ethical framework that stands for Dignity, Embodiment, Love, Transcendence and Agency. The framework was launched at the inaugural Notre Dame Summit on AI, Faith and Human Flourishing in September 2025.

“Lilly Endowment’s continued support enables Notre Dame to address one of the defining questions of our time — how to guide the use of artificial intelligence with wisdom, responsibility and a commitment to human dignity,” said John T. McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “As a leading global Catholic research university with deep partnerships across technology, faith and academia, we are uniquely positioned to convene these conversations.”

“The depth of engagement and support from the wide variety of participants at the Notre Dame summit for further development of the DELTA framework was most compelling,” said N. Clay Robbins, Lilly Endowment’s chairman and CEO. “Lilly Endowment is pleased to support this effort that acknowledges the beneficial opportunities AI offers while encouraging uses of AI that align with important moral and ethical values that draw from religious insights and traditions.”

Notre Dame’s DELTA network will be organized around interdisciplinary and intergenerational communities of practice focused on education, pastoral ministry and public engagement. The communities of practice will come together to learn about and engage with the principles of the faith-based ethical framework. They will nurture relationships between those who are developing AI technology and those in education, workplaces, religious communities and a variety of public settings who must discern ethical ways to use AI.

As part of the project, ECG will launch a series of programs to encourage and support young adults to lead with convictions shaped by DELTA principles. In addition, by developing hubs in communities in Silicon Valley and the Northeastern U.S., the institute will invite tech leaders and the public to engage with DELTA principles through issue-focused events and retreats.

Each community of practice will be supported by a timely, high-impact slate of resources, programs and events that will enable and leverage sustained engagement with the DELTA framework, developing a common language and set of tools that will energize and guide conversations around the ethics of AI and its applications.

DELTA builds on collaborations already in place around technology ethics, including the University’s partnership with IBM through the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab.

“Here at Notre Dame, we’re committed to shaping public thought about how humans can flourish in an AI-driven world by drawing upon our Catholic and Christian tradition,” said Meghan Sullivan, the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy and director of ECG and the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative. “With this work, Notre Dame and ECG will deepen our mission to grow networks of corporate leaders, faith leaders, educators, storytellers and others to advance ethics and the common good. Given the monumental impact that AI will have on our lives, this work is more vital than ever.”

Those interested in staying connected with DELTA and this work may visit ethics.nd.edu/DELTA to join the DELTA mailing list.

Notre Dame has always focused on ethics in both research and formation. In 2024, the University intensified its commitment to the field with the launch of the University-wide Ethics Initiative, which aims to establish Notre Dame as a premier global destination for the study of ethics, offering superb training for future generations of ethicists and moral leaders, a platform for engaging the Catholic moral tradition with other modes of inquiry and an opportunity to forge insights into some of the most significant ethical issues of our time.

A signature element of the Ethics Initiative, the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good facilitates interdisciplinary research in foundational and applied ethics, coordinates projects that cross departments and units and supports ethics-related education and public engagement efforts.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United States and around the globe.

Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, 574-993-9220, c.gates@nd.edu

Originally published by Carrie Gates and Laura Moran Walton at news.nd.edu on December 19, 2025.

Today, the City of South Bend’s Redevelopment Commission pledged financial support for the development of Colfax Corner, a new 202,000-square-foot research and innovation hub led by Ancora in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame. The city’s financial support comes through an Innovation Development District (IDD) bond, which will be repaid by incremental tax revenue generated by the project. The IDD is a novel partnership between the City of South Bend and the State of Indiana that will be an asset for attracting additional jobs and investment into the community.

Colfax Corner represents the first phase of the DTSB Tech and Talent District, and was envisioned by the Downtown 2045 Plan to serve as a catalyst for broader revitalization activities.

The project will feature a restored South Bend Tribune building and an adjoining modern research and office facility. The two will be linked on the second floor, and together frame an outdoor public plaza designed for events, pop-up programming and everyday use. Vertical construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2026, with completion expected by summer 2028.

By locating more than 400 high-tech jobs to downtown South Bend and engaging the community with an active calendar of programming and events, Colfax Corner will spark renewed energy in the city, with a projected $750 million direct impact to the local economy over the next 10 years.

“This project shows what’s possible when a university, private partners and a city pull in the same direction — innovation speeds up, talent sticks and opportunity widens for South Bend,” said Josh Parker, chairman and CEO of Ancora, an investment management firm that partners with universities to deliver projects that support academic, research and community goals. Ancora is the development, construction, asset and property manager for the project.

More than a real estate project, Colfax Corner is the product of cross-sector collaboration among Notre Dame, Ancora, the City of South Bend, the State of Indiana, Lilly Endowment Inc. and the Judd Leighton Foundation. The announcement follows a $30 million grant from Lilly Endowment through its College and Community Collaboration program, aimed at fueling job creation, economic growth and improved quality of life in Indiana’s college towns.

“We are grateful for the support Colfax Corner has received from our public and nonprofit partners,” said Shannon Cullinan, executive vice president of Notre Dame. “Together with other new developments in downtown South Bend, we look forward to the positive impact this project will have on advancing our region.”

“This game-changing project will not only reshape the landscape of our downtown, but also catalyze shared growth in our community.”

Notre Dame, as the anchor tenant, will work alongside Ancora to attract world-class research and talent while also welcoming educational programs, events, and dining and retail experiences — creating a vibrant district where innovation connects with the broader community. The district will also host ethics and leadership training through Holy Cross College and youth and early childhood programming through South Bend City Church.

“We are proud to partner with Ancora and the University of Notre Dame on this transformative investment in the heart of South Bend,” South Bend Mayor James Mueller said. “This game-changing project will not only reshape the landscape of our downtown, but also catalyze shared growth in our community.”

The Tribune building, acquired by Notre Dame in 2023 to preserve it from demolition, will undergo full historic restoration to provide classroom, research and innovation space. The new adjacent building will strengthen downtown South Bend as a hub for technological advancement and collaboration.

Phase Two of the project will expand west across Lafayette Boulevard, further extending the district’s economic and cultural reach.

To learn more about the project, visit www.colfaxcorner.com.

Contact: Erin Blasko, associate director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on December 18, 2025.

The beginning of Advent, Father Dowd noted in his homily, was a fitting time to celebrate the Mass.

“Advent is a season when, in a special way, we are called to prepare a place for the Lord Jesus in our hearts, in our minds, in our lives and in our communities,” Father Dowd said. “Advent is also a season when we are called to develop insight — a ‘holy insight’ — that allows us to recognize the Lord Jesus as he comes to us.”

Father Dowd observed that Jesus “comes to us in ways that are stunning for their ordinariness.” Referencing the Mass’ first reading from the book of Deuteronomy, he said that God’s people are to be especially attentive to the vulnerable in their midst, for “God continues to come to us in flesh and blood, especially the flesh and blood of those who struggle the most.”

“While there are many vulnerable people in our midst here in our country and elsewhere in our world — and we Christians are called to recognize Christ present in them all — this evening, as members of the Notre Dame family, we join with our Holy Father, Pope Leo, and our bishops to pray that we might recognize Christ present in our immigrant population, many of whom are especially vulnerable these days,” Father Dowd said.

