On Tuesday (Aug. 18), Pope Leo XIV appointed two University of Notre Dame faculty members, Emmanuel Katongole and Clemens Sedmak, as consultors to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. University Trustee Kathryn “Katie” Koch, president and CEO of TCW, a global investment management firm, was also named a consultor.

Katongole, a professor of theology and peace studies and director of the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion; Sedmak, a professor of social ethics and director of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies; and Koch are among 12 new consultors from around the globe—and the only three selected from within the United States. They have been appointed for a five-year term.

Consultors may be religious or laypeople and are chosen “from among the faithful who are distinguished by their expertise, proven ability, and prudence,” according to the Vatican’s announcement.

“These appointments are a tremendous honor not only for Emmanuel, Clemens, and Katie, but for the University as a whole,” said Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “We congratulate them on their selection, and we are deeply grateful for the Holy Father’s recognition of their expertise and abiding commitment to the Church. We look forward to the ways their leadership and wisdom will guide the important work of the dicastery.”

Established by the late Pope Francis in 2016, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development supports the Church’s worldwide efforts in the areas of human dignity and human rights, economic justice, care for creation, migration, and displacement, as well as peace, conflict, and humanitarian crises.

Katongole, who came to Notre Dame in 2013, holds a joint appointment in the University’s College of Arts and Letters and Keough School of Global Affairs. A native of Kampala, Uganda, and a priest of the Kampala Archdiocese, he is the founder and president of Bethany Land Institute, a residential agricultural institute that works with young people to realize the vision, spirituality, and practice of Laudato si’ in Uganda. Before joining the Notre Dame faculty, he served as an associate professor of theology and world Christianity at Duke University and was a founding co-director of the Duke Center for Reconciliation. He earned a Bachelor of Divinity at the Pontifical University Urbaniana in Rome, as well as a master’s in religious studies and a doctoral degree in philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

Sedmak, a concurrent professor of theology, holds a joint appointment in Notre Dame’s Institute for Social Concerns and the Keough School. His research focuses on issues of poverty, justice, and the Catholic social tradition, as well as a collaboration with Notre Dame colleagues on the Church’s role in acclimating refugees into Italian society. A native Austrian, Sedmak holds a doctoral degree in theology from the Catholic Private University of Linz and doctoral degrees in philosophy and social theory from the University of Innsbruck. Prior to joining Notre Dame, Sedmak served as the F.D. Maurice Professor for Moral Theology and Social Theology at King’s College London. He also held multiple positions at the University of Salzburg and was president of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Ethics in Salzburg.

Koch, a Notre Dame alumna, was named a University Trustee in 2023. Prior to moving to TCW, she spent 20 years at Goldman Sachs in a variety of leadership positions, including chief investment officer of public equity. She graduated from Notre Dame in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and English.

Originally published by Carrie Gates at news.nd.edu on August 20, 2026.

Projects include theatrical premieres, regional dance and music festivals, multimedia installations, visual art and architecture exhibitions, high-impact arts education programs, international artistic exchange, and more. Biennial programming is open to the public, and events will be held on Notre Dame’s campus, in and around South Bend, and at select global locations.

Occurring every two years, the biennial is an international arts festival rooted in the creative spirit, intellectual energy, and iconic traditions of Notre Dame and the region. Predominantly free programming across the visual, spatial, literary, and performing arts will contribute to the region’s long-term flourishing by enhancing quality-of-life and quality-of-place and by providing new platforms for arts research to positively impact the public.

In his inaugural address, University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., urged the Notre Dame community to be builders of bridges to live out our mission as a leading global Catholic research university. The biennial is one of the most visible ways the Arts Initiative is responding to that call.

“This scale of coordination and collaboration is unprecedented,” said Michael Schreffler, director of the Notre Dame Arts Initiative. “We are grateful to all of our partners for bringing their energy and leadership to fully realize the vision of the biennial’s inaugural theme of symbiosis: a call to contemplate mutually-beneficial relationships through the arts and create them together in practice.”

Community partners leading biennial programming reflect the strength and diversity of arts and culture across the region. Participating regional community partners include:

• Abby Marchesseault Dance Collective
• Acting Ensemble
• Equity in the Arts, an initiative of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts
• Goshen College Music Center
• Fischoff National Chamber Music Association
• The History Museum
• Lubeznik Center for the Arts
• Merrimans’ Playhouse
• New Industry Dance
• Performing Media Festival, produced in partnership with IU South Bend
• Saint Mary’s College, Department of Art
• South Bend Civic Theatre
• South Bend Community School Corporation
• South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership
• South Bend Museum of Art
• South Bend Symphony Orchestra

Campus units awarded funding for partner programming similarly span artistic media and represent a University-wide commitment to interdisciplinary innovation. In addition to projects housed in arts departments, campus efforts are also being led by the College of Science, Hesburgh Libraries, the School of Architecture, and a range of interdisciplinary centers and institutes.

Beyond robust support for partner projects, the biennial also closes gaps in cultural access by attracting prominent artists to the region and making the highest-caliber arts experiences available to the public. In addition to world-class artists hosted by the Arts Initiative, signature performances, convenings, and exhibitions aligned with the biennial’s inaugural theme will be hosted by the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, and the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art.

