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Three elected to Notre Dame Board of Trustees

2012-05-24T15:00:00-04:00

Scott S. Cowen, Celeste Volz Ford and Timothy F. Sutherland were elected to the University of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees at the Board’s spring meeting May 4.

In other board action, three Trustees were elected to emeritus status: Douglas Tong Hsu, chair and chief executive officer of the Far Eastern Group; John F. “Jack” Sandner, retired chairman of the board of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange; and Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C., provincial superior of the U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

In addition, Erin O’Connor French, recently elected as president-elect of the Notre Dame Alumni Association, will serve a two-year ex officio term on the Board.

Cowen is the 14th president of Tulane University, where he also is the Seymour S. Goodman Memorial Professor of Business and a professor of economics. During his 14-year tenure as Tulane’s president, undergraduate applications have quintupled, private giving has doubled, and research awards have reached record levels. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in finance and management, respectively, from George Washington University. He is the author of four books and more than 100 academic and professional articles, essays and reviews on strategic financial management systems, corporate governance and leadership.

Ford is chief executive officer of Stellar Solutions Inc., a professional systems engineering services firm she founded in 1995. She also leads a United Kingdom-based affiliate, as well as QuakeFinder, the world’s leading private earthquake forecasting research organization; Stellar Ventures, a venture investment enterprise and incubator fostering early-stage technology development and market applications; and Stellar Solutions Foundation. A graduate of Notre Dame, she earned her master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Stanford University and previously worked for COMSAT, The Aerospace Corporation, and Scitor Corp. She previously served on the advisory council for Notre Dame’s College of Engineering.

Sutherland is founder, chair and chief executive officer of Pace Global Energy Services. Founded in 1976, Pace is an internationally recognized provider of advisory services, project evaluation, strategic planning, market assessment and risk management services. It has developed and successfully deployed a unique approach to energy and carbon management for over 10,000 industrial and large commercial facilities in North America and Europe and provides asset and risk management services to major energy consumers and utility companies representing a portfolio of over $10 billion. Sutherland earned his master of business administration degree from New York University and previously served on the advisory council for Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

Malpass receives NACUBO 2012 Rodney H. Adams Endowment Management Award

2012-05-24T13:50:00-04:00

Scott Malpass, vice president and chief investment officer of the University of Notre Dame, is the recipient of the 2012 Rodney H. Adams Endowment Management Award presented by the National Association of College and University Business Owners (NACUBO).

The award recognizes outstanding individual contributions to professional development activities in the area of university endowment and investment management. The award honors the late Rodney H. Adams, former treasurer of Stanford University and past chair of the NACUBO investment committee.

Malpass is responsible for investment of the University’s endowment, working capital, pension and life income assets of about $7 billion at the end of fiscal year 2011. He is a concurrent assistant professor of finance in the Mendoza College of Business and serves as director or advisory member for several investment and charitable organizations.

Malpass will be formally recognized during the NACUBO 2012 Annual Meeting on July 28-31 in Washington, D.C.

Graduating seniors honored for commitment to postgraduate service

2012-05-24T13:00:00-04:00

One hundred fifty-nine University of Notre Dame graduating seniors embarking on a year or more of service in this country and abroad were honored during the University’s annual Senior Service Send-Off ceremony May 19 (Saturday) in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s Leighton Concert Hall.

Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president, commended the seniors for their commitment to service whether mentoring AIDS orphans in South Africa, helping protect and preserve our environment, serving the economically poor or marginalized, fostering spiritual formation in the nation’s parishes, or providing a host of other services that match the mission of Notre Dame.

Katie Bergin, a 1994 graduate who did her postgraduate service as a Holy Cross Associate, offered three insights to the graduates. She reminded them to be “gentle” with their parents who might be feeling a little fear for their child’s safety and to be innovative and adaptable with their lives to allow their vision to evolve. Finally, she extolled the seniors to pay attention to their service, because “genuine engagement in your service work, your careful listening and focused attention will guide your responses to the vital question: ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’”

Graduating senior Kenenna Amuzie, who will serve with the Lasallian Volunteers; senior Greg Woods, who will serve with the Holy Cross Overseas Lay Ministry Program; and senior Marilyn Blasingame, who will spend two years with the Peace Corps, introduced Father Jenkins, Bergin and Rev. William M. Lies, C.S.C., executive director of the Center for Social Concerns, who will be leaving the Center on July 1 to become the vice president of mission engagement and church affairs.

Father Lies, in addressing the graduates, said: “This moment is for YOU — but it is for your parents and families, too.” Turning to the parents, Father Lies said, “You’re the ones who planted and nurtured in them hearts for service, born of faith. You’re the ones who gave them and nurtured their intellectual curiosity, their compassion and their zeal. That’s why they’re really here today.”

Among the service programs in which this year’s Notre Dame graduates will participate are Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education, which provides teachers for understaffed parochial schools in dioceses across the United States; Notre Dame’s Echo Faith Formation Leadership Program, which trains and provides religious educators for Catholic parishes; the Peace Corps; AmeriCorps; and Teach For America.

Many of the graduates became involved in service and social action through the programs and courses of the Center for Social Concerns. They join a community of more than 4,000 Notre Dame alumni who have chosen postgraduate volunteer service since the Center for Social Concerns was founded in 1983.