Father Dowd noted that “it is important to recognize the right and responsibility of governments to decide who, when and how to allow people into a country, including this one.”

“There can be no doubt our immigration system in this country is broken, and has been for some time,” he said. “There is need for reform.

“However, it is imperative that we treat people who are in this country — many for several years, contributing to and enriching our country — with the respect that their God-given dignity demands.”

Father Dowd exhorted the hundreds of attendees to consider how the Notre Dame community can work together to address the brokenness of the immigration system.

“At Notre Dame, we must do more than complain. We must deepen our understanding of the complexity of the situation and work with others to propose sensible and humane solutions,” he said. “That’s what universities are for.”

Father Dowd concluded his homily with a call to pray for immigrants, for “sensible and humane immigration policy reform” and for “elected leaders and all who have the responsibility of governing and enforcing our country’s laws.”

“And, let us pray that those of us who call ourselves Christians might be cultivators of hope by recognizing Christ in the vulnerable, serving him there, learning from him there and standing with him there,” he said.

“May Notre Dame always be a community dedicated to growth, not only in knowledge, understanding and technical expertise, but in wisdom and insight — the holy insight to recognize the mysterious presence of Christ in our midst.”

Rev. Gerard J. Olinger, C.S.C., vice president for student affairs, closed the Mass with an invitation to join Father Dowd and himself in prayer at the Grotto, “to light a candle and to ask for the intercession of Our Lady as we navigate these conversations as a nation.”

Father Dowd’s full homily is available at president.nd.edu.

Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, c.gates@nd.edu, 574-993-9220

Originally published by Carrie Gates at news.nd.edu on December 02, 2025.

The United States Department of Defense has honored the University of Notre Dame’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) as the nation’s top Navy collegiate program for the 2023-24 academic year. This comes after the Department of Defense, also called the Department of War, bestowed the same honor on the University’s Army ROTC program in May.

Presented annually, the Educational Institution Partnership Excellence Award recognizes the outstanding ROTC unit and host educational institution from each military department based on accomplishments in three areas: performance, educational institution support and other noteworthy achievements.

“We are proud of our Midshipmen and Navy ROTC leaders, whose character, discipline and concern for the common good represent the best of Notre Dame,” University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., said. “It is wonderful to see them recognized alongside our Army ROTC cadets, and on behalf of the entire campus community, we congratulate them on this prestigious honor.”

In a recent ceremony at the reflecting pool on campus, Midshipman Annika Kell, a senior environmental science major, presented Father Dowd with a certificate of recognition for the award.

They were joined by CAPT John Smith, commanding officer of the Naval ROTC unit; CDR Matt Wood, executive officer of the unit; senior mechanical engineering major Douglass Tackney, midshipman executive officer of the unit; and senior mechanical engineering major Charlie Alberino, midshipman operations officer of the unit, among others.

“The Naval ROTC program plays a critical role in developing our young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, striking a balance between leadership, academics, physical fitness and community involvement,” Smith said. “The success of the program depends on many factors, most notably the selfless dedication of our students and staff and the unwavering support of the University. To that end, we are grateful to the Department of War for this recognition, which is a testament to the service and character of not just the unit, but Notre Dame as a whole.”

Notre Dame supports the Naval ROTC program in many ways. Historically, the University’s presidents have participated in the annual pass-in-review and presentation of the Commander’s Cup award. The University provides active-duty staff with parking, tuition assistance, facilities access and inclusion in faculty social events. And it recognizes active-duty staff during home football games. The University also supports midshipmen by counting naval science classes toward degree completion and providing access to campus facilities.

The Naval ROTC unit supports both Notre Dame and the local community. Midshipmen collectively average 40 hours per week of community service to seven organizations. They work in conjunction with the assistant Marine officer instructor to provide mentorship, advisement and evaluation to six high school Junior ROTC programs in the area. They also support veteran events, including memorials, holidays and ceremonies, and provide color guard service through Notre Dame’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs.

“This recognition reflects the commitment our Midshipmen make to selflessly serve our nation, as so many of our Naval ROTC program graduates have done for decades,” said Kenneth Heckel, the Sergeant John F. Crowley Director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs. “We are deeply grateful for the collective dedication of our students, faculty and staff in the Naval ROTC program, combined with the University’s support, that ensures our motto of ‘God, Country, Notre Dame’ rings true across our campus.”

Notre Dame’s long history of military service and training can be traced back to the University’s founding by Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., in 1842. Just 16 years later, in 1858, a student military company called the Notre Dame Continental Cadets was formed. During the Civil War, many Congregation of Holy Cross priests and sisters served in varying capacities, with Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s third president, being the most notable for his granting absolution to the Union Army’s Irish Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg.

On Christmas Eve 1862, three Holy Cross sisters boarded the U.S. Navy’s first hospital ship, the Red Rover, to serve as nurses for the wounded on both sides of the war. They traveled the Mississippi River carrying sick and wounded soldiers to various military hospitals. In so doing, they became what U.S. naval history today hails as the forerunners of the United States Navy Nurse Corps.

In the 1950s, Notre Dame became one of the first universities to host all three military branches with an affiliated ROTC program, with former University President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., signing official documentation in 1951 for the formal establishment of the Army ROTC program.

The association between the University and the Department of Navy began in September 1941 with the formation of an NROTC unit under the command of Captain H. P. Burnett. The program offered a four-year course in naval science and tactics that led to a reserve commission. It did not pay tuition and often did not entail active-duty service after commissioning.

As the U.S. entered World War II, many changes occurred. Studies were accelerated for all students, enabling them to finish their degrees in three years or less. The Navy expanded its officer training at Notre Dame, beginning in February 1942, with the V-7 program. Under this program, officer candidates were indoctrinated at Notre Dame and continued their training at Abbott Hall in Chicago or on the USS Prairie State, anchored in the Hudson River.

In September 1942, Notre Dame became a Midshipman Training Center, one of four in the nation.

Midshipmen completed four months of training before receiving a commission. In January 1943, 1,100 ensigns graduated from the program and became the first group of officers to receive all their training and be commissioned at Notre Dame.

In 1943, the Navy further expanded its officer accessions with the V-12 program. This program offered two 16-week semesters of academics, followed by further studies and training depending on the officer’s specialty. With the V-12 program, Notre Dame acquired a Marine detachment under the leadership of Capt. John W. Finney, USMCR. During this time, the NROTC program remained active, graduating its first class in February 1944.

As a result of such extensive involvement with the Navy, Notre Dame’s student body had a large military relationship in World War II. In 1944, there were 2,610 students enrolled; 1,771 of whom were in the military. Six hundred and thirty-nine were civilians, and 200 were students of religion. During the war, Notre Dame trained nearly 12,000 naval officers.

As the war ended, the various officer accession programs were phased out, and by 1945, only the NROTC program remained. Under the Holloway Plan, Notre Dame NROTC continued to prepare officers for the Navy and Marine Corps.

Esteemed graduates of Notre Dame’s ROTC programs include the only three four-star flag officers in Notre Dame history: Gen. Bryan P. Fenton, a 1987 Army ROTC graduate and U.S. Special Operations Commander; ADM. Christopher W. Grady, a 1984 Navy ROTC graduate, retired vice chairman and former acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Notre Dame’s 2025 Commencement speaker; and ADM. William J. Houston, a 1990 Naval ROTC graduate and director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. All are recipients of the Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Award.

