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Eight Notre Dame students, alumni awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

2025-04-23T09:00:00-04:00

Eight current or former University of Notre Dame students have been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, with an additional 16 singled out for honorable mention for the award.

Established in 1952, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides financial and other support to students in NSF-backed STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) disciplines to participate in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs at accredited institutions in the U.S.

Applicants work closely with their advisers to create compelling personal statements and research plans. Notre Dame students can also consult with experts from the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) or its counterpart, the Office of Grants and Fellowships, in the Graduate 91��Ƶ.

Jeff Thibert is the Paul and Maureen Stefanik Director of CUSE.

"On behalf of CUSE, I'd like to congratulate this year's NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients and honorable mentions,” Thibert said. “In a year where the number of fellowships was reduced to 1,000 from the expected number of 2,300, it is an especially significant accomplishment to be not only a recipient but also an honorable mention. It is our hope that more funds will become available to the NSF, allowing them to convert at least some of the honorable mentions to recipients.

He continued, “Thank you, as always, to the students' and alumni's mentors, and thank you especially to Emily Hunt, the CUSE assistant director of scholarly development, who works with the NSF GRFP (among other fellowships) and devotes a significant amount of time to providing advice and feedback to our applicants. We're lucky to have her on our team.”

Michael Skalski, associate program director of the Office of Grants and Fellowships, said, “The success of our students in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship competition is a testament to their individual drive, the mentorship of their faculty advisors, the vibrant research environment fostered at Notre Dame and the collaborative support offered by resources like the Graduate 91��Ƶ's Office of Grants and Fellowships. This year, we are especially proud of and impressed by the robust number of students who received honorable mention. We celebrate the achievements of all of those recognized and look forward to their future contributions to STEM.”

The fellows are:

Undergraduate alumni

• Joseph Kelly (psychology)

• Caroline Lubbe (STEM education and learning research)

• Patrick Schwartz (engineering)

• Timothy Welch (engineering)

• Bailee Zacovic (mathematical sciences)

Graduate

• Marla Gravino (chemistry)

• Madison MacDougall (life sciences)

• Sophia Richter (life sciences)

The honorable mentions are:

Undergraduate

• Katherine Brandin (life sciences)

• Sara Murray (chemistry)

• Delaney Smith (engineering)

Undergraduate alumni

• Emma Bartley (psychology)

• Sydney Carlino (social sciences)

• Cassandra Franke (psychology)

• Nikol Garcia Espinoza (engineering)

• Lauren Hollmer (life sciences)

• Doyup Kwon (engineering)

• Quinn Mackay (geosciences)

• Michelena O’Rourke (engineering)

• Oliver Reyes (life sciences)

• Joseph Tatarka (social sciences)

Graduate

• Regina Mannino (mathematical sciences)

• Hannah O’Grady (life sciences)

• Daniel Volpi (engineering)

• Andrew Yang (computational science and engineering)

Alumni Association announces 2025 spring award winners

2025-04-22T11:00:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame Alumni Association honored several outstanding alumni and staff at its annual board of directors meeting in April. Throughout the year, the association presents awards in six key areas that reflect the University’s commitment to excellence: the arts, athletics, service to the Alumni Association, service to the country, service to humanity, and service to the University.

The following six awards were presented on campus April 9 and 10.

Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award

Alumnus Dr. Brian J. McCarthy, a 1968 graduate, received the 2025 Dr. Thomas A. Dooley Award, which honors graduates demonstrating outstanding service to humankind.

Throughout his career, McCarthy has been dedicated to improving maternal and perinatal health systems globally. He began his work with the U.S. Public Health Service, focusing on maternal and newborn risk assessments. His expertise expanded internationally through his secondment to the World Health Organization, where he co-authored the WHO Risk Approach Manual and established a global network of WHO Perinatal Collaborating Centers. He advised numerous international organizations on maternal and child health initiatives across more than 45 developing countries.

From 2002 to 2011, McCarthy focused on building MCH surveillance systems in Afghanistan, training local health professionals there. Following the Kabul evacuation, he secured funding to sustain midwifery-led maternity care at Al Jannah Hospital and is currently working to expand these vital centers across Afghanistan.