Contact: Mike Hebbeler, director, Senior Transitions Programs, Center for Social Concerns, 574-631-5779, Hebbeler.2@nd.edu

Holy Cross designates Day of Prayer for donors

2012-05-22T13:15:00-04:00

The Congregation of Holy Cross, the international Catholic religious order whose members founded the University of Notre Dame, is remembering more than 700 friends of the Province in daily prayers and Masses today (May 22) on a special Day of Prayer to thank its benefactors.

Priests and brothers in all U.S. Province Communities, in seven countries on three continents, will thank all those who have offered financial and prayerful support over the past three years through the event, which is the culmination of Phase I of the “Following in the Footsteps of a Great Band of Men” Campaign.

Rev. David T. Tyson, C.S.C., provincial superior of the U.S. Province, said the Footsteps Campaign has energized and strengthened the Holy Cross Community.

“I have witnessed through this Campaign new friendships forged and old relationships strengthened; I have seen the priests and brothers of Holy Cross energized in their ministries, knowing that so many people care enough about their work to support it; and I can attest to what our founder, Blessed Basil Moreau, found essential to the foundation of Holy Cross, that being a close collaboration with the lay faithful,” Father Tyson said. “These intangibles define success for Holy Cross, and we are so very blessed our benefactors chose to be part of the campaign’s success.”

In November 2011, eight months ahead of schedule, the Footsteps Campaign surpassed its Phase I goal of $6.5 million. To date, more than $17 million has been raised. Notre Dame played a significant role in helping the U.S. Province push ahead of its Phase I goal, as did the University of Portland. Both are educational ministries of the Congregation.

The Congregation still wishes to raise $14 million in the coming years in order to meet the overall $30.9 million goal and projected needs for:

• Religious formation, education and advanced studies ($12 million)
• Holy Cross House, retirement, assisted living and wellness ($10.5 million)
• International missions ($8.4 million)

The U.S. Province is a healthy and vibrant Catholic religious community fortunate enough to have diverse age groups – from men in their 20s to men in their 90s – fulfilling Blessed Father Moreau’s vision to educate minds and hearts through a commitment to education, parish and mission. The Footsteps Campaign will allow Holy Cross to remain vibrant and carry out that vision.

A special message of gratitude has also been produced in video, as well as a presentation of names of benefactors, on the Holy Cross website.

Contact:Stephanie Gattman, Office of Communications, Congregation of Holy Cross, 574-631-9452, sgattman@holycrossusa.org

Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival to present 'Hamlet,' 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'

2012-05-22T13:00:00-04:00

The 2012 Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (NDSF) will run July 14 through Aug. 26, highlighted by the Professional Company’s production of “Hamlet,” directed by David H. Bell.

Other performances include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” presented by the Young Company at outdoor spaces throughout the Michiana region; Beyond the Stage, a performance-based lecture series, which will be presented at select venues in July and August; and ShakeScenes, which will open the festival with performances at historic Washington Hall on July 14 and 15 (Saturday and Sunday).

William Shakespeare’s most famous play, “Hamlet,” will be presented Aug. 14 through 26 at Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The title role will be performed by Andy Truschinski, who returns to NDSF after appearing in “The Merchant of Venice” at last year’s festival. Also appearing will be Lisa Brescia (currently performing on Broadway in “Mamma Mia!”) as Gertrude. NDSF and Chicago Shakespeare Theater veteran Elizabeth Ledo will portray Ophelia, and Stratford Festival veteran Don Carrier will play Polonius. Also joining the cast are Jeff Cummings as Claudius and Daniel Cantor as Hamlet’s father/leading player/gravedigger. Tickets range from $10 to $75 and go on sale through the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center ticket office on July 5 (Thursday).

Kevin Asselin directs the Young Company’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The play will be performed free of charge in communities throughout Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan. The Young Company comprises students from Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College and other colleges and universities from across the country. The tour begins at 7 p.m. July 15 at the Lincoln Township Public Library in Stevensville, Mich. Other performances include:

6:30 p.m. July 21 (Saturday) — Dewey Cannon Park, Three Oaks, Mich.
7 p.m. July 22 (Sunday) — Battell Park, Mishawaka, Ind.
7 p.m. July 27 (Friday) — Centennial Park, Plymouth, Ind.
6:30 p.m. July 28 (Saturday) — Centennial Park, Munster, Ind.
7 p.m. Aug. 4 (Saturday) — Potawatomi Park Pavilion, South Bend
7 p.m. Aug. 5 (Sunday) — Wellfield Botanic Gardens, Elkhart, Ind.
7 p.m. Aug. 20 (Monday) — Main Building, Notre Dame

The Beyond the Stage series features a performance-based lecture titled “An Eye for an Eye in Shakespeare’s Time.” Ryan Producing Artistic Director Jay Paul Skelton will explore the implications of vengeance from the tragic viewpoint of Hamlet and the comic stance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Actors from the Young Company will share a sample of this summer’s productions as well as others from Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Presentations will be at 3 p.m. July 21 at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, Mich.; at 7 p.m. July 31 (Tuesday) at New World Arts, Goshen, Ind.; and at 7 p.m. Aug. 7 (Tuesday) in the Philbin Studio Theatre of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 and are available at each theater’s box office.

Over the course of one weekend, dozens of actors from throughout the community take to the stage in ShakeScenes at Washington Hall. Two different performances, each offering a series of 10-minute scenes, are at 2 p.m. July 14 and 15 at Washington Hall on the Notre Dame campus. Admission is free.