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on November 20, 2025.

Father Dowd extended to the Holy Father the good wishes, prayers and support of the entire Notre Dame community. The discussion centered on the role Notre Dame and other Catholic universities can play in serving the Church, addressing the challenges of our times, and fostering human flourishing. The Holy Father expressed gratitude for Notre Dame’s many contributions as a global Catholic research university, and he encouraged Notre Dame to continue its efforts to build bridges.

Father Dowd presented Pope Leo with a sculpture of St. John Henry Newman, created by the late Rev. Anthony J. Lauck, C.S.C., a longtime professor of art at Notre Dame. St. Newman was named co-patron saint of Catholic universities, colleges and schools and declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo on Nov. 1.

The audience concluded with Pope Leo bestowing a blessing upon those gathered and upon all who are part of the Notre Dame family.

In the course of a four-day visit to Rome, the Notre Dame delegation also met with Vatican officials from the various dicasteries — departments within the Holy See — with whom the University has established partnerships.

Margaret Meserve, vice president and associate provost for academic space and support at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed the Edward H. Arnold Dean of the Hesburgh Libraries by University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.

Meserve, who has served as interim library dean since August 2024, now begins a five-year term.

“The Hesburgh Libraries are vital to Notre Dame’s aspirations to be the leading global Catholic research university,” Father Dowd said. “Over her 20-year career at the University, Margaret has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to Notre Dame’s mission, including most recently as interim dean, earning the respect and admiration of her colleagues. I am confident that under her guidance, the libraries will continue to advance the University’s research, teaching and learning goals while fostering Notre Dame’s engagement with the global scholarly community.”

John T. McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost, said Meserve was well-suited to her new role. “Margaret is an unusually gifted administrator,” he said. “She possesses vision, superb communications skills and a deep commitment to Notre Dame. All of this has been in evidence in her multiple roles at Notre Dame.”

Meserve was appointed vice president and associate provost for academic space and support in 2023. Prior to that, she served as associate dean for the humanities and faculty affairs and director of space planning in the College of Arts and Letters and co-director of the Glynn Family Honors Program.

“A professor of history, Margaret is passionate about rare books and special collections, sophisticated in her use of data and a leading scholar of the history of the book,” McGreevy noted. “The search committee praised her work as interim dean, her compelling vision for the library and her commitment to deepening the engagement of the libraries with all of Notre Dame’s colleges and schools.”

In her continued capacity as vice president and associate provost, Meserve will maintain oversight of the University of Notre Dame Press, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art and the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. She will be handing off her current duties related to academic space and support to Vice President and Associate Provost David Go by the end of the academic year.

As dean, Meserve will lead a team of nearly 140 faculty and staff members at the flagship Hesburgh Library — which houses the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship, the Medieval Institute Library, the University Archives and Rare Books & Special Collections — and three specialty libraries located across the Notre Dame campus (architecture, business and music).

“I’m honored and excited to continue working with our expert library faculty and staff to strengthen support for research, teaching and the preservation of knowledge at Notre Dame for generations to come,” Meserve said. “And I look forward to advancing new initiatives in information literacy, digital collections and scholarly communication that will advance the Hesburgh Libraries as a leader among university research libraries.”

Meserve received her bachelor’s degree in classics from Harvard and her master’s and doctorate in Renaissance history from the University of London. She taught at Princeton for two years before coming to Notre Dame in 2003. She has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies, and she is a fellow of the American Academy in Rome.

In her research and teaching, Meserve focuses on the Italian Renaissance and the histories of printing and book production, history writing, humanist culture and the papacy in the 15th and 16th centuries. Both her undergraduate and graduate courses often make use of the Hesburgh Libraries’ rare books and manuscripts as a way to introduce students to the material evidence of history. Her most recent book, “Papal Bull: Print, Politics, and Propaganda in Renaissance Rome,” won the American Catholic Historical Association’s Helen & Howard Marraro Prize for the most distinguished work in Italian history published in 2021.

She is currently working on a translation of the “Commentaries” of Pope Pius II, a Renaissance pope known for his scholarship and the only pope ever to compose an autobiography while in office.

Originally published by Kate Garry at news.nd.edu on November 17, 2025.

Inspired by the inscription over the east entrance to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart — “God, Country, Notre Dame” — the center seeks to play a catalytic role in matters of global policy through actionable research, teaching and programming guided by the University’s Catholic character. It connects policymakers and the public with top-tier scholarship on issues of international security, especially on grand strategy — where, when and how states consider using military force among other instruments of statecraft to achieve foreign policy goals.

“For nearly two decades, the Notre Dame International Security Center has been an exemplary force both in impactful research and in shaping the lives and careers of future leaders,” said Kenneth Scheve, the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the College of Arts & Letters and a professor of political science. “This incredibly generous support from the O’Briens empowers us to expand our commitment to fostering critical conversations and forming influential voices on national security policy for generations to come.”

The O’Briens’ gift will sustain and significantly advance the research and curricular ambitions of the center, including endowing a newly created executive director position and launching the O’Brien Fellowship for two graduate students and two postdoctoral scholars.

It also provides sustainable funding for a research seminar and expands support for a doctoral program for active-duty officers, predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship programs and collaborative partnerships on and off campus, as well as regular scholarly programming in Washington, D.C.

“Cynthia and Kevin not only talk the talk of public service in international security, they live it: Kevin is a decorated Gulf War veteran, and among Cynthia’s many charitable activities is one which supports active-duty military members and their families,” said Michael C. Desch, the Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations and the Brian and Jeannelle Brady Family Director of the center. “My ONDISC colleagues and I are gratified by their support and honored to continue their family’s legacy of service.”

Since its inception, the center has focused on developing scholars and policy leaders in international security. Its undergraduate program, supported through the O’Briens’ benefaction, is home to the College of Arts & Letters’ minor in international security studies, a five-course sequence that includes coursework options across political science, history, philosophy and other disciplines, as well as an undergraduate fellows program that includes funding in support of students completing a yearlong senior thesis research project and an internship related to international security.

ONDISC also supports graduate students in many other ways, including sixth-year funding for doctoral students and research grants. The center’s Hans J. Morgenthau Fellowship supports doctoral candidates for one year in advancing their research while participating in seminars, a weeklong study trip to an international battlefield and a teaching workshop, while its postdoctoral fellowship hosts one scholar per year whose work involves innovative approaches to the study of U.S. grand strategy.

The center also offers targeted support for future military leaders, partnering with the Department of Political Science to offer an accelerated three-year Ph.D. program for active-duty U.S. military officials, as well as a War College Fellowship that brings senior officers from the U.S. Army or Marine Corps to campus for a year of advanced continuing education.

Since 2017, the center has hired three faculty and more than 10 postdoctoral fellows; appointed Jim Webb, a former U.S. senator from Virginia and secretary of the Navy, as its inaugural distinguished fellow; hosted more than 100 predoctoral fellows; and run a visiting faculty program.