William D. Reynolds Award

Established in 1985, the William D. Reynolds Award, presented this year to alumna JoAnn Chávez, recognizes a graduate doing exceptional work with youth for the betterment of their quality of life.

Chávez, senior vice president and chief legal officer for DTE Energy, was honored for her distinguished career and dedication to empowering underrepresented youth. A proud Notre Dame graduate who credits the University for her foundation, Chávez oversees DTE Energy's legal strategy and advises its leadership.

A Detroit native and sixth-generation Mexican-American, Chávez was instilled with resilience by her family. She earned her business administration degree from Notre Dame in 1986 and her law degree in 1990.

Driven by a commitment to uplift others, Chávez founded DTE’s Summer Talent Exposure Program, offering more than 15 years of business experience to students. She is also the founder, president and CEO of the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative (MiHC), a nonprofit dedicated to advancing economic equity for first-generation students. Chávez's advocacy ensures opportunities for future generations.

James E. Armstrong Award

Alumna Shannon Kelly, a 2011 graduate, received the 2025 James E. Armstrong Award, recognizing alumni who are current or former University employees for distinguished service to the University.

As director of athletics admissions since 2024, Kelly oversees recruitment and evaluation for Notre Dame's 26 varsity teams. A former varsity softball player and history major with a minor in international peace studies, she began her admissions career at Notre Dame in 2011. After earning a master's degree from the University of Virginia and developing a program for first-generation students, she returned to Notre Dame in 2017.

Throughout her tenure, Kelly has collaborated with various University departments to support student-athletes. Outside of her primary role, she has advised student groups focused on pediatric cancer, mentored graduate students and co-taught the Moreau First Year Seminar course. Kelly is also the proud adoptive mother of her daughter, Layla.

Dr. William P. Sexton Award

Jim Reimer, former director of Notre Dame’s Bon Sel Initiative (BSI), received the 2025 Dr. William P. Sexton Award, recognizing his exceptional contributions to the University as a non-alum. Established in 2001, the award honors individuals whose lives embody the spirit of Notre Dame through outstanding service.

From 2012 to 2024, Reimer spearheaded BSI's efforts in Haiti to combat lymphatic filariasis and prevent iodine deficiency disorders by implementing a faith-based social enterprise model centered on fortified salt. His leadership involved collaborations with the Congregation de Sainte Croix, the Haitian Ministry of Health and Cargill Salt to process, market and distribute these vital products nationwide. Under Reimer, BSI achieved self-sufficiency through specialty salt products, becoming a key partner in a broader alliance improving public health across Haiti.

Prior to his impactful work with BSI, Reimer held leadership positions at Cargill Inc. across multiple continents and served as a thesis advisor for Notre Dame’s ESTEEM program. He holds degrees from the University of Nebraska and the University of Michigan 91��Ƶ of Business. Reimer currently resides in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife, Portia

Rev. Anthony J. Lauck Award

Established in 2000, the Rev. Anthony J. Lauck Award, presented this year to alumna Beth Albright, a 1998 graduate, recognizes an alum for their outstanding accomplishments or achievements as practicing artists.

Since 2009, Albright has been a character shading and groom artist on numerous Pixar films, including “Toy Story 3,” “Brave,” “Monsters University,” “Finding Dory,” “Coco,” and “Incredibles 2.” She made history as Pixar’s first female character supervisor on “Luca” and is currently the visual effects supervisor for the upcoming “Hoppers” (spring 2026). In this role, she leads key technical departments, ensuring seamless collaboration and a balance between technical and creative aspects.

Prior to Pixar, Albright spent a decade in 2D animation. A Columbus, Ohio, native, she holds a BFA from Notre Dame and an MFA from The Ohio State University and currently resides in Oakland, California.

Rev. Robert F. Griffin, C.S.C., Award

The late Mark Shields, a distinguished figure in American politics and journalism, posthumously received the 2025 Rev. Robert F. Griffin, C.S.C., Award, which honors alumni for outstanding writing achievements. His wife, Anne Shields, accepted the award on his behalf.