A dual emphasis on local and visiting artists is a hallmark of Notre Dame’s biennial. “We’re not aware of any other U.S. university currently curating a biennial of this nature and scale,” said Rebecca Struch, Arts Initiative managing director. “Establishing a groundbreaking biennial in northern Indiana, a place with an evolving but often overlooked arts scene, will advance the region as a global gathering place for arts and inquiry.”

“The Notre Dame Arts Biennial reflects what’s possible when our community and local institutions work together,” said South Bend Mayor James Mueller. “This effort will activate our public spaces, support local artists, and strengthen the connections that make South Bend a vibrant place to work and live.”

The Arts Biennial launches at a pivotal moment for the arts across the region and on campus. Informed by its Catholic character, the University’s most recent strategic framework identifies the arts as a key priority and calls for deeper engagement with South Bend and the region. The South Bend-Elkhart region also recently adopted a new Arts & Culture Plan. The biennial builds on these developments by nurturing the arts as a shared community asset that strengthens social bonds and shapes place-based identities.

A detailed schedule of public programming will be available online at artsbiennial.nd.edu in August 2026. Additional opportunities to get involved remain open through April 30, 2027. To be the first to receive biennial announcements, sign up for the biennial newsletter.

Contact: Rebecca Struch, Arts Initiative managing director, 574-631-9845, rstruch@nd.edu

Originally published by Arts Initiative at arts.nd.edu on July 06, 2026.

The University of Notre Dame conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws on Professor Eamon Duffy, one of the world's foremost historians of Christianity, during its 181st Commencement Ceremony in recognition of his outstanding scholarship and enduring contributions to the study of Christian history.

The honorary degree was conferred by Notre Dame London's Executive Director, Joshua Copeland, and Academic Director, Vittorio Montemaggi, during a special ceremony held in the Chapel of Magdalene College, Cambridge. The college holds particular significance for Professor Duffy, who previously served as its President.

The conferral was streamed live to Notre Dame Stadium as part of the University's Commencement celebrations, allowing graduates, their families, and the wider Notre Dame community to share in the occasion.

Professor Duffy is internationally recognised for his influential scholarship on the history of Christianity and the English Reformation. His work has reshaped understanding of late medieval and early modern religious life, earning widespread acclaim for its depth, accessibility, and lasting impact on the field.

Also joining the ceremony was Colin Barr, the Thomas Moore and Judy Livingston Director of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Barr is currently serving as the Parnell Fellow and a Visiting Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he is undertaking research in Irish history.

The conferral celebrates Professor Duffy's remarkable scholarly achievements and reflects the University of Notre Dame's commitment to recognising individuals whose work has made a lasting contribution to knowledge, education, and the common good.

Watch the full Ceremony.

That’s according to a study by University of Notre Dame researcher Madhav Joshi. The study, published in the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, shows how the visible, on-the-ground presence of partners such as foreign countries, multilateral institutions and policy advocacy organizations keeps peace agreements on track by raising reputational costs for leaders who fail to implement them.

“My research provides a template that policymakers and practitioners can apply in post-conflict settings,” said Joshi, research professor and associate director of the Peace Accords Matrix, part of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs. “This evidence-based approach can help support peace agreements.”

Evidence from Colombia

Joshi’s research drew on evidence from the historic 2016 Colombian peace accord between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP), which illustrates these dynamics in practice.

The Colombian agreement has had high levels of global involvement, from negotiation to implementation. More than 30 international actors have helped support the agreement, including the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, the Carter Center and the U.S. government.

Joshi used data from the Peace Accords Matrix Barometer Initiative, which is responsible for monitoring and verifying implementation of the accord. This is the first time a university-based research center has played such a direct role in supporting the implementation of a peace agreement, and the first time researchers have measured the implementation of a peace accord in real time.

Drawing on this data, Joshi tracked 578 individual commitments from December 2016 through April 2023. He found that international support, and the depth of that support, directly improved implementation outcomes.

Previous research has shown that domestic leaders often fail to implement peace agreements either because they are politically costly or because leaders lose domestic political support. Joshi found that international partners bring expertise and resources to support the aspects of agreements that are most at risk. Crucially, he also found that partners’ involvement increases the visibility of these agreements. That motivates leaders to work through obstacles rather than risk losing face on the global stage.

“When domestic actors face higher reputational costs, they are less likely to shirk their commitment to implementing peace,” Joshi said.

Colombia’s story reflects these findings, Joshi said. When Iván Duque won the Colombian presidency in 2018 by rallying voters against the peace agreement, extensive international involvement meant he couldn’t walk away from it, despite his campaign promise.

Informing global peace policy and practice

The new study builds on Joshi’s broader body of work, which examines why peace agreements succeed or fail. Previous research has explored how partial agreements can pave the way for more comprehensive deals and how addressing gender issues strengthens accords.

Joshi’s work plays a central role in the Peace Accords Matrix. It maintains the world’s largest collection of implementation data on intrastate peace agreements, informing the work of policymakers and practitioners.

The latest study carries direct implications for how future agreements are designed, Joshi said, adding that partners should be built into strategies from the start.

“To maximize the chances for success, negotiators should design strategies to incorporate partners before the agreement is signed and deploy them as soon as implementation begins,” Joshi said.

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

Originally published by Josh Stowe at keough.nd.edu on April 28, 2026.

Originally published by Notre Dame News at news.nd.edu on April 13, 2026.

The ranking is based on academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact. Out of 150 universities included, Notre Dame’s score of 92.2 bested the University of Oxford (89.2), Harvard University (89.1), Durham University (88.7), and Boston College (88.3).