Kevin O’Brien is a 1988 graduate of Notre Dame who majored in economics and English and was a Navy ROTC midshipman. He served four years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, including as a surface warfare officer on the USS Nicholas in combat operations during Operation Desert Storm, for which he earned a Bronze Star. After earning his Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, he spent 21 years at private equity firms CCMP Capital and its predecessor, JPMorgan Partners, where he led the health care practice. He retired in 2021 and is now an investor and board member for several early-stage health care technology companies, serves on the board of the Special Operations Fund, and is an adviser to the Diplomatic Studies Foundation.

“Our country needs leaders with a holistic understanding of history and policy, and Notre Dame is a place where students can uniquely develop this understanding with an eye towards future service,” Kevin O’Brien said. “Professor Mike Desch and the team at ONDISC are a true force for good — taking on these critical topics and providing the mentorship and education to develop future leaders in a world that sorely needs them.”

Cynthia Craft O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and master’s degrees in business administration and environmental health from Temple University. She worked as a hazardous material specialist and professor of environmental engineering technology before devoting more than 20 years to service on nonprofit boards. She has been a member of the strategic planning, capital campaign and executive committees for the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, as well as serving on the boards of the North Texas Military Foundation, the Alcuin School and the Crested Butte Land Trust.

“I vividly remember being a 23-year-old newlywed when Kevin, at age 24, was deployed to the Persian Gulf. I was hoping that the people deciding to send our troops to war had exhausted all forms of diplomacy and understood what a military member and their family sacrifices for our country,” Cynthia O’Brien said. “I believe that Professor Desch and his team are educating incredibly bright students who will then be making policy and advising decision-makers on international security, protecting the best interests of active duty military members and their families.”

Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu

Originally published by Josh Weinhold at news.nd.edu on October 21, 2025.

The Rooney Democracy Institute, formerly known as the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, aims to advance Notre Dame’s role as a national and global leader in democracy scholarship and as a convener of bipartisan conversations about the future of democracy.

 “Notre Dame’s long tradition of cultivating civil discourse and our ability to convene prominent voices across a range of perspectives have enabled us to lead important conversations about democracy for decades,” said University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “Thanks to the extraordinary generosity and vision of Francis and Kathleen, generations of students and scholars will have the opportunity to engage with the political challenges and opportunities of their times in the context of both democratic principles and Catholic social teaching. We could not be more grateful to the Rooneys for advancing Notre Dame's mission and expanding our capacity to serve as an authoritative and influential voice in strengthening democracy in America."

Established in 2008 through a gift from the Francis and Kathleen Rooney Foundation, the Rooney Center has advanced impactful research on a range of topics, including representation and politics in legislatures, democratic participation, democratic inclusion, religion and American democracy and political psychology. It also partners closely with the Hesburgh Program in Public Service, the University’s public policy minor; and the Washington Program, which has supported more than 500 students in spending a semester studying and interning in Washington, D.C.

 The Rooneys’ gift provides permanent support for the institute’s signature programs, including the annual Keeping the Republic Conference and semi-annual Health of Democracy Survey, and expands and enhances its stable of research labs. It also ensures the sustainability of new programming launched through the support of Notre Dame’s Democracy Initiative, including the Democracy Talks events series, a cohort of postdoctoral scholars and the Democracy Fellows Program, which supports and inspires the next generation of public servants.

 Establishing Notre Dame as a leading institution for the study and preservation of democracy was a key priority outlined in “Notre Dame 2033: A Strategic Framework,” prompting the creation of the University’s Democracy Initiative, led by political scientist David Campbell, who served for six years as the Rooney Center’s founding director.

 “The Rooney Democracy Institute is a bold step forward in strengthening Notre Dame’s ability to influence the future of our democracy through rigorous research, education and bipartisan conversation on the questions that matter most,” said John T. McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “As early and essential supporters of Notre Dame’s democracy-focused efforts, I am grateful to the Rooneys for their leadership as personal and professional exemplars of the kind of values-driven democracy defenders this institute will develop.”

 In future years, the Rooney Democracy Institute will build “dream teams” of senior and junior faculty, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students that will advance research on pressing issues related to democracy. The Rooneys’ gift will also support expansion of the institute’s staff to allow for further policy impact with lawmakers and engagement with the media and the public.

 "As a leading Catholic university, Notre Dame has a unique responsibility to address the social challenges of our time, including the health of our democracy,” said Matthew E.K. Hall, the institute’s director and the David A. Potenziani Memorial College Professor of Constitutional Studies. “By creating this new institute, we will strengthen our capacity to better understand American democracy, to share that understanding with the broader society and to instill that knowledge in the next generation of American citizens and leaders.”

 Francis Rooney served as a member of the U.S. House for two terms, representing Florida’s 19th District from 2017-21. He served as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, appointed by President George W. Bush, from 2005-08. He was previously the chief executive officer of Rooney Holdings Inc., an investment and holding company based in Naples, Fla. He also served as the chairman of Manhattan Construction Company, whose projects include the construction of AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas; NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas; and the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. The company also built the Capitol Visitor Center addition to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.; the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum in College Station, Texas; and the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.

 Kathleen Rooney has served on numerous museum, philanthropic and community boards in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Naples, Florida. The Rooneys have been active in Catholic, political and civic circles at the state and national levels. Other affiliations with Catholic organizations include the St. Francis Health System in Tulsa; Cascia Hall Preparatory School, an Augustinian middle and high school in Tulsa; and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Their other charitable giving includes the Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) Rooney Heart Institute and Georgetown University's Dahlgren Chapel. They are also both trustees emeriti of the Naples Children Foundation, which serves the at-risk and disadvantaged children of Collier County.

 Their past support for Notre Dame includes endowing the Rooney Center and the chair of the dean of the School of Architecture.

 The Rooneys have three children, all Notre Dame alumni — Larry ’04 (Porscha Radcliffe Rooney ’04), Michael ’06 J.D. ’09 (Frances Dayton) and Kathleen ’09.

 “Notre Dame is the gold standard for trust in higher education, and that perspective is needed nowhere more right now than in American politics,” Francis Rooney said. “Ever since Kathleen and I set foot on this campus many years ago, we felt that Notre Dame was blessed — and we are filled with hope for the way Notre Dame can be a blessing to our nation in the years ahead.”

Contact: Tracy DeStazio, Associate Director of Media Relations, tdestazi@nd.edu, 269-769-8804

Originally published by Josh Weinhold at news.nd.edu on October 06, 2025.

The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame announced that the late Wm. David Solomon, associate professor of philosophy emeritus and founding director of the center, has been named the recipient of the 15th annual Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, the nation’s most important award for heroes of the pro-life movement. The medal will be presented to Solomon’s family at a special Mass and dinner May 1, 2026, at the University of Notre Dame.

Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, reflected on the significance of Solomon’s enduring impact. “Professor Solomon left a lasting legacy at Our Lady’s University — one of sincere pursuit of the truth in friendship and dialogue, and an unflagging commitment to the inherent dignity of all human life,” Father Dowd said. “That legacy lives on through the efforts of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, which he founded, as it shares the richness of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition through teaching, research and dialogue. Notre Dame is deeply grateful for David’s transformative leadership and vision, and it is a special joy to honor his legacy with the Evangelium Vitae Medal.”