Shakespeare at Notre Dame is a pre-eminent center for the study of Shakespeare in performance, educational outreach and academic research. Shakespeare at Notre Dame includes the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Actors From The London Stage, visiting guest artists and lecturers, touring productions and new media library collections.

Tickets for “Hamlet” will go on sale at noon July 5 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center Ticket office, by phone at 574-631-2800 and on the Web at www.shakespeare.nd.edu.

Note: Interviews and photos are available. Please contact Chuck Gessert, cgessert@nd.edu.

Exploring learning in and out of school

2012-05-21T10:30:00-04:00

A two-day working conference titled “Learning In and Out of School: Education Across the Globe” will bring a dozen researchers to the University of Notre Dame campus May 22 and 23 (Tuesday and Wednesday) to share and discuss a broad range of perspectives on the nature of learning.

“We’re taking a critical look at conventional schooling and bringing insights from other domains to understand human learning and to improve schooling — which is one of my goals as a teacher and researcher,” says organizer Susan Blum, professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology.

The event is supported by the Henkels Lecture Fund from the College of Arts and Letters’ Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, as well as funding from the University’s Office of Research and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, where Blum is a faculty fellow.

The idea for the conference, she says, grew out of a panel discussion last year at the American Anthropological Association. “Participants talked about learning and education from all different angles — learning in and out of the classroom, the education of young children and university-age adults, cognitive learning and other kinds of learning,” Blum says. “Out of that grew a sense that we had interesting things to say to each other and wanted to continue the conversation.”

It is a conversation Blum has been exploring through a variety of projects over her academic career, including comparative research on the concepts of truth and deception in China and the United States, where she focused on plagiarism and cheating among college students.

“I’m interested theoretically in speech — its intentions and motives, and whether people are telling the truth and conveying their actual, authentic feelings or simply trying to accomplish some sort of practical aim,” she says.

“I applied that to the question of plagiarism and cheating, but as an anthropologist I always have to understand things in their broader context, so I began to ask questions to understand more about the life of students and the meaning of college education. It raises interesting questions about the nature of education in general.”

Blum says her teaching and research “dovetail perfectly — in some ways I’m doing research every day in the classroom.”

Last fall Blum taught a class called “The Anthropology of Childhood and Education” to 12 juniors and seniors. “We talked about the nature of childhood from conception to adulthood, and the kinds of education that go along with all those phases.”

When the class ended, Blum and her students decided to continue the investigation with a time-capsule project. Each student contributed photographs and letters to themselves or others, which were placed in a box and sealed. The plan is to reopen them at a class reunion in 10 years.

“We’re going to keep in touch and learn about all these life-cycle events as they move on in their lives,” says Blum, who also teaches courses on food and culture, and the fundamentals of linguistic anthropology.

“I’m interested in the nature of experience and the self, and the influence of society on that personal experience, whether it’s language or morality or learning,” Blum says. “I’m interested in the relationship between the individual, culture and society, with a particular focus on language as one of the primary mediators between the internal and external.”

Blum is currently working on a cross-cultural study of higher education and is also writing a book called “Learning Versus Schooling: A Professor’s Re-education.”

“My only goal before was to simply understand the world, but now I really do want to improve the world,” Blum says. “I feel very strongly that I want to be useful.

“I’ve received a lot of riches from the world and it’s my turn to put something back into it.”

Originally published by Aaron Smith at al.nd.edu on May 10, 2012.

More than 2,900 students to receive degrees May 19-20

2012-05-11T16:00:00-04:00

More than 2,900 students will receive degrees at Notre Dame’s 167th University Commencement Ceremonies, which will be held on campus May 19 and 20 (Saturday and Sunday).

Degrees will be conferred on 1,973 undergraduates at the Sunday ceremony. Alumna Haley Scott DeMaria, who made an inspiring recovery from critical injuries suffered in a tragic 1992 bus accident involving the Fighting Irish swimming team, will be the principal speaker and will receive an honorary degree. Ken Hackett, former president of Catholic Relief Services, will receive the 2012 Laetare Medal, Notre Dame’s highest honor and the most prestigious award given to American Catholics.

Michael J. O’Brien, a political science major from St. Charles, Ill., will deliver the valedictory address.

In addition to DeMaria, other honorary degree recipients are: Jude Banatte, head of programming for Catholic Relief Services in Haiti; Luis Caffarelli, professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin; Dick Ebersol, senior adviser at NBC; Archbishop Wilton Gregory, leader of the Archdiocese of Atlanta; Kevin Hasson, founder and president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; Joseph O’Neill, University Trustee and managing partner of O’Neill Properties; Rev. David Tyson, C.S.C., University Trustee and provincial superior of the United States Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross; James Wagner, president of Emory University; and Carolyn Woo, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services.

On Saturday, an additional 324 students will receive master’s and doctoral degrees at the Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, along with 401 master’s degree students at the Mendoza College of Business Ceremony and 215 students at the Law School Ceremony.

Other notable Commencement weekend events are:

ROTC Commissioning Ceremony, 9 a.m. Saturday, Leighton Concert Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
Graduate School Commencement Ceremony, 10 a.m. Saturday, Compton Family Ice Arena
Mendoza College of Business Graduate Ceremony, 10 a.m. Saturday, Purcell Pavilion, Joyce Center
Law School Ceremony, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Hesburgh Library Reflecting Pool
Senior Send-Off Ceremony, 1 p.m. Saturday, Leighton Concert Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
Commencement Mass, 5 p.m. Saturday, Joyce Center Purcell Pavilion

A complete schedule of events is available on the Commencement website.