“To be ranked No. 1 in the world for two years in a row is a momentous accomplishment for which all our faculty and staff deserve great credit,” said Fr. Khaled Anatolios, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology and chair of the department. “As a department, we take the measure of our own performance less from external rankings than from fidelity to our mission. Nevertheless, these consistently top rankings demonstrate that our fidelity produces scholarly results that are literally second to none in commanding international admiration.”

Guided by the ideals of “faith seeking understanding” and bringing together “things new and old,” the department has six principal areas of research — moral theology, history of Christianity, liturgy, biblical studies, systematic theology, and world religions and world church.

In addition to offering a doctorate and four master’s degree programs, Notre Dame’s theology department maintains a strong commitment to undergraduate education by supporting more than 800 theology majors or minors and teaching the theology courses that all Notre Dame students take as part of the University’s Core Curriculum.

Originally published by Arts & Letters at al.nd.edu on March 26, 2026.

Now in its fifth iteration, the Barrett Family Lecture, organized by the Nanovic Institute for European Studies in Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, will welcome Timothy Garton Ash on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at Notre Dame London. His lecture, titled “The European Crisis,” will begin at 6:00 p.m. local time.

Timothy Garton Ash is professor of European studies and Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow Emeritus at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is the author of 11 books centered on contemporary Europe from the second half of the 20th century to the present. His most recent book, “Homelands: A Personal History of Europe” (2023), draws on his extensive research and personal experiences of the European continent to deliver a history that is both academically rigorous and deeply felt. He also writes as a columnist for The Guardian.

Garton Ash will speak about a range of dichotomies that challenge Europe today, such as war and peace, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, relations with the US and China, liberalism and populism, and integration and disintegration.

Clemens Sedmak, professor of social ethics at the Keough School and the Nanovic Institute’s director, says, “Timothy Garton Ash is an ideal choice of speaker for the Barrett Lecture because his expertise spans so many research priorities and interests of the institute. From the big questions facing contemporary Europe to international diplomacy, and of course, to solidarity with Ukraine, Garton Ash will offer insights into the very foundational questions we seek to explore and bring them together in a fascinating way, highlighting the critical moment for Europe we are in.”

Rory Finnin, professor of Ukrainian studies at the University of Cambridge and 2025-26 visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame, added, “Timothy Garton Ash is not only a highly distinguished scholar and public intellectual engaged in what he has called the ‘history of the present.’ He is among the most powerful voices articulating the very idea of Europe with moral clarity and strategic wisdom – and reminding us of the stakes of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.”

The Barrett Family Lecture Series was established through the generous support of R. Stephen and Ruth Barrett and aims to bring prominent leaders in the fields of business, politics, and the arts to Notre Dame Dublin and Notre Dame London to share their views on significant issues related to contemporary Europe with Notre Dame students, faculty, and staff, as well as the wider community.

Previous speakers in this series include:

• Mairead McGuinness (2024), European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services, and the Capital Markets Union

• Chris Patten (2022), Lord Patten of Barnes and Chancellor of Oxford University;

• Catherine Day (2018), former Secretary-General of the European Commission; and

• Peter Sutherland, S.C. (2015), then special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for migration and president of the International Catholic Migration Commission.

The Nanovic Institute is thrilled to welcome Timothy Garton Ash as the next speaker in this prestigious series and is grateful to Notre Dame London for hosting this event.

See the Event Listing

Originally published by Keith Sayer at nanovic.nd.edu on March 19, 2026.

Beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, Notre Dame will ensure that families with annual income below $150,000 will receive need-based financial aid that covers the cost of tuition. Families with income below $200,000 will receive need-based aid that covers half the cost of tuition. In addition, most students from families with annual income below $60,000 will receive need-based financial aid that covers tuition, fees, housing and food. This announcement reflects the University’s long-standing commitment to ensure a Notre Dame education is affordable and accessible to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and this expansion of Pathways to Notre Dame provides the clarity that families need during the admissions process.

University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., launched the Pathways to Notre Dame initiative in his September 2024 presidential inauguration speech, when he announced that Notre Dame would be need-blind and loan-free for all students, domestic and international. “In order to be the community of learning we are called to be, cost must never be a barrier. By expanding the Pathways to Notre Dame program with this announcement, we continue to make strides to make a Notre Dame education more affordable," Father Dowd said. "We are committed to making every effort to welcome talented young people from a variety of backgrounds to a Notre Dame community that will help them to develop their gifts. I have no doubt that the students who come to Notre Dame thanks to Pathways will enrich our community in every way.”

“I am grateful that Notre Dame is expanding the Pathways to Notre Dame program,” said Micki Kidder, vice president for undergraduate enrollment. “With this announcement, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to ensuring that cost will never be a barrier between a promising student and a Notre Dame education, and we are ensuring that families have greater clarity as they consider this important and formative step for young scholars. Navigating the financial aid process can often feel like the most daunting part of the college selection journey. By implementing income-based scholarship thresholds, we are providing the clarity families need to see that a world-class education is within their reach.”

As the preeminent global Catholic research university, Notre Dame remains dedicated to every member of its community. Notre Dame will continue to meet 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students, both domestic and international. For the past three decades, Notre Dame has provided significant need-based scholarship support to meet families’ full financial need. However, the Pathways to Notre Dame program expands the University’s commitment to affordability in historic ways. In the next four years, supported by the generosity of many members of the Notre Dame family, the University’s undergraduate financial aid commitment will exceed $1 billion.