“David Solomon was a beloved scholar who dedicated his considerable talent to upholding the dignity of every human life with a generous spirit of hospitality,” said Jennifer Newsome Martin, director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. “His entire career as a professor, colleague and mentor was a joyful witness to the magnetic power of the University’s distinctive Catholic mission to attract people from across the disciplines to build and sustain ‘a culture of life and civilization of love.’”

A native of Texas, Solomon earned his B.A. at Baylor University and his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Texas before joining the Notre Dame faculty in 1968. Over the course of nearly five decades, his teaching and scholarship focused on virtue ethics, ethical theory and medical ethics, shaping the minds of countless students and inspiring colleagues across the disciplines.

In 1999, Solomon founded the Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame with a bold vision to share the richness of the Catholic moral and intellectual tradition and bring the University’s voice into the public discussion of the most vital issues of our day. The center would build its work upon the charge of the University’s Task Force on Ethics, which affirmed that “normative teaching and inquiry at Notre Dame should be distinguished by fidelity to the core convictions of the tradition of thought Notre Dame has inherited: that human beings are created in the image of a God who loves us and calls us to eternal life; that we therefore have a dignity which cannot be alienated, overridden, or ignored; and that the most vulnerable among us have the most urgent claim on the consciences of us all.”

Under Solomon’s leadership, the Center for Ethics and Culture launched signature initiatives that established a community of scholars and students to consider enduring questions of justice, human dignity and the common good in friendship and community. He established the Fall Conference, now Notre Dame’s largest interdisciplinary academic gathering, which annually welcomes more than 1,200 guests and 150 speakers from around the world for three days of reflection and dialogue on broad topics in ethics, culture and public policy today. He also oversaw Notre Dame’s annual Medical Ethics Conference, which drew experts and professionals from across the country to engage with pressing issues in medical ethics and bioethics at the intersection of health care and human dignity.

In 2011, Solomon established two of the Center for Ethics and Culture’s landmark culture of life initiatives. The annual Vita Institute was designed to provide an intensive intellectual formation program for leaders working to build a culture of life both nationally and internationally, with a focus on questions in social science, biology, philosophy, theology, law and communication. That year, Solomon also inaugurated the Evangelium Vitae Medal itself, envisioning it as an enduring celebration of heroic individuals whose life work proclaims the gospel of life. The center also supported the University’s participation in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., leading Notre Dame students, faculty and staff in a joyful public witness to the dignity of all human life.

In all, Solomon ensured that the center remained a place of hospitality, friendship and joyful Christian witness, animated by his belief that dialogue and camaraderie are essential to the pursuit of truth. “David Solomon was one of Notre Dame’s most beloved and dedicated teachers, a shining light of creativity and dynamism in its philosophy department, and the visionary founder of what is now called the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture,” said O. Carter Snead, the Charles E. Rice Professor of Law and Solomon’s successor as director of the center. “He was a tireless and courageous voice at Notre Dame on behalf of the intrinsic equal dignity of all members of the human family, born and unborn. His passing earlier this year was heartbreaking for us all, and presenting the 2026 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to his family is a fitting tribute to David’s tremendous legacy as a true champion for life.”

Solomon’s own life bore witness to the transformative power of the faith he so joyfully served. Born and raised a Southern Baptist, he and his wife, Lou, were received into the Catholic Church in May 2024. He died Feb. 26, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of scholarship, friendship and faith that continues to inspire all who knew him.

The Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, named after Pope St. John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae, is awarded annually by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture to honor individuals and organizations whose outstanding contributions have advanced the proclamation of the sanctity of human life.

Announced annually on Respect Life Sunday, the first Sunday of October, the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae award consists of a specially commissioned medal and $10,000 prize presented at a banquet following a celebratory Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Registration for the 2026 Evangelium Vitae Medal Mass and dinner will be available through the de Nicola Center’s website in early 2026. For more information, visit ethicscenter.nd.edu/programs/culture-of-life/evangelium-vitae-medal/.

Originally published by Kenneth Hallenius at ethicscenter.nd.edu on Oct. 5.

The $150 million gift represents an unprecedented commitment in the 160-year history of American architectural education. In recognition of this landmark gift, the school will be renamed the Matthew and Joyce Walsh School of Architecture at Notre Dame.

“We could not be more grateful for the tremendous generosity and extraordinary vision of Matt and Joyce, who through their leadership and support have ensured that the School of Architecture at Notre Dame will be among the very best in the world for generations to come,” said University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “Notre Dame strives always to be that great force for good Father Sorin envisioned at the University’s founding, and thanks to this remarkable gift, the School of Architecture — both through the leaders it prepares and the research it undertakes — will transform the field of architectural education.”

The Walshes’ gift will allow the school to substantially broaden its impact, while ensuring its ability to respond nimbly to future needs and challenges.

“Advancing Notre Dame as the leading global Catholic research university means elevating the research excellence of all of our colleges and schools,” said John McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of the University. “Through the support of the Walsh family, our School of Architecture — widely renowned for its classical and new urbanist approach to the discipline — has an opportunity to build its already prestigious program in ways that will influence the teaching and practice of architecture in our country and around the world.”

Matthew and Joyce Walsh are dedicated, longtime champions of the University and the School of Architecture. In addition to supporting the 2014 renovation of Notre Dame’s academic facility in Rome, they provided a $33 million gift in 2013 to construct a new building to serve as a home for the School of Architecture. The 100,000-square-foot Walsh Family Hall opened in 2018 and emphasizes architectural character, long-term sustainability and energy conservation. The hall is located on the south side of the Notre Dame campus, joining O’Neill Hall, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, the Charles B. Hayes Family Sculpture Park and the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art in the University’s Arts Gateway.

“This new superlative gift is first and foremost a ringing endorsement of the importance of our unique pedagogy that demands respect for place, culture, climate and social purpose as it prepares students to address peoples’ physical need for shelter and place and their spiritual longing for community and identity. It is also an affirmation of our school’s commitment to a particular view of the profession of architecture and urbanism, one that is dedicated to designing beautiful, durable and resilient buildings that improve the way we live together in flourishing cities and in balance with nature,” said Stefanos Polyzoides, the Francis and Kathleen Rooney Dean of the School of Architecture. “Thanks to Matt and Joyce Walsh, from this point forward, the School of Architecture will be the only school of its kind in the world with the resources to match its ambitions of academic and professional excellence.”

Matthew Walsh, who received a bachelor’s degree in English from Notre Dame in 1968 and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1972, served as chair of the School of Architecture Advisory Council from 2004 to 2021. He is a life member of the board of trustees of Saint Ignatius College Prep. Joyce Walsh completed a bachelor’s degree in French from Barat College. She has dedicated her time to raising their family and is a volunteer leader with Saint Ignatius College Prep.

The Walshes have three grown children, Matthew IV, Sean and Erin. Both Erin and her husband, Mike Gibbons, are 1998 graduates of Notre Dame. In addition, the Walshes’ son Sean and son-in-law Mike both earned EMBA degrees from Notre Dame.

“Joyce and I were introduced to the School of Architecture in 1996 by Andy McKenna Sr., then chairman of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees,” Matthew Walsh said. “Our now three-decade journey with the school, its deans, professors, students and our Advisory Council peers has been transformational for both of us. Our goal in making this gift is to ensure that the Notre Dame School of Architecture continues to lead architecture across the world and the creation of world-class environments.