A number of the weekend’s events will be streamed live on the Internet.

Science dean biking 3,250 miles to bring attention to rare disease research

2012-05-11T10:00:00-04:00

Greg Crawford, dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame, will be cycling 3,250 miles from Boston to Pebble Beach, Calif., to raise awareness and funds for research to find a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease. His third cross-country ride will start May 21 (Monday) and conclude June 22 (Friday), in time for the Parseghian Classic, a golf fundraiser at Pebble Beach Resorts.

The “Road to Discovery” bicycle ride demonstrates Notre Dame’s commitment to research to find a cure or treatments for the devastating disease that took the lives of three grandchildren of former Notre Dame head football coach Ara Parseghian.

The genetic, fatal neurodegenerative disease, which prevents the body from effectively processing cholesterol, primarily strikes children, who succumb to the disease before or during adolescence. Researchers have identified its cause and made significant progress toward treatment in recent years, but there is still no cure.

Last summer, Crawford and his wife, Renate, rode from Boston to Dallas, visiting families with children affected by the disease as well as other research centers across the country that also investigate NPC. This summer, Crawford will visit Notre Dame Clubs and families affected by NPC on the ride through Connecticut, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California.

Crawford is dedicated and motivated to fight the disease. He says, “It’s part of our mission to find an end to this disease. There are so many great minds out there, and so many partners who share a passion to get rid of this rare disease. We are particularly inspired by the Parseghian family and are honored to partner with them in the fight against NPC.”

“Notre Dame researchers are at the forefront of NPC research, and their advances in the understanding of this disease give hope to all NPC children and their families,” says Cindy Parseghian, who co-founded the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation just two months after three of her four children were diagnosed with NPC.

The traditional summer bike ride started in 2010 when the Crawfords rode together from Tucson, Ariz., where the Parseghian Foundation started in the mid-1990s, to Notre Dame to symbolize a newly strengthened partnership between the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and the University.

Through the Michael, Marcia and Christa Parseghian Endowment for Excellence at Notre Dame, NPC researchers at the University and other U.S. institutions collaborate with other NPC researchers, parents and clinicians in Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, France and Canada to bring together expertise in molecular biology, drug discovery, cell biology and neurology, with results from clinical studies.

This time, the trip is coast-to-coast, starting in Boston on May 21 and concluding at Pebble Beach, where the Parseghian Classic will be held June 22-24 at Pebble Beach Resorts to raise funds for NPC research at Notre Dame and other institutions.

Visit the dean’s blog to read daily entries about his ride, the inspiring parents of children with NPC and the supportive Notre Dame family he will meet along the route.

Contact: Marissa Gebhard, 574-631-4465, gebhard.3@nd.edu

Father Jenkins urges graduates to express beliefs respectfully

2012-05-07T15:00:00-04:00

In a commencement address Monday (May 7) at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame, urged graduates to hold fast to their convictions but express them in “more skillful, more respectful ways.”

Father Jenkins spoke to Wesley’s 130th graduating class in a ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral.

“We in this country are in the midst of a social crisis, a harsh and deepening split between groups that are all too ready to see evil in each other,” Father Jenkins said. “Each side has never been more eager yet more unable to dominate the other. Both sides call for change, but each believes it’s the other side that must change.”

In direct reference to the 2012 elections, Father Jenkins said:

“So of all the questions posed in this campaign season, the most important one is rarely asked. Now, when the country is increasingly diverse, when the number of disputed moral questions is rising, when citizens have deep and opposing passions that neither side will give up for the sake of civility: Can citizens of the United States learn to express their convictions in more skillful, more respectful ways?

“We need an answer. A country whose citizens treat one another with scorn does not have a bright future.”

To create more civil discourse in our society, Father Jenkins urged the use of persuasion rather than coercion to convince others of our most passionate convictions.

“We have to call on our conscience to explore our convictions and how we express them. Even in the case of my most noble belief, I must ask myself: Am I trying to advance this belief through persuasion or coercion, with respect or contempt, by accepting sacrifice or imposing sacrifice? When I refuse to compromise, is it because I love a principle, or because I hate the people on the other side?

“If we are determined to keep our convictions free of malice, then I propose that we strive to meet one simple test for public discourse: Our attempts to express our convictions should take the form of an effort to persuade. … If I don’t try to persuade others, but only condemn them, then I am not showing the respect that love demands. To stand apart, proclaim my position, and refuse to talk except to judge does not reduce hatred or promote love. And if it does neither, how can it be inspired by God?”

Inaugurated as Notre Dame’s 17th president in 2005, Father Jenkins is in his second five-year term. He is a professor of philosophy and author of “Knowledge and Faith in Thomas Aquinas.”

The full speech is available online.

ND theologian Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., receives 2012 Touchstone Award

2012-05-03T15:00:00-04:00

Rev. Daniel G. Groody, C.S.C., associate professor of theology and director of the Center for Latino Spirituality and Culture at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, has received the 2012 Touchstone Award from the National Federation of Priests’ Councils (NFPC).

The NFPC annually gives the Touchstone Award to a Catholic priest “whose service in the Gospel of Jesus Christ exemplifies the purposes and goals of the Federation.”