Originally published by Media Relations at news.nd.edu on March 18, 2026.

Leading scholars of the Irish language from across Europe and North America gathered in central London last week for In ÉiNDí 2026, an academic seminar conducted entirely in the Irish language and hosted at Notre Dame London.

According to the seminar’s organizer, Brian Ó Conchubhair, Professor of Irish Language and Literature at the University of Notre Dame, the gathering is an important moment for Irish-language scholarship in Britain.

“To our knowledge, this may be the first academic conference hosted in the UK that is conducted entirely through Irish,” Ó Conchubhair said. “It reflects the growing international community of scholars who use Irish as a language of research and intellectual exchange.”

Hosting the seminar in London reflects the global reach of Irish-language scholarship. As an international center for the study of Ireland and its language, the University of Notre Dame has long played a leading role in advancing Irish studies beyond Ireland. In ÉiNDí 2026 represents an example of this commitment, bringing scholars together in a global setting to strengthen Irish as a language of research and intellectual exchange. The seminar's organizer, Brian Ó Conchubhair is a fellow of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies in the Keough School of Global Affairs and a leader of the Irish Language Initiative in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters.

The two-day seminar featured keynote lectures from leading Irish-language scholars, including Máire Ní Mhaonaigh of University of Cambridge, Pádraig Ó Siadhail of University of St Mary’s University Halifax, and James Little of the University of Cyprus. Presenters also included scholars from universities across Ireland and beyond, with representatives from every major Irish university participating in the programme.

Beyond textual scholarship, the seminar also explored how Irish-language sources can be used for deeper understanding of broader social and historical questions. Presentations examined topics ranging from the emotional lives reflected in medieval texts to Irish-language responses to global political issues, including reactions to apartheid in South Africa. These topics show that the Irish language has always been a medium for responding to global human rights issues and internal psychological states.

The seminar also addressed contemporary concerns facing Irish-speaking communities. For example, sessions explored topics such as language use in healthcare settings and the ways in which Irish speakers navigate both Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) communities and the wider English-speaking world.

Discussions highlighted how the field is evolving to reach new generations of scholars and students. Digital tools and resources, such as the Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (eDIL), are making centuries of Irish-language material more accessible, helping to connect traditional Irish Studies with the research habits and expectations of a digital-native Generation Z.

“The timing of the event in 2026 is a significant milestone,” said Ó Conchubhair. “With sessions tracing the history of Irish programs from 1972 to 2026, the seminar offers a moment to reflect on more than fifty years of institutional progress. It is both a celebration of survival and an opportunity to think strategically about the future of the language in a globalized world, ensuring that Irish remains a vibrant, intellectual, and research-driven language on the world stage.”

Learn more about Irish Language Initiatives at Notre Dame. 

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.

In its second year, the Democracy Catalyst Grant opportunity drew 48 applications from six of Notre Dame’s colleges and schools and several interdisciplinary institutes and student groups.

These investments, made through the Democracy Catalyst Fund, advance projects that closely align with the Initiative’s mission to strengthen democratic institutions, cultivate civic culture, and connect scholars and practitioners working at the forefront of democratic research around the world. In all, 24 faculty and student teams will examine pressing questions facing democracies today. These projects will create new opportunities for student learning and leadership in democratic research while bringing global scholars to campus through conferences, workshops, and symposia.

“Together, these grants represent the Initiative’s ongoing commitment to supporting rigorous scholarship that informs public debate, deepens civic understanding, and engages communities across borders,” said Joel Day, managing director of the Democracy Initiative.

The projects include multidisciplinary collaborations among more than 60 historians, data scientists, theologians, economists, and political scientists, as well as initiatives led by undergraduate and graduate students that expand the University’s capacity for democracy-focused research.

More details on each Catalyst-funded project, including descriptions and principal investigators, can be found on the Democracy Initiative’s website.

Launched in April 2024, the Democracy Initiative seeks to establish Notre Dame as a global leader in the study of democracy and as a convenor for conversations that defend democratic values and shape engaged citizens.

Funded Projects

Research

• Enrique Seira Bejarano, professor in the Department of Economics, will lead an evaluation on how Mexico’s 2025 judicial reform affects judicial independence, performance, and the rule of law. Bejarano will be joined by co-principal investigators Alejandro Ponce and Julio Rios.

• Muna Adem, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, will lead an investigation into how and why group identities shape trust and cooperative behavior while identifying the conditions under which trust can extend across group boundaries. Adem will be joined by co-principal investigator Paul Kyumin Lee, a doctoral student and Notre Dame Presidential Fellow.

• Fiona Rodger, a doctoral student in American Politics, will lead an investigation into how the framing of laws banning transgender athletes from participating in sports that align with their chosen gender identity influence individuals’ level of support for transgender sports bans.

• Margaret Pfeil, a Teaching Professor in the Department of Theology and the Institute for Social Concerns, will produce an edited volume called “Religious Nationalism: Questions, Stories, and Practical Engagements.” Pfeil will be joined by Associate Professor David Clairmont.

• Gessica de Freitas, a research assistant at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, will lead an investigation into the growing empowerment of congresses in presidential systems that have historically been dominated by strong executives.