“Notre Dame architects have always been inspirational leaders. Our goal is to ensure that continues in perpetuity.”

After earning his law degree, Matt Walsh joined his family’s business, Walsh Construction, a Chicago firm that was founded by his Irish immigrant grandfather, Matthew Myles Walsh, in 1898. Matt Walsh and his brother Dan co-chair the firm, leading it together with all of their adult children. Walsh Construction is a national leader in the construction industry with major transformational projects in most leading U.S. cities. The firm is one of the largest builders of major infrastructure in North America.

The School of Architecture at Notre Dame was established in 1898, the same year as Walsh Construction, as the first such program at an American Catholic college or university. The school offers a five-year bachelor’s degree program in which students spend their entire third year at the University’s facility in Rome. The program also offers master’s degrees in architecture, urbanism and historic preservation.

Contact: Carrie Gates, associate director of media relations, c.gates@nd.edu, 574-993-9220

Originally published by Carrie Gates at news.nd.edu on September 25, 2025.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-New Mexico) and Gov. Spencer Cox (R-Utah) will join Notre Dame’s Democracy Initiative for an event titled “Pragmatism Over Polarization: A Conversation with U.S. Governors” from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in the Leighton Concert Hall of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The session is free and open to the public. A livestream will be available here.

University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C, will moderate the discussion and John McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost, will offer opening remarks.

The event is part of the University-wide initiative’s signature event series, Democracy Talks, which offers accessible and engaging opportunities for the Notre Dame community to better understand current events and pressing policy issues.

“Notre Dame is a convener of some of the most crucial conversations on the future of democracy,” said Joel Day, managing director of the Notre Dame Democracy Initiative. “This event is an opportunity to do just that. We are bringing together two prominent governors, from both sides of the political spectrum, to help us understand ways to reduce partisan noise and focus on policy, even with folks with whom we disagree.

“In an age where politics can divide us, this Democracy Talk offers a different perspective with governors who put a premium on getting stuff done across state boundaries and across the aisle.”

Lujan Grisham is the 32nd governor of the state of New Mexico and the first Democratic Latina elected governor in U.S. history. She has also served as a county commissioner, state cabinet secretary and member of Congress. A 12th-generation New Mexican, she is a former chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Western Governors Association.

Cox is the 18th governor of Utah, a fourth-generation Utahn who has served as a mayor, county commissioner, state legislator and lieutenant governor. He is the current chair of the Western Governors’ Association and served as chair of the National Governors Association from 2023 to 2024.

The Notre Dame Democracy Initiative aims to establish Notre Dame as a leader in the study of democracy in the United States and worldwide, as a convenor for conversations about and actions to preserve democracy, and as a model for the formation of civically engaged citizens and public servants. To learn more, visit go.nd.edu/democracy.

Originally published by Emily Monacelli Guzman at strategicframework.nd.edu on Sept. 4.

Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu

Today, on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Father Dowd offered remarks at the Elisabeth University of Music as a guest of its president, Yuji Kawano, and Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama of Hiroshima. Father Dowd focused on the role that universities can play in addressing the current nuclear predicament and the wider challenges of peace in today’s world.

“The first and primary role of a university is to discover new knowledge and to educate,” Father Dowd said. “While modern universities have excelled at scientific and technical discoveries, moral wisdom has often lagged behind. The particular role of a Catholic university like Notre Dame is to join scientific and technical knowledge with moral and religious understanding. Nuclear weapons and war are, at root, spiritual and moral problems. …

“One reason I wanted to be part of this pilgrimage is the opportunity to hear directly from the remaining survivors of the bombings — the hibakusha. Their witness to the reality of these barbarous weapons is irreplaceable in gaining the moral wisdom that will fulfill the promise of the inscription on the Memorial Monument not far from here: ‘Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat the evil.’ …

“Those of us from Catholic institutions charged with educating and forming the next generation should be proud of our leadership in religion and ethics, but we can do much more to help our students understand and embrace the Church’s rich tradition of moral reflection on war and peace, as well as the Church’s long-standing moral critique of nuclear weapons and calls for mutual, verifiable nuclear disarmament. We can do more to help bring about the moral about-face that is necessary if the world is to have any hope of escaping the nuclear predicament.”

Father Dowd’s full remarks can be viewed here in English and in Japanese.

The papal honor is in recognition of the Naughtons’ outstanding philanthropy in the areas of education and the arts, particularly in the provision of philanthropic support and scholarships to Catholic education at the University of Notre Dame and Kylemore Abbey, and in their transformative contributions to higher education in Ireland, including Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and Queen’s University Belfast.

“We are deeply grateful for the tremendous vision and generosity of Carmel, Martin and the entire Naughton family and for the innumerable ways they have enriched the lives of so many here at Notre Dame, within the Church and around the world. Their impact is enduring, as they, through their words and actions, live out the Gospel call. It is thanks to their foresight that generations of students and scholars are able to pursue research in science, technology and the arts that serves the common good, and they have been instrumental in expanding the field of Irish studies,” said Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “The Order of Saint Gregory is an extraordinary honor, and we celebrate this wonderful and fitting acknowledgment of the Naughtons’ faith-filled leadership and generous service.”

Founded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1831, The Order of Saint Gregory the Great is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See. The honor is bestowed upon Catholic laypeople in recognition of their personal service to the Catholic Church, “through their unusual labors, their support of the Holy See and the examples they set in their communities and their countries.”

“Carmel and I are deeply honored and humbled to be recognized by the Holy See in such a special way,” Martin Naughton, founder and chairman emeritus of the Glen Dimplex Group, commented on receiving the papal award. “For both of us, the Order of Saint Gregory has an important meaning given that it signifies service above all. Whether through our work as an employer in Ireland and around the world, or through our philanthropy helping universities and good causes, we have tried to put the ideals of service first and foremost in our lives, both personal and professional.”

Martin Naughton founded the Glen Dimplex Group, an Irish-headquartered international manufacturing group, in 1973. In 1994, Carmel and Martin Naughton established The Naughton Foundation to support arts and educational causes.

Since 2008, hundreds of students with an aptitude for STEM disciplines have been supported through the Naughton Fellowships and the Naughton Scholarships. These awards include four-year university scholarships, funded exchange programs, masters degrees and international research grants for students, graduates and faculty at the University of Notre Dame and Ireland’s leading research universities.

The Naughton Family are longstanding supporters of the University of Notre Dame since Martin Naughton's appointment to the Board of Trustees in 1991.

Together with founding benefactors Donald and Marilyn Keough, the Naughtons helped establish and expand the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, now widely recognized as a world leader in the field.

Carmel Naughton is a member of the Royal Irish Academy, an honorary member of the Royal Hibernian Academy and a recipient of the Prince Charles Medal for Services to the Arts in Northern Ireland. She served on the Board of the National Gallery of Ireland for over a decade, the first woman ever to be elected chair of the Board in 1996. Martin Naughton was knighted by HRH the Prince of Wales in 2015 and named an Officier of the Légion d’Honneur by the French government in 2016. They were jointly named Philanthropists of the Year by the Community Foundation of Ireland in 2016 and have received honorary degrees from both the University of Notre Dame and Trinity College Dublin.