A 1959 Notre Dame philosophy graduate, Shields served in the Marine Corps before embarking on a career in politics, working on Capitol Hill and managing campaigns. In 1979, he transitioned to journalism, joining the Washington Post and launching a syndicated column that ran for four decades. He became a prominent political commentator on shows like “The Capital Gang,” “Inside Washington,” and “PBS NewsHour,” where he served as a political analyst from 1987 until his retirement in 2020, covering 12 presidential campaigns. He also authored “On the Campaign Trail” about the 1984 election.

Beyond his journalistic work, Shields taught at Georgetown University and the University of Pennsylvania and was a fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics. A frequent commencement speaker, he received numerous honorary degrees, including one from Notre Dame. His contributions were recognized with accolades like Washingtonian of the Year (2003) and the Prize for Civility in Public Life (2012). Shields passed away in 2022 at the age of 85, leaving a significant legacy in political commentary.

Division of Student Affairs recognizes outstanding student leaders

2025-04-22T09:00:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame’s Division of Student Affairs honored seven graduating students at its 39th annual Student Leadership Awards banquet on April 14. These annual awards recognize current students for their exemplary leadership and many contributions to the Notre Dame community.

Rev. A. Leonard Collins, C.S.C., Award

The Rev. A. Leonard Collins, C.S.C., Award, which honors a graduating senior who has expended substantial personal effort to advance the interests of students at Notre Dame, was presented to Aidan Rezner from Corona, California.

A neuroscience and behavior major, Rezner served as Student Government vice president his junior year, working alongside the executive cabinet to articulate perspectives on campus culture at Notre Dame. As a senior, he served as a peer leader and co-instructor in the Moreau Program, and worked as a senior fellow in the Gender Relations Center to develop and host programs promoting a culture of healthy masculinity.

Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., Leadership Award

The Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., Leadership Award went to Gabriella Searl, a theology major from Wichita, Kansas. This award represents the highest faith-related honor the University bestows on its students, and is given to a student who has made a significant effort to advance Notre Dame’s Catholic character.

In her time at Notre Dame, Searl has helped students grow in their faith by organizing and hosting a weekly rosary in her residence hall room and providing a source of faith-based community in Howard Hall. Beginning her sophomore year, Gabriella worked as a videographer for the Notre Dame football team, and as a senior, she continued serving Howard Hall as a resident assistant.

Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Award

The Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Award, which honors a graduating senior whose leadership has led to a more welcoming and inclusive environment within or beyond the University community, was given to Frances Ubogu, a biological sciences major from Lagos, Nigeria.

Ubogu's involvement included serving as president of Shades of Ebony and the performance club Dance Africa, chairing a committee on the Diversity Council and working as a senior fellow in Multicultural Student Programs and Services. Ubogu also worked as a research assistant in the Schafer Lab for Biological Sciences where she assisted with cancer research and as a volunteer at local health centers.

John W. Gardner Student Leadership Award

The John W. Gardner Student Leadership Award was presented to Melody Padilla of Modesto, California, for exemplifying the ideals of Notre Dame through outstanding service beyond the University community

A theology and Latino studies major with a minor in business economics, Padilla shared her commitment to the Catholic faith and social justice issues through a variety of on- and off-campus roles. In her time at Notre Dame, Padilla served as a volunteer at La Casa De Amistad, vice president of outreach for UndocuAlly ND, an Anchor Intern in Campus Ministry, a Mercy Works leader and as a student researcher for both the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good and the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights.

Ray Siegfried Award for Leadership Excellence

Allison O’Connor, an accounting major in the Business Honors Program from Batavia, Illinois, received the Ray Siegfried Award for Leadership Excellence. The recognition honors a senior at Notre Dame who exemplifies the qualities for which Siegfried was known, including leadership, generosity, devotion to the Catholic faith and an affinity for athletics. At Notre Dame, O'Connor was a leader in Student Government and served as chief-of-staff during the 2024-25 academic year. O’Connor was also a varsity athlete on the women’s rowing team.