• Jeremi Panganiban, a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology, will lead a project examining how moral economies shape daily life in subsistence fishing communities undergoing rapid economic development.

• Susan L. Ostermann, an associate professor of Global Affairs and Political Science, will lead a project called “From Slacktivism to the Successful Gen Z Movement: Political Change and Democratic Quality in Nepal.” Ostermann will be joined by co-principal Investigators Madhav Joshi, a research professor in the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and associate director of the Peace Accords Matrix; Shrinivas Gautam; a research scientist in the Pulte Institute for Global Development; Lila Kumar Khatiwada, a senior research scientist at the Pulte Institute; and Mohammad Rashidujjaman Rifat, an assistant professor of tech ethics and global affairs.

• Joe Parent; a professor of political science, will lead a project called “Backlash to Globalization or Democracy? How American Trade Protectionism Affects Polarization and Democratic Attitudes in Brazil.” Parent will be joined by co-principal investigators Luis Schiumerini and Jazmin Sierra, both assistant professors in the Department of Political Science.

• Saehwan Lee, a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology, will conduct a large-scale randomized survey experiment with nationally representative participants to test how distinct or convergent status threat framings causally influence support for far-right politics and mobilization. Lee will be joined by co-principal investigators Sharon Yoon, an associate professor of Korean studies, and Dahjin Kim, an assistant professor of Asian studies and global affairs.

• Mayra Ortiz Ocaña, a doctoral student in political science, will lead an investigation into how populist executives dismantle or co-opt fourth-branch institutions, with a specific focus on Mexico under President López Obrador. Ocaña will be joined by co-principal investigator Benjamín García-Holgado, an assistant professor of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware.

• Gabrielle Grow, a doctoral student in constitutional studies and political theory and a Notebaert Premier Fellow, will lead an exploration of how state-level disestablishment in the early United States affected membership rates among new and established religious denominations.

• Ali Altiok, a doctoral student in peace studies and political science, will lead a project called “Competing for Youth Attention in the Age of Political Disinformation: Experimental evidence on the capacity of Kenyan youth to detect deepfake images.”

• Diane Desierto, a professor of law and global affairs and faculty director of the LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law and the global director of the Notre Dame Law School Global Human Rights Clinic, will lead a project called “Exiled Women Leaders: Human Rights Impacts and Strategies of Resilience against Authoritarian Persecution in the Americas.” Desierto will be joined by research associate and research fellow Faisal Yamil Meneses.

• Shay Hafner and Amy Brooke Grauley, both doctoral students in political science, will lead a project called “Method-Aware Respondents and the Reliability of Online Political Science Experiments.”

• Emma Briant, a visiting associate professor in the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, will lead a project called “Persuasive Procurement: How AI is Sold and Selected for Military and Intelligence Agencies.” Briant will be joined by co-pincipal investigator Walter Scheirer, the Dennis O. Doughty Collegiate Professor of Engineering.

• Guillermo Trejo, a professor of politicla science and a faculty fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, and director of the Notre Dame Violence and Transitional Justice Lab (V-TJ Lab), will lead a project called “Where are the Good Samaritans in Violent Democracies? Designing and Evaluating a Citizen-Led Public Campaign to Stimulate Empathy and Solidarity with 2,000 Victims of Enforced Disappearance in Acapulco, Mexico.” Trejo will be joined by political science doctoral students Laura López-Pérez and Mayra Ortiz-Ocaña, V-TJ Lab pre-doctoral student Jorge Ruiz Reyez, Natán Skigin, an assistant professor of comparative politics at the University of Georgia, and Jean Mendieta, a policy practitioner in the V-TJ Lab.

• Michael Coppedge, a professor of political science and a faculty fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, will lead a project called “Developing the Public Portal Prototype for AI-based Modeling of Democratic Development and Decline (AIM-3D Portal).” Coppedge will be joined by co-principal investigators Valentina (Valya) Kuskova, a professor and associate director at the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society; John Behrens, a professor of the practice, director of the Technology and Digital Studies Program, and director of digital strategy for the College of Arts & Letters; Dmitry Zaytsev, an associate professor of the practice at the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society; and Richard (Rick) Johnson, an associate professor of the practice and the managing director of the Applied Analytics and Emerging Technology Lab (AETL) at the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society.

Convening

• The Student Policy Network Team, led by Kaeleigh Picco, director of engagement for the Student Policy Network, and co-presidents of the Student Policy Network Alex Young and Sonia Zhang, will create a pilot Showcase in Washington, D.C.. The convening which will become an annual program designed to highlight Notre Dame students’ contributions to democratic engagement and public policy.

• Andres Mejia Acosta, the Kuster Family Associate Dean for Policy and Practice and an associate professor in the political economy of development, will lead an investigation into the strategic weakening of the administrative state itself in partnership with a workshop convening scholars and practitioners of the topic. Acosta will be joined by co-principal investigators Javier Perez Sandoval, a Kellogg postdoctoral research assistant in democracy, Derek Mitchell, a visiting professor of the practice in the Keough School of Global Affairs, and Andrea Perilla, a masters of global affairs student in governance and policy in the Keough School.

• The Ansari Institute team, which includes Scott Appleby, Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Global Affairs and interim director of the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion; teaching professor Mahan Mirza, executive director of the Ansari Institute; Alexander Hsu, assistant teaching professor of global affairs; and Rose Luminiello, assistant teaching professor in the Keough School, will hold a Global Fellows Program symposium in Rome in June 2026.