In announcing the award, the NFPC, which represents 26,000 priests nationwide, praised Father Groody’s work in the Latino community and his scholarship in migration issues and theology.

Father Groody spent many years doing pastoral work and research in Latin America and along the U.S.- Mexican border, particularly in the Coachella Valley of California, where he worked from 1997 to 1999. In addition to the numerous books and articles he has written on U.S. Latino spirituality, globalization and the relationship of Christian spirituality to social justice, he has produced documentary films including “One Border, One Body: Immigration and the Eucharist” and “Dying to Live: A Migrant’s Journey.”

Founded in 1968, the NFPC supports member organizations and priests through collaboration, communication, ongoing formation, research and advocacy.

Former NAA president appointed Notre Dame’s first associate VP of federal and Washington relations

2012-05-02T20:00:00-04:00

John F. Sturm, former president and chief executive officer of the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), has been appointed associate vice president of federal and Washington relations at the University of Notre Dame effective June 1.

“We are pleased that John Sturm has accepted the challenge of this newly established position,” said John Affleck-Graves, Notre Dame’s executive vice president. “His expertise in public policy and communications will help enhance the national and international visibility of Notre Dame’s work and mission.”

Sturm, a 1969 alumnus of Notre Dame who holds a law degree from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, will oversee a Notre Dame office in the nation’s capital. His responsibilities will include developing a federal relations strategy for the University and strengthening Notre Dame’s relationships with key constituencies in Washington, including the White House, Congress, federal agencies, regulatory bodies, media and alumni. While based in Washington, Sturm will often be on campus meeting with faculty and administration.

Sturm retired from the NAA presidency last year after 16 years at the helm of the newspaper industry’s largest trade organization. He had earlier served as NAA’s senior vice president of public policy and general counsel, often giving testimony before Congress and the Federal Communications Commission.

Before joining the NAA staff, Sturm worked in the Washington office of CBS as its vice president for government affairs. He also worked with NBC as senior counsel in Washington and served in several capacities at the Federal Communications Commission.

Sturm has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Federal Communications Bar Association. He is also a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia and has been admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court.

Take Ten festival to be held May 3

2012-05-02T16:00:00-04:00

Students from 10 local schools and community centers will visit the University of Notre Dame from 3 to 5 p.m. May 3 (Thursday) in the Stepan Center for a celebration of the Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) Take Ten violence prevention initiative.

Some 350 students will attend the Take Ten Festival, which will include visits by Eric Crittendon of the South Bend Police Department, Superintendent Carole Schmidt of the South Bend Community School Corp., and a representative from the South Bend mayor’s office. The event will include games and activities, refreshments, distribution of T-shirts and performances by Notre Dame’s First Class Steppers.

Take Ten encourages young people to “Talk it out, walk it out, and wait it out” as a means to resolve conflicts peacefully. The program reaches some 8,000 children at 13 local schools, several public and private school districts beyond South Bend, the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, all Boys & Girls Club sites, and community centers through the assistance of more than 130 volunteers from Notre Dame and four other local colleges.

In addition to the festival, Take Ten is celebrating the release of its new website and cyberbullying initiative in partnership with Memorial Hospital, Mindstorm Digital and the South Bend School Corp. The newest comic book “Take Ten Crew vs. Cyberbully” was revealed at the 2012 Community Plunge on cyberbullying in February. For more details, check out the new site or visit www.taketen.nd.edu for more info and contact details.

The RCLC was started in 2001 as a community-driven education center sponsored by Notre Dame in collaboration with neighborhood residents and partners. The center offers a number of programs and activities sponsored by local agencies and organizations, including after-school tutoring, a youth Shakespeare company, a youth entrepreneurship program, computer instruction, GED and English-as-a-new-language classes. For the first time, the Robinson Community Learning Center has AmeriCorps members serving in all programs as full-time, half-time and minimum-time commitments. More than 500 residents and volunteers participate each week in on-site RCLC programming, and as many as 300 Notre Dame students, faculty and staff volunteer with center programs.

Erin Hoffmann Harding to succeed Father Doyle as VP for Student Affairs

2012-05-01T14:00:00-04:00

Erin Hoffmann Harding, associate vice president for strategic planning at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed vice president for student affairs at the University, succeeding Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, C.S.C., who will join Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives as a faculty fellow focusing on initiatives in Catholic educational leadership development. He also will continue pastoral ministry among students and assist the Office of Human Resources with an initiative related to integrating Catholic mission.

“Erin brings with her to this new position a wide range of extraordinary skills that will serve the University well,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president. “I appreciate her accepting this appointment and look forward to working closely with her and the division to enhance our student life initiatives, which have always been and will remain a distinctive part of Notre Dame’s educational experience.

“I am likewise grateful to Tom Doyle for his excellent leadership and service over the past two years. He brought renewed focus to our hallmark of residential life, introduced a vision of integrated student education in the Catholic, Holy Cross tradition, and oversaw the enhancement of our student life policies and procedures. Above all, he has been a superb priest and brother in Holy Cross. His pastoral leadership has been a gift to our community and it will be ideal for his new responsibilities.”

Harding will begin in her new position Aug. 1, until which time Father Doyle will continue to lead student affairs. A search for Harding’s successor will begin soon.