Mike Russo Spirit Award

The Mike Russo Spirit Award, which honors an undergraduate who is distinguished in extracurricular activities, service and personal character, was presented to James (Jimmy) Grammig, a management consulting major from Tampa, Florida, whose cheerful and selfless attitude were noted at the awards ceremony for positively impacting everyone he encounters in the Notre Dame community. Grammig, a Crowley Family Scholar and resident assistant in O’Neill Family Hall, was recognized for his consistent thoughtfulness toward others and his ability to create a sense of belonging among everyone he meets.

Denny Moore Award for Excellence in Journalism

Finally, the Denny Moore Award for Excellence in Journalism, which honors a senior who exemplifies the qualities for which Moore, the University’s late associate vice president for public affairs, was known — including personal integrity and character, commitment to Notre Dame and writing ability — went to Sam Coffman, an American studies major with a minor in journalism, ethics, and democracy.

A Lily Scholar from Muncie, Indiana, Coffman, served as an active leader in Notre Dame Student Media, serving as a columnist, reporter and moderator for political debates. He also worked as a writer and intern at Notre Dame Magazine and held public affairs internships in the office of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and through a firm in Washington, D.C.

ND Expert John Cavadini: Pope Francis called for a “revolution of tenderness”

2025-04-21T13:36:00-04:00

John Cavadini, professor of theology and the McGrath-Cavadini Director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, studies the history of Christianity as well as Christianity and Judaism in antiquity. He discusses how Pope Francis was a leader who called for a "revolution of tenderness.”

“He left us so many memorable images to help us understand what he meant: images of him breaking protocol at a general audience to reach out to the severely disabled, who could never have even thought of approaching him; images of him hugging a Down's Syndrome child; images of him consoling the disaster-stricken on site, the refugee and the homeless. Images, too, of him visiting prisoners and of him touching people whom many consider untouchable, at least by a Pope; images of him feeding a hungry man; and so many more. These images served as a kind of continuous formation in the revolution of tenderness.

“Pope Francis even created "missionaries of mercy" intended to be apostles of tenderness, sent out to evangelize with the healing message of the tenderness of God's own heart and of the soulfulness of God. The images of devotion that Pope Francis painted included those that could be found vividly illustrated in his writing. For example, in his contemplation of the mystery of Mary, Mother of the Church, her maternal tenderness towards the scorned of history and the suffering of the world stood out. And his fervent devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus flowed into and enlivened his beautiful encyclical Dilexit nos, exhorting us all to allow the utter tenderness of that Heart to form our own hearts. Francis thought of such devotions as part of our regimen of formation in God's own tenderness, and not as exercises in an individualistic piety.

“There were also images of his own devotion, for example, in random visits to the Blessed Sacrament, dressed up or not. Especially in the more informal images, we saw a devotion that came from the heart and did not stand on formality, though he did not, of dismiss formality as irrelevant. People are not always formal, and it's important to be with them anyway. Pope Francis wanted to exemplify the ideal in the Vatican II document on the priesthood, *Presbyterorum Ordinis*, namely that the priest is ‘set apart’ by his ordination, but set apart ‘for’ the People of God, not ‘for’ himself, not to be aloof, not to be distant. But ‘set apart for,’ set apart to accompany, in tenderness, in mercy, in compassion, all of those trying to make their way in this troubled world.

“Above anything else, I would say that Pope Francis's pontificate emphasized the personal, he would say the ‘real,’ because ultimately it is the personal, not the abstract; the person, not the aggregate; the vulnerable, not the self-styled self-sufficient; that will constitute the Kingdom of Heaven. To which, as Pope, he felt called to be the first and most public witness.

“May he rest in peace.”

Notre Dame faculty experts reflect on life and legacy of Pope Francis

2025-04-21T07:16:00-04:00

On April 21, Pope Francis died at the age of 88. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 in Argentina, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1958, was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. In 2001, Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis was elected as his successor on March 13, 2013.

As the University of Notre Dame joins the Church and the world in mourning Pope Francis’ death, the University’s faculty experts reflect on his papacy, life and legacy.