• James Curry, a professor of political science, Jeff Harden, the Andrew J. McKenna Family College Professor; and Rachel Porter, the Notre Dame du Lac Assistant Professor of Political Science, will host the first of annual one-day convenings to bring top scholars to Notre Dame, called “Chambers of Democracy: Annual Convenings on Legislatures as Central Institutions in American Democracy.”

• Horane Diatta-Holgate, an assistant teaching professor and the program director for faculty development and Kristi Rudenga, director of the Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence, will lead a series of instructor training and networking sessions called “Teaching and Learning for Democracy Series: Structuring Classrooms for Effective Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Polarizing Times.”

• Peter Quaranto, a visiting professor of the practice, Maura Policelli, executive director of the Keough School’s Washington Office and professor of the practice; and Derek Mitchell, a visiting distinguished professor of the practice at the Keough School's Washington Office, will convene a cross-section of experts and practitioners to consider ways to better integrate peacebuilding approaches and tools with ongoing efforts to strengthen democracy in the United States and globally.

Education and Formation

• Patrick Deneen, a professor of political science, will develop new undergraduate and graduate courses called Democratic Theory: Pre-liberal, Liberal, Anti-liberal, and Postliberal.”

Originally published by Emily Monacelli Guzman at strategicframework.nd.edu on December 15, 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.

Student presentations were evaluated by a panel of judges, which included Eamon Ryan, Brigitta Richmond (Notre Dame Global), and John Kalemkerian (Office of Sustainability). Of the ten total presentations, the judges named both the Green Globe Award recipient for best presentation and an honorable mention.

Winner: Isabelle Wilson

Isabelle Wilson received the Green Globe Award for her presentation, "Urban Agriculture & Carbon Neutrality: From Ancient Rome to Modern Lazio."

Wilson is a senior at the University of Notre Dame studying global Affairs and philosophy. She spent the spring at John Cabot in Rome, Italy, with the help of the Nanovic Institute, researching how urban farming initiatives can simultaneously address environmental sustainability challenges and empower local communities.

Honorable Mention: Gracie Speicher

Gracie Speicher received an honorable mention for her presentation, "Public Spaces and the Tiber River, Rome."

Speicher is a senior environmental science and Italian student at the University of Notre Dame. This past spring, she conducted research on water quality and public spaces along the Tiber River in Italy with the help of the Nanovic Institute Notre Dame Rome. Since then, she has also worked with the Geography Department at Trinity College Dublin conducting water quality analyses of streams entering South Dublin Bay.

Presenters:

Christine Hruby presented “Clear Water, Clear Future: Evaluating Water Quality Across Ireland," following her work during her spring abroad in Dublin, Ireland.

Rika Felten presented “Ireland’s Offshore Wind Journey and What the US Can Learn,” sharing what she learned during her spring abroad in Dublin, Ireland.

Sara Wheeler presented her discoveries on “Dereliction and Decline: The Economic and Social Costs of Ireland’s Dereliction Crisis,” after spending her spring in Dublin, Ireland.

Sean Bocan, Isabelle Donofrio, and Greg Gehring presented “Sustainable Development and Leadership Goals: Working to reduce coffee-cup waste & consumption at ND London,” sharing their findings from their spring abroad in London, England.

India Byrne presented what she discovered about “Investing in Our Future: ESG Investing in the EU,” during her spring abroad in Rome, Italy.

Josh Williams presented his insights on “The Case for Regulatory Intervention in the Plastics Industry,” based on what he learned from spending the spring abroad in Galway, Ireland.

Elise Wollemborg presented her findings on “Sustainable Healthcare in Ireland: The Environmental Impacts of the Shift towards Community Based Care,” after spending her spring abroad in Galway, Ireland.

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The Nanovic Institute congratulates all the Sustainability Fellows on their successful research. Each presentation reflected impressive dedication and initiative, making the judges’ decisions especially challenging. Even the catering for the event played a role in building sustainability, with measures such as asking participants to bring their own cups and forgoing plasticware to reduce waste.

We thank each student for their efforts, and we hope this was an impactful and eye-opening experience for all its participants. In the future, the institute plans to post the students' findings in an online forum currently being designed.

Applications for the 2026 Study Abroad Sustainability Fellows program have already been collected and are under consideration. The institute looks forward to a second year of collaboration, excellent research, and a shared interest in building a more sustainable future. It also thanks its partners at Notre Dame Global, including Notre Dame London, Notre Dame Dublin, Notre Dame Galway, Notre Dame Rome, and others, as well as partners at Notre Dame Sustainability.

Originally published by Morgan Engates at nanovic.nd.edu on November 10, 2025.

Colón Cotto worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) in applying for the award, which is available to juniors at participating institutions in the U.S.

“Congratulations to Rocío. Over the past two years, I have had the pleasure of watching her passion for art conservation develop,” said Emily Buika Hunt, assistant director of scholarly development at CUSE. “The decisions she has made about her coursework, research projects and extracurriculars have been guided by her genuine intellectual curiosity and artistic talent. These wise decisions have put her in the position to become a future leader in her field.”

Colón Cotto is an art history and Chinese major with a studio art minor from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

A Sorin Scholar, she is a research assistant in the Rare Books & Special Collections section of the Hesburgh Libraries; a teaching assistant to Professor Bahram Moasser in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; a student programming committee member at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art; and a technical lead and announcer for WSND, the student-run campus radio station.