Appointed to her current position in July 2008, Harding previously served for three years as assistant vice president for strategic planning and special projects. The Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research was merged under Harding’s leadership with the University’s institutional research function, which encompasses external reporting to the U.S. Department of Education and rankings agencies, comparative analysis of peer institutions, development and reporting of a variety of internal and national constituent surveys, and the administration of the University’s course instructor feedback system. The expanded office now supports the president in the development and drafting of the University’s overall strategic plan, assesses progress toward the University’s five goals, consults with units and maintains a central repository for college, school and division strategic plans, and facilitates departmental reviews on behalf of the provost and the executive vice president.

Prior to coming to Notre Dame in 2005, Harding served as a management consultant in the Chicago and Cleveland offices of the international consulting firm McKinsey and Company Inc. She is a summa cum laude graduate of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business and earned her juris doctor degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, Harding taught legal writing to first-year law students, was elected president of Harvard’s Board of Student Advisers, and received a dean’s award for her service to the law school community. She was the recipient of the Rev. Leonard A. Collins, C.S.C., and Alumni Association Distinguished Student awards as a student at Notre Dame and served as the student body treasurer. Her husband Ryan is also a Notre Dame graduate and an attorney, and they are the parents of a young son.

Play Like a Champion Today® National Sports Leadership Conference set for June 22-24

2012-04-30T15:00:00-04:00

The Play Like a Champion Today® (PLACT) Program of the University of Notre Dame will hold its 7th annual National Sports Leadership Conference on the Notre Dame campus June 22-24.

This annual conference is perhaps one of the largest gatherings of youth and high school sports coaches, athletic directors and administrators in the country preparing leaders from both public and church sponsored sports organizations through coach and parental educational programs.

Leaders from a variety of fields – sports, psychology, education, medicine, athletic administration, theology, sociology, exercise science and business – will explore with participants the many ways in which the youth and high school sports experience shapes the moral, character and spiritual development of children through their high school years. It is a defining opportunity to learn the latest methods in sports-based character growth initiatives and to network with sports leaders sharing best practices around the country.

Play Like a Champion Today® partners with schools and sports organizations by offering coaching personnel and parents interactive workshops in all areas of champion character education. In the seven years since the program launched, more than 20,000 coaches and 5,000 parents have completed PLACT workshops and 95 percent say they would recommend it to others. These participating adults have in turn touched the lives of more than a half-million young athletes in North America alone.

This year’s conference will focus on developing the safe and nurturing sports environment for all ages through high school with a special emphasis on the issue of bullying and a team approach to bully resolution. “In many ways schools can learn from good sports and coaches practical and sustained methods to solve the bullying issue. Coaches working with their teams to look out for each other rarely have sustained bullying issues” said Clark Power, PLACT director and a professor of liberal studies and psychology at Notre Dame, in a recent interview.

In addition to the conference, this year an inaugural half day Champion Gridiron Coaches Clinic is scheduled for June 22. Participating coaches will engage with such football greats as Reggie Brooks, former Notre Dame All-American and pro football player; former Notre Dame football coaching staff members Bill Lewis and Bill Reagan; and Bill Doba, former Washington State head coach, along with other football-notables, discussing the Xs and Os of offensive and defensive strategy and best practices of the winning coach.

Conference highlights this year will include the Champion Keynote Address “Social Concerns for Today’s Athlete” offered by Grant Teaff, president of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and 2001 College Football Hall of Fame inductee; and dinner in the Notre Dame Stadium press box with Theresa Grentz, head coach of the 1992 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team, providing insights into “Lessons Learned Playing a Child’s Game." Day two will bring together Muffet McGraw, head coach of the Notre Dame 2012 NCAA National Championship finalist women’s basketball team; Martin Ingelsby of the Notre Dame men’s basketball program; Christine Halfpenny, Notre Dame women’s lacrosse head coach; Deanna Gumpf, head coach of the Notre Dame softball team; and Mik Aoki, head coach of the Notre Dame baseball team for a Notre Dame Collegiate Coaches Panel leading an open discussion forum with conference attendees.

Some of this year’s noteworthy conference sessions will highlight topics such as: Creating a GROW-th Oriented Champion Sports Culture; the U.S. Sports Development System; Educating for a Champion Sport Environment; and A View from the Other Side: Self-Esteem v. Self-Confidence in Youth Sports. In addition breakout sessions relating to coach leadership, marketing for your league/school, presentation skills for sports leaders and championship sports parenting will be offered.

The Play Like a Champion Today® team is led by Power, a 30-year member of the Notre Dame faculty; Kristin Komyatte Sheehan, Notre Dame graduate and Monogram Club member; and Oscar McBride, a 1994 Notre Dame graduate and four-year letter winner under former head football coach Lou Holtz.

Full Conference details and registration are available here. For more information about Play Like a Champion Today® and its educational programs offered year round, visit playlikeachampion.org or contact the PLACT office on campus at 574-631-9981 or plc@nd.edu.

Notre Dame enhances support for gay and lesbian students

2012-04-25T10:00:00-04:00

In response to student suggestions, the University of Notre Dame has taken several new steps to better support gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning members of its community.

The result of meetings between student leaders and members of the University’s administration, the initiatives include improving awareness of existing non-discrimination practices and protections as articulated in Notre Dame’s discriminatory harassment policies and “Spirit of Inclusion” statement, and enhancing the structure and functions of the Core Council for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students.

“In all of our efforts, we seek within the context of Church teaching to better realize the ideals expressed in the University’s ‘Spirit of Inclusion’ statement – to create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president.