“Pope Francis was the first pope from the Global South, now Catholicism’s demographic center, and that has been hugely meaningful,” said John McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost and Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History. “This is reflected in his focus on the poor — a core theme of Latin American theology since the 1970s — and on migrants and the environment. It is also reflected in his commitment to ‘inculturation’ of the liturgy and Catholic life into local, often Indigenous cultures.”

According to McGreevy, Pope Francis also did more than any predecessor to “diminish the monarchical dimensions of the papacy.”

“His informal personal style, the willingness to carry his own luggage and live in Santa Marta, all reflected a caution about the idea of the pope as a prince of sorts,” McGreevy said. “He is continuing the legacy of John Paul II and Benedict XVI here, but in a much more pronounced way.”

In contemplating Pope Francis’ legacy, Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., vice president and associate provost, turned to the pope’s own words: “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s Mercy,” wrote Pope Francis in Misericordiae Vultus. “These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith.”

“Pope Francis has reminded us throughout his life and through his words, gestures and actions that the Gospel message is fundamentally about God’s mercy,” Father Groody said. “For this reason, he chose as his motto ‘Miserando atque eligendo,’ which means, ‘The Lord looked on him with merciful love and called him.’ While alluding to Matthew’s call, he makes these words his own when he becomes a priest. This vision has always been at the core of his pastoral work, and it took on a global significance when he was elected pope.”

Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato si’: On Care for Our Common Home, was also “one of the most profound and enduring” gifts he gave to the Church and the world, said R. Scott Appleby, the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Global Affairs at Notre Dame’s Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs.

“The letter’s exhortation to transform our relationship to nature and to one another by ‘heeding the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ is a clarion call to end wasteful habits and selfish practices that exploit our planet’s resources and leave the poor to pick up the tab,” Appleby said.

Appleby said the pope’s words inspire Notre Dame’s work in poverty, peace, sustainability and environmental justice — all of which are key elements of the Keough 91��Ƶ’s strategic focus. Those important pillars, as well as the University’s new initiative on a just transformation to a sustainable environment, are “directly inspired by Laudato si’ and by the teaching and example of Pope Francis,” he said.

Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a professor of American studies and history, concurred, saying, “For evidence of the impact Pope Francis has had on the global Church, we have to look no further than our own University.

“The late pope’s priorities have shaped Notre Dame’s strategic initiatives in profound ways,” she added. “Through its commitments to alleviating poverty and fostering health and well-being, Notre Dame has joined Pope Francis as a champion of human flourishing, especially within vulnerable populations. It would be impossible to conceptualize research on global Catholicism without reference to the first pope from the Americas, and what his life and legacy teach us about the church in the Global South.”

The bells in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart tolled to mourn the death of the Holy Father at 9 a.m. EDT today (Apr. 21). The doors have been draped in black bunting, and a photo of Pope Francis has been placed in the sanctuary.

Additional comments by Notre Dame faculty and a statement from University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., are available.

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

ND Expert Carter Snead: Pope Francis has never wavered in his defense of every human being from conception to natural death

2025-04-21T07:02:14-04:00

Carter Snead meets Pope Francis at the Vatican.

The Charles E. Rice Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ, O. Carter Snead is an internationally recognized expert in the field of law and bioethics and the author of “What It Means to be Human: The Case for the Body in Public Bioethics.” Snead has worked on these issues for more than two decades, including for President George W. Bush’s Council on Bioethics. Since 2016, he has served as a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life — the principal advisory body for bioethics — and for 12 years served as the director of Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture.

Snead has had more than 10 private meetings with Pope Francis and considers the pontiff an inspiration in his scholarship, teaching and public engagement. Most recently, Snead shared with him a copy of the Spanish translation of his book.

The de Nicola Center also has greatly benefited from an ongoing relationship with the pope.

“During my service as director of the center, the Holy Father sent notes of support and congratulations both for our 2014 Fall Conference and for the 2017 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal award,” Snead said. “For the past decade, every year an undergraduate Sorin Fellow of