Away from campus, she participated in an immersive summer language program through Princeton University in China and studied abroad in the United Kingdom through Notre Dame London, where she served as a program and engagement team intern with the Dulwich Picture Gallery, the oldest public art gallery in England.

As an artist and researcher, she is interested in the utility of paper as a medium. She is also interested in how paper ages with time and exposure to the environment, from water and heat to light and humidity.

Under the tutelage of Tatiana Reinoza, the Notre Dame du Lac Assistant Professor of Art History, she researched the cover of “La cortada,” a handmade book published in Cuba and housed in Rare Books & Special Collections. She also experimented with papier-mâché sculpture, drawing and various printmaking techniques.

Building on these experiences, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in paper conservation, connecting her interest in paper and art history with her passion for Mandarin Chinese as a way to preserve ink, watercolor and other traditional East Asian artwork.

“I’m beyond excited to pursue a career in art conservation, a field where I can make meaningful contributions as an artist and researcher."

Following that, she intends to become an East Asian art conservator, exploring the intersection of studio art, art history and Mandarin while safeguarding access to East Asian culture and history for future generations. She will also continue to explore and advance paper techniques in her own work.

“In a world that faces constant environmental and political challenges, it’s vital for us to value and preserve our global cultural heritage,” Colón Cotto said. “I’m beyond excited to pursue a career in art conservation, a field where I can make meaningful contributions as an artist and researcher. Thanks to the Beinecke Scholarship, my goal of pursuing graduate studies in conservation is now achievable. I am profoundly grateful to the CUSE staff, my family, friends and professors for their unwavering support.”

Established by the board of directors of the Sperry and Hutchinson Co. in 1971, the Beinecke Scholarship seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students to “be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences.”

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

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on May 28, 2025.

“I look forward to working with the University of Notre Dame to continue developing new ways to realise our Catholic founders’ shared vision of higher education as a force for good — an ever more urgent call,” Young shared following the signing ceremony. “At St Edmund’s, we thrive at the intersection of intellectual rigour and spiritual development and are delighted to share and enrich this rare ecosystem with our Notre Dame partners.”

This MOU serves to deepen Notre Dame’s existing relationship with St Edmund's, the only college in the University of Cambridge with a specifically Catholic character. By re-signing it, both parties renewed their dedication to encourage and support international collaboration between the respective faculty, scholars, students, and administrators in education, research, and outreach. The agreement also supports a further development of Notre Dame London’s connection with the Von Hügel Institute for Critical Catholic Inquiry at St Edmund’s College, led by Notre Dame London Academic Director Vittorio Montemaggi, who was present for the signing.

In addition, the MOU laid out three specific areas to focus on: joint initiatives for graduate students, joint post-doc initiatives, and faculty mobility. By focusing on these structural initiatives, the hope is that more academic units will have the opportunity to engage.

This MOU demonstrates both Notre Dame’s and St Edmund's commitment to developing strategic, global partnerships, and lays out a clear roadmap for how to succeed in their internationalization efforts.

“Re-signing this agreement with St Edmund’s College marks another step forward in Notre Dame’s efforts to become a more global university,” Pippenger shares. “We look forward to taking an even more strategic approach to our partnership by creating new opportunities for graduates, post-docs, and faculty.”

Originally published by Jessie Carson at global.nd.edu on April 14, 2025.

The 14th Annual Notre Dame London Shakespeare Lecture in Honour of Professor Sir Stanley Wells was delivered on 25th February, 2025 at Notre Dame London by Rupert Goold (CBE).

Goold, who is for known his work as the Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre and two-time Olivier Award-winning director of such stage productions as Hamlet, Cold War, Spring Awakening, The 47th and Dear England as well as work for film and television, is highly regarded for his directorial reinvention of Shakespeare's greatest works. He was awarded a CBE for his services to drama in 2017. Goold delivered insights into his process as a director and devotee of Shakespeare in his 2025 lecture ‘Shakespeare’s scenes—the good, the bad and the ugly’.

Read the lecture

Visit the link above to read Rupert Goold's speech and see photos from the event.

Hall Committee member Connor Casey (‘26) reflects on his time preparing for the upcoming match:“Being part of the Catholic Cup team, both on and off the field, has been an incredible blessing. It has allowed me to channel my passion for 'football' (I’ve been converted!) into supporting a meaningful cause while building strong friendships with my classmates. Whether writing controversial post-match commentaries with teammates, creating newsletters and collaborating with the Hall Committee team, or engaging in fierce matchups on Monday nights, it has been a true highlight of my study abroad experience!”

Another Hall Committee member, Clare Rosa (‘26), feels that the Catholic Cup’s fundraising beneficiary is an essential local charity. She says, “The Cardinal Hume Centre is an extremely important organization that helps combat the issue of poverty among youth and families around London. Every donation counts toward making a difference in so many peoples' lives.”

The Cardinal Hume Centre supports families and young people with “the opportunity to build better lives,” Casey explains. “Having taken these blessings for granted, we feel deeply compelled to support such an inspirational cause, and what better way to do so than through the game that unites the world?”

Rosa’s main takeaway from her time organizing the Catholic Cup? She says the experience “has been a great way for me to give back to the community in which I am studying abroad this semester.”