Rev. Thomas P. Doyle, C.S.C., vice president for student affairs, added: “The University has made significant progress over the past 15 years in its support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning students, but we’ve always emphasized the desire to continuously improve and to be responsive to student concerns. The conversations between students and the administration both recently and over the past several years have been very important.”

The dialogue between students and University leaders has led to the following:
• Notre Dame continues to be committed to non-discrimination and inclusion, as articulated in the “Spirit of Inclusion” statement and the University’s discriminatory harassment policy. While the wording of the University’s non-discrimination clause will remain in its current form, Notre Dame will strive to enhance awareness of existing practices and protections among students, faculty and staff. The avenues for reporting harassment and discrimination will be clarified, strengthened, and better publicized.
• The University will seek further opportunities for ongoing dialogue between the Office of the President, the University’s chief diversity officer, the Office of Student Affairs, and student leaders.
• The University, working through Student Affairs, is committed to supporting and improving the structure and functioning of the University’s Core Council. More information on Core Council is available at http://corecouncil.nd.edu/.
• The University has acted upon several recommendations made by students to improve support for gay, lesbian and bisexual students and will explore others. These will include making ally training more widely available, offering education to First-Year Orientation commissioners, expanding the Safe Space initiative, and improving hall staff training.
• Notre Dame will consider ways of making the “Spirit of Inclusion” statement more explicit and effective. The statement is available on line at: http://dulac.nd.edu/spirit-of-inclusion/.

Carole Sandner Hall receives LEED Gold certification

2012-04-19T13:00:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame’s Carole Sandner Hall was recently certified LEED Gold by the United States Green Building Council.

The building, opened in the summer of 2011 as the new home for the Alliance for Catholic Education, is the sixth on campus to receive LEED certification. Carole Sandner Hall features the following sustainable design and construction practices:

It saves 172,032 kWh ($26,013) per year in electrical energy use, equating to 120 tons of CO2 annually versus a conventionally designed building.
Its irrigation system uses 59 percent less water than a traditional irrigation system design.
The building uses 60 percent less water, resulting in a water savings of 121,180 gallons of water per year.
Ninety-seven percent of the construction debris generated during construction was diverted from a landfill and recycled into new materials.
One quarter of the building’s nonmechanical systems were constructed using recycled materials.
Almost a third of the building’s nonmechanical systems were produced within 500 miles of the building.
Low volatile organic compound paints, sealants, adhesives and carpets were used throughout the building.
The building design provides a direct view to the exterior for more than 90 percent of its occupants.
The mechanical systems use variable speed pumps and fans in conjunction with occupancy sensors to adjust the temperature in each space following the University’s temperature set point policy.
The building utilizes a fully integrated lighting controls system that is capable of programming occupied hours to automatically shut off the lights during nonbusiness hours.
Light fixtures automatically dim or grow brighter as the amount of sunlight increases or decreases in a particular space to allow the brightness of a space to remain constant while reducing energy usage.
Environmentally friendly cleaning products and pest management practices are used throughout the building.

Carole Sandner Hall connects to the historic Institute for Educational Initiatives building. The hall is at the heart of campus adjacent to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Grotto and the Main Building.

Other LEED-certified buildings at Notre Dame include the Joyce Center’s Purcell Pavilion, Innovation Park, Stinson-Remick Hall, Geddes Hall and Ryan Hall.

Contact: Doug Marsh, associate vice president and University architect, dmarsh@nd.edu

Notre Dame’s 'The Shirt' for 2012 to be unveiled Friday

2012-04-18T14:30:00-04:00

One of the University of Notre Dame’s most visible traditions will be celebrated again Friday (April 20) as the 2012 version of “The Shirt” is unveiled during events beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Hammes Bookstore on campus.

The celebration, which is open to the public, will include a variety of outdoor activities such as face painting, prizes and inflatables as well as performances by the Notre Dame Band, Glee Club, cheerleaders and Pom Squad. Notre Dame’s head football coach, Brian Kelly, will unveil The Shirt during a stage presentation at 6 p.m.

Details, a schedule and more information about the celebration and about The Shirt are available online.

Each year since 1990, when the first version of The Shirt was made available to Notre Dame students, alumni and fans, the item’s popularity and sales have increased. Proceeds provide funds for The Shirt Charity Fund, which supports students suffering from severe illnesses and facing high medical bills as well as such student organizations as the Hall President’s Council and Habitat for Humanity.

Over the years, The Shirt, enthusiastically worn by students and spectators at nationally televised athletic events, has become a distinctive Notre Dame symbol.

In 1990, the 32,300 shirts sold generated more than $100,000 for Zhengde Wang, a Notre Dame graduate student from China who had been severely injured in an automobile accident. Last year, 165,000 shirts were sold, raising more than $700,000.

Contact: Daniel Ogg, dogg@nd.edu

University of Oxford chancellor to present Nanovic Forum

2012-04-18T07:00:00-04:00

Christopher Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC, will present the Nanovic Forum at 5 p.m. April 19 (Thursday) in Andrews Auditorium of Geddes Hall at the University of Notre Dame. The lecture, titled “Europe, America and the Changing World Order,” is free and open to the public.

“Lord Patten is an extraordinary figure, a man who has epitomized global leadership in diplomacy, higher education, international affairs and Catholicism,” says A. James McAdams, director of Notre Dame’s Nanovic Institute for European Studies.