“[The Naughtons’] remarkable generosity has made a lasting mark on countless universities and institutions in Ireland and beyond, allowing access to the gift of education for hundreds of students over the years,” John McCaffrey, president of the Association of Papal Orders in Ireland said. “Their work for peace on [the island of Ireland] has also been constant and unceasing. It is significant that these were among the very last honors to be awarded by the late Pope Francis, who himself studied in Ireland at one point and for whom peace and education were especially close to his heart.”

The conferral of the papal honors will take place in August at a Mass and ceremony in Dublin, Ireland, by the Most Reverend Thomas Deenihan, Bishop of Meath.

Originally published by Margaret Arriola at dublin.nd.edu on July 04, 2025.

Crowley is president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the world’s largest biotechnology advocacy and policy organization. Prior to joining BIO in 2024, Crowley served as founder, executive chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics. Crowley began his career practicing law and working in management consulting until 1998, when he and his wife, Aileen, learned that their then-15-month-old daughter, Megan, had a rare and fatal neuromuscular genetic disorder called Pompe disease. Desperate to find a cure, Crowley took a position in the pharmaceutical industry and eventually founded Novazyme Pharmaceuticals. Within 18 months, the startup was acquired by biotech firm Genzyme, eventually producing a life-saving medicine for Pompe disease.

Crowley attended the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. He served as a commissioned intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and is a combat veteran of the Global War on Terrorism. A member of the College of Science Advisory Council and For Good Cabinet, Crowley offered the principal address and received an honorary degree from Notre Dame at the special commencement ceremony for the Class of 2020, which took place in May 2022, having been delayed by the COVID pandemic. The Crowleys have three children, one of whom—Megan—graduated from Notre Dame in 2019.

Merfeld is the executive vice president and global chief technology officer for Qcells, a global provider of clean energy solutions. Previously, Merfeld served as vice president and chief technology officer for GE Renewable Energy and as vice president and general manager for GE Global Research. In 2021, Merfeld was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and serves on the boards of the Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Tech and Advanced Energy Economy.

Merfeld holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Notre Dame, as well as a doctorate in electrical engineering from Northwestern University. Merfeld has served Notre Dame as a member of the Graduate Students and Research Advisory Council, and served previously as a Trustee. Merfeld and her husband, Glen, have three children, two of whom are current students at Notre Dame.

In addition, Trustees Shayla Keough Rumely and Sara Martinez Tucker were re-elected to the Board of Fellows for six-year terms.

Composed of six lay women and men and six priests of Notre Dame’s founding religious community, the Congregation of Holy Cross, the Board of Fellows is the University’s ultimate governing body. The Fellows elect the Trustees, adopt and amend the bylaws and are specifically charged with maintaining Notre Dame’s Catholic character.

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Contact: Erin Blasko, associate director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu

Originally published by Notre Dame News at news.nd.edu on July 02, 2025.

“We are deeply grateful to the Templeton Foundation for its generous support of this important work. By emphasizing the ethics of abundant love, Notre Dame’s Jenkins Center for Virtue Ethics has a critical role to play in contributing to contemporary ethics,” said University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “The Catholic tradition of virtue ethics, like those of other world religions, offers a richer, fuller understanding of hope to the world, and this is a most fitting topic for the Jenkins Center’s first major initiative.”

The Love and Social Transformation project will bring scholars, writers, nonprofit leaders and others together to advance a framework that captures the power, richness and applicability of the love ethic — a core component of many faith traditions throughout the world.

“In our fractious, uncertain time, there is an urgent need for serious reflection on an ethic of love,” said University President Emeritus Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. “Emerging from the great religious traditions, the call to love has been behind some of the most transformative and enduring advances in human history. I am grateful to the Templeton Foundation for giving Notre Dame this opportunity.”

Love-based ethical insights have powered some of the most important social movements of the past century, such as Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha movement in India and Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights leadership in the United States. But in the 21st century, the more common approaches to ethical decision-making — especially in policy realms — focus instead on cost-benefit analysis.

“These frameworks neglect the dimensions of life that fit into the rich tradition of virtue ethics — moral touchpoints such as love, dignity and awe,” said Meghan Sullivan, the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy, director of the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good and the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative, and principal investigator for the grant.

“In contrast, the love ethic has three components: It holds that a widespread, non-merit-based trait like dignity is what grounds moral significance for each one of us; it is built around principles that situate interpersonal love at the foundations of our ethical reasoning; and it suggests love-oriented policies on diverse social issues as well as a love-oriented way of life.”

With this funding, Notre Dame plans to build a durable, wide-reaching network that will include:

• Residential fellowships for faculty and graduate students developing the theoretical foundations for the love ethic.

• Fellowships and grants to nonprofit leaders and organizations putting this ethic into practice on pressing social issues.

• Intensive workshops and two global conferences designed to expand the reach of the love ethic.

• An integrated series of public engagement and storytelling programs that will inspire the broader public imagination about love and ethics.

Notre Dame will collaborate with up to 10 institutions as research partners on this work, including The Love Consortium at the University of North Carolina. Network members will apply the love ethic to a wide range of use cases, including issues of displacement and migration, disability, global philanthropy, political polarization and artificial intelligence.

“In a time where so much of our moral debate and decision-making is too often focused on suspicion, division and narrow cost-benefit analysis, we are thrilled to work to articulate the alternative: an approach to ethics that is hopeful, unifying and grounded in the fundamental virtue of love,” Sullivan said. “We are grateful to the Templeton Foundation and our many collaborators for helping us to build this network.”

Sullivan’s cross-disciplinary research is deeply concerned with philosophy, theology and virtue ethics, and includes a current book project on the love ethic, tentatively titled “Samaritanism: Moral Responsibility and Our Inner Lives.”

While Notre Dame has always been an institution that focuses on ethics in both research and formation, the University intensified its commitment to the field through the 2024 launch of the University-wide Ethics Initiative, one of the key priorities identified in its strategic framework. Virtue ethics, which emphasizes the development of character through the cultivation of virtues such as faith, hope, courage and charity, is at the heart of Catholic ethical doctrine.

The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Center for Virtue Ethics supports preeminent scholars whose research advances human flourishing in both moral and spiritual contexts, facilitates the development of undergraduate courses exploring topics such as justice and the common good, and deepens the ethical formation of Notre Dame students and faculty. The center also plays a transformative role in public discussion, drawing citizens into meaningful dialogue informed by virtue ethics — one of the most powerful and enduring contributions of the Catholic philosophical tradition.

Founded in 1987, the John Templeton ​Foundation supports interdisciplinary research ​and catalyzes conversations that inspire awe ​and wonder. The Templeton Foundation is working to create a world ​where people are curious about the wonders ​of the universe, free to pursue lives of ​meaning and purpose, and motivated by great ​and selfless love.

Contact: Erin Blasko, associate director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu

The University of Notre Dame celebrated its 180th Commencement Ceremony on Sunday (May 18) at Notre Dame Stadium. An audience of some 20,000 graduates, family members, friends and faculty attended, and 2,084 degrees were conferred on undergraduate students, with a total of 3,099 degrees being conferred over the course of Commencement Weekend activities.

Inaugurated as Notre Dame’s 18th president last year, Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., presided over the ceremony for the first time. He and John McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost, welcomed the guests and introduced the speakers.