Come cheer on the Fighting Irish v. Simmies at St Mary’s University, Twickenham this Monday, March 31st. Kickoff is at 7:00 pm

Donate in support of the Cardinal Hume Centre at the Catholic Cup’s GoFundMe page.

Watch our ND London student team's HYPE VIDEO below:

In recognition of its outstanding commitment to internationalization both on campus and across the globe, the University of Notre Dame has been selected to receive the 2025 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.

Named for the late Sen. Paul Simon, a longtime proponent of international education, the award is given by NAFSA: Association of International Educators to honor excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of university and college campuses.

Notre Dame — which has 12 global locations, 92 study abroad programs, and active research projects in 67 countries — was one of only five universities to receive the award this year.

“At Notre Dame, our global engagement strengthens our research programs, prepares our students to be capable and compassionate leaders, and enhances our Catholic mission,” said University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. “ Since its founding, Notre Dame has been committed to being a great force for good in the world.”

Notre Dame Global leads the University’s internationalization efforts, which are focused on fostering an inclusive global community throughout campus, in addition to offering integrative learning experiences, collaborative global research and equitable international partnerships, said Michael Pippenger, vice president and associate provost for internationalization.

“This award is a testament to the time, talent, energy and passion contributed over many years by our colleagues on campus and across Notre Dame’s global network,” Pippenger said. “This work will continue to propel the University into becoming an ever more global institution, and reinforce our shared belief that at Notre Dame, everyone has a role to play in creating a welcoming community that allows all to flourish.”

From 1998 to 2023, Notre Dame increased its percentage of international students in the first-year class from 1 percent to 8 percent, and as part of its new strategic framework, the University has committed to continuing to raise that percentage. To that end, the University announced its Pathways to Notre Dame program last fall. The program expands Notre Dame’s need-blind policy to include both domestic and international students — making the University one of only nine institutions in the U.S. to do so.

The University has also received national recognition for its commitment to internationalization and global education from the Institute of International Education, consistently appearing in the institute’s top 10 rankings for study abroad participation for more than two decades. For the 2022-23 academic year, study abroad participation among Notre Dame undergraduates increased by more than 10 percentage points from the previous year — from 77 to 87.5 percent.

Additional recipients of the 2025 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization include Pennsylvania State University, San Diego State University, the University of Arizona and the University of Georgia. Awardees will be honored during NAFSA’s annual conference this spring. With more than 10,000 members and international educators worldwide, NAFSA is the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange.

Originally published by Carrie Gates at news.nd.edu on February 12, 2025.

More than 100 international students arrive at Notre Dame each August for their first year of college. Some have never visited campus — or the United States — before they enroll, and acclimating to student life takes time.

They have new customs to absorb, a foreign higher education system to decipher and, for many, an unfamiliar sport — football — to understand. For some, it’s their first time speaking English as their primary daily language.

Four years later, they graduate with Notre Dame degrees. Many of these alumni become informal University ambassadors, joining Notre Dame alumni clubs in their home countries and encouraging others to apply to their alma mater.

The number of such students is expected to grow. Read more

Originally published by Margaret Fosmoe-ND Magazine at global.nd.edu on January 10, 2025.

The Global Leadership Team (GLT) has been awarded the Presidential Team Irish Award on behalf of Notre Dame Global, highlighting the outstanding collaborative efforts of the entire division in advancing the University’s mission and values worldwide.

Notre Dame Global, a division of more than 200 professionals, spans five continents and includes 12 global sites that serve as platforms for cultural exchange, community engagement, educational programming, and research, demonstrating our collective commitment to fostering a truly global Notre Dame. Guided by the University’s mission and values, the GLT’s success is a testament to the cooperative spirit of all team members who work together across global locations and core areas to support Notre Dame’s education and research initiatives, demonstrating that the strength of Notre Dame Global lies in its people.

The GLT has been instrumental in initiatives such as “Standing in Solidarity with Ukrainian Catholic University” and the Pamoja ND Africa Initiative, reflecting the dedication of all staff to advancing Notre Dame’s mission of global engagement and collaboration. The entire Notre Dame Global division has played a crucial role in creating an inclusive work environment that enables everyone to thrive, with each member contributing to the University’s strategic goals of global Catholicism and engagement with the Global South.

The team’s efforts have significantly broadened Notre Dame’s influence, making the University a leading institution for study abroad programs and fostering global relationships that enrich both the University and its community worldwide. This year marks 60 years since Notre Dame’s first study abroad program began, a milestone made possible through the collective efforts of the division, which ranks No. 2 in the nation for undergraduate study abroad participation among doctorate-granting universities.

Over the past decade, the international population at Notre Dame has increased by roughly 34 percent. The International Student and Scholar Affairs team within Notre Dame Global has been instrumental in supporting the steadily growing number of students and scholars, and in navigating an increasingly complicated immigration landscape by providing expert advice and student-friendly resources.

Vice President and Associate Provost for Internationalization Michael Pippenger spoke of the award, stating, “This is a tremendous honor, and it speaks to the culture of teamwork, service, and excellence we have cultivated within Notre Dame Global. As we make strides to ensure Notre Dame is an ever more global university, I am thrilled that the truly collective work of our division is being recognized in such a public way.”

Congratulations to the team for demonstrating the University value of Leadership in Excellence and winning the Presidential Team Irish Award.

Originally published by NDWorks at ndworks.nd.edu on September 30, 2024.