Lord Patten is chairman of the BBC Trust, chancellor of the University of Oxford and co-chair of the UK-India Round Table. He was a member of parliament from 1979 to 1992, including chairmanship of the Conservative Party. After leaving Westminster, Lord Patten served as the last British Governor of Hong Kong, overseeing the territory’s return to China in 1997. He also chaired the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland and became European commissioner for external affairs.

In 2010, Lord Patten was appointed by the prime minister to oversee and manage the preparations for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United Kingdom, the country’s first papal visit in nearly 20 years.

Lord Patten was named a privy counsellor in 1989, a companion of honor in 1998, and a life peer in 2005. He has written a number of best-selling books on international politics. His wife, Lavender, a barrister and family mediator, will accompany him on this visit to Notre Dame.

The Nanovic Institute established the Nanovic Forum through the generosity of Robert and Elizabeth Nanovic, in order to continue to deepen Notre Dame’s rich tradition of connections to Europe by bringing prominent figures to campus who are involved in healing rifts, unifying efforts and enlightening issues that transcend a focus on any one European country, people or constituency.

Past speakers have included Horst Koehler, former president of Germany; and Bernhard Schlink, a German novelist and constitutional court justice.

Contact: Monica Caro, assistant director, Nanovic Institute for European Studies, 574-631-3547

Christian and Muslim scholars to meet at Notre Dame

2012-04-17T15:45:00-04:00

Scholars and believers from the Catholic and Islamic faiths will meet at the University of Notre Dame Thursday and Friday (April 19 and 20) to discuss and deepen the encounter of the Catholic Church and Islam.

Among the issues discussed in “The Church and Islam: An International Colloquium,” sponsored by Notre Dame’s Institute for Church Life, will be Muslim views of the Bible, the church and the saints; Christian views of the Quran and Islamic teachings on Muhammad; and the roles of conflict, reconciliation and healing in Christian-Muslim relations.

“The colloquium emerges from a shared conviction that interreligious dialogue is best conducted by believers speaking from the heart of their traditions,” said Gabriel Said Reynolds, Tisch Family Associate Professor of Theology at Notre Dame, who, with John Cavadini, McGrath-Cavadini Director of the Institute for Church Life, organized the meeting. “Such exchanges should naturally develop in Catholics and Muslims a mutual and sympathetic appreciation for the beauty of both beliefs."

Colloquium speakers will include Egyptian Jesuit scholar Samir Khalil Samir, professor of Islamic Studies at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut and at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Father Samir, who advises the Pope on dialogue with Islam, will give a lecture on “Pope Benedict XVI and Islam” at 8 p.m. Thursday (April 19) in the Andrews Auditorium of Geddes Hall. His remarks will be followed by a response from Abdolrahim Gavahi, president of the World Religions Research Center in Tehran.

Other events during the colloquium include a panel discussion on “Christian Reflections on Holiness in Islam/Muslim Reflections on Holiness in Christianity,” in which each Muslim and Catholic scholar will offer an appreciative reflection on an exemplary person from the other tradition.

More information and a colloquium schedule are available online. All events are open to the public.

Contact: Jenny Monahan, assistant director of the Institute for Church Life, 574-631-9195, monahan.27@nd.edu

Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C., appointed to direct Center for Social Concerns

2012-04-16T14:00:00-04:00

Rev. Paul V. Kollman, C.S.C., associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed executive director of the University’s Center for Social Concerns (CSC), effective July 1.

“Father Paul Kollman’s scholarship and teaching, his commitment to Catholic social teaching and his administrative experience all uniquely equip him for leadership of the Center for Social Concerns,” said Don Pope-Davis, vice president and associate provost for undergraduate studies.

Father Kollman has spent this semester teaching theology at Tangaza College in Nairobi.

“I’m humbled and honored to be asked to lead the Center for Social Concerns,” Father Kollman said. “I look forward to building on the vision of my predecessors, Center founder Father Don McNeill, C.S.C., and Father Bill Lies, C.S.C., and working with the host of talented and committed colleagues who have made the Center a vibrant place of engaged scholarship and service learning. I’m confident that together we can deepen the Center’s role in bringing together education of mind and heart, a goal long central to the mission of the Congregation of Holy Cross and of Notre Dame.”

A native of Cincinnati and a 1984 Notre Dame alumnus, Father Kollman earned a master’s degree in theology from the University in 1990, and a doctoral degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2001.

Father Kollman’s theological scholarship and teaching concern African Christianity, mission history and world Christianity, and he has pursued research in eastern Africa, Nigeria and South Africa, as well as in Europe and the United States. He has published articles and reviews in numerous journals of theology, religious studies and African studies, and a 2005 book, “The Evangelization of Slaves and Catholic Origins in Eastern Africa.” He is at work on a book on the Catholic missionary evangelization of eastern Africa and a study of the Catholic Charismatic Movement in Africa.

Recently serving as acting director of the CSC, Father Kollman has worked with the center since 2004, and in 2009, with CSC assistant director Rachel Tomas Morgan, he was co-author of an article in the New Theology Review on the challenges and opportunities of service-learning at Catholic universities.

In addition to his work with the CSC, Kollman serves as a fellow of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and Nanovic Institute for European Studies.

As CSC executive director, Father Kollman succeeds Father Lies, who was recently appointed Notre Dame’s vice president for mission engagement and church affairs. Under Father Lies’ leadership, the CSC was designated as a University institute.