Adm. Christopher Grady, the Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received an honorary degree and served as the principal speaker.

Honorary degrees also were conferred on Dr. Rafat Ansari, a South Bend oncologist, hematologist and community leader; Stephen Brogan, the former managing partner of Jones Day and an emeritus member of the University’s Board of Trustees; David Brooks, a renowned author and political and cultural commentator; Teresa Lambe, the Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology at the University of Oxford and a principal investigator in the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine program; and Alice McDermott, a critically acclaimed and New York Times-bestselling author. Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and the Governorate of Vatican City State, was also scheduled to receive an honorary degree, but due to the death of Pope Francis, Sister Petrini has elected to defer the honor until May 2026.

Salutatorian Bennett Schmitt, a native of Jasper, Indiana, who has majors in environmental sciences and applied and computational mathematics and statistics, offered an invocation.

“Almighty God, full of truth, mercy and unbounded love, at all times — and especially today — we root ourselves in gratitude for all You have given us.”

On behalf of the graduating class, Schmitt asked, “Lord, help us now to find our place in what comes next and answer Your call to be forces for good as we step forward today equipped with the training provided by Our Lady’s University.

“In a world facing threats to peace, justice and the very Earth that sustains us, Lord, help us to feel this heaviness not as a burden, but as a call to serve and to love radically.”

Valedictorian Clare Cullinan of South Bend, Indiana, a global affairs major in the Keough School of Global Affairs, recalled “numerous memorable events in this stadium since I was a little girl, but it is deeply humbling and a bit surreal to be standing here with all of you today.”

The Notre Dame family celebrates the good times and shows up for the bad, Cullinan said. “When my grandfather passed away at the beginning of this school year, Notre Dame showed up, traveling 10 hours and filling several pews of the church to support my family. When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer my sophomore year of college, Notre Dame was there.”

Recalling Father Dowd’s inauguration speech that referenced the Notre Dame Forum theme “What do we owe each other?” Cullinan answered, “We owe it to each other to celebrate, challenge and create community.”

She appreciated the creation of Notre Dame’s Keough School as a member of its first graduating undergraduate class. She noted the collaboration of deans, professors and staff members “who are great leaders, wonderful mentors and builders of community.”

Using her guiding phrase “Lead, Kindly Light,” a song she recently sang with the Notre Dame Folk Choir at Westville Correctional Facility, Cullinan emphasized how important it is to show people the love of Christ and “that we share the light of the Notre Dame community with others beyond the borders of our campus.”

In his introduction of Adm. Grady, Father Dowd called him the Navy’s “Old Salt,” a nod to his extensive knowledge and expertise as the longest-serving surface warfare officer on active duty. Yet, Grady opened his remarks with humility and humor, declaring his connection to the class of 2025.

“Though I graduated here 41 years ago, I really am one of you,” he said. “Now, you might just say ‘OK boomer.’” When the graduates’ laughter tapered off, he emphasized that his honorary degree makes him a member of the class of 2025 and a Double Domer.

After decades in the Navy, Grady said he has been forged by the sea, but was first forged at Notre Dame.

He described today’s world as “congested, contested and complex,” marked by persistent conflicts, unresolved crises and unmet needs. “It is a world that needs Notre Dame graduates to be a force for good.”

Success in an imperfect world, he said, demands “commitment to trust and truth, to agility, to continuous improvement and commitment to moral courage.”

Grady shared several “sea stories” that, for him, anchored important lessons. “My best days in command were not when everything went right, but when things went wrong and the crew — the team — responded.

“Like on a beautiful day in the Arabian Gulf off the coast of Bahrain when a routine underway at sea was interrupted by a catastrophic failure and the crew responded expertly, swiftly and safely. Or when I was a strike group commander. We had to adjust to enemy tactics as we sent the air wing over the beach during the fight against ISIS.”

In another reference to Notre Dame’s Forum theme, Grady challenged graduates to reject the world’s “me, me, me” mantra and instead embrace continual self-assessment.

“Have the courage to be humble enough to admit that you are not perfect and that you can always improve.”

Grady’s own failure to do the right thing was the plot of one of his sea stories.

“I was bringing my ship into the port of Rome for Christmas. We had been at sea for over 100 days and the crew really needed a break. Families were flying in. It was Christmas, after all, and many were going to Mass with the pope. As we maneuvered into port, it was blowing a gale — 60 knots of wind, rain, terrible weather. And I thought about waiting until the weather cleared but did not want to disappoint the crew. That was the wrong answer. Though we made it in successfully, it was not my best landing.

“Remember you were forged here at Notre Dame,” Grady said. “You are part of a force for good, and they do not call us the Fighting Irish for nothing.”

Kerry Alys Robinson, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Charities USA and recipient of the 2025 Laetare Medal, confessed, “This is my very first time to this hallowed place. And I am speaking specifically of this magnificent college football cathedral.”

“Not born a Notre Dame football fan” like her husband, Robinson found herself “cheering wildly” during last year’s playoff games. She compared the student section’s “communal celebration” with the recent joy and hope of those gathering in St. Peter’s Square when the world learned of its new pope.

“As you venture forth from this beautiful campus today, I urge you to seek out, as frequently as you can, more moments of authentic human connection. Be present. Be generous. Be joyful. Be hopeful.”

Robinson cautioned against allowing political polarization and technological advances to divide and isolate, pointing instead to an “antidote to the epidemic of isolation and loneliness.”

“Our beloved Pope Francis gave us a term for this: Build a culture of encounter and accompaniment. The more open your eyes and your hearts are to others and their experiences, the more aware you will be of their humanity, their joy and their suffering and how you can be a beneficial presence to them.”

Calling generosity “humankind’s birthright,” Robinson said it’s not necessary to become an admiral or a Holy Cross priest to live a life of generosity and service. In 2024, more than 215,000 people volunteered at Catholic Charities agencies, she said.

“Will every second of your life be as euphoric as the moment Jeremiyah Love turned the corner and ran 98 yards for a touchdown on that cold December night?” Robinson asked.

Chase that kind of feeling by serving and showing up for others, she said with a closing observation from Pope Leo XIV: “‘I’m so convinced that if we open our lives and our hearts to serve others, we — indeed like the Gospel says — receive a hundredfold in this life.’ Members of the class of 2025, that is my wish for you in your lives.”

The ceremony concluded with a benediction by Rev. Canon Hugh R. Page Jr., vice president for institutional transformation and advisor to the president, and a performance of two songs including “Notre Dame, Our Mother” from alumni Alex and Veronica Mansour.

Father Dowd noted the presence of his predecessors, Rev. Edward A. “Monk” Malloy, C.S.C. and Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., and expressed gratitude for Father Jenkins’ support during his transition as president, as he delivered his charge to the graduating class.

“Last year, when a number of us had the privilege of meeting with the late Pope Francis, he asked us to continue to ensure that Notre Dame always educates the whole person in a way that integrates head, heart and hands.

“Lead with your heads, be generous with your hearts and extend your hands.

“Class of 2025, you will always be my first graduating class as president,” Father Dowd said to much applause. “And, as such, you will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Commencement 2025 transcripts and videos are located here.

Originally published by Shannon Roddel at news.nd.edu on May 18, 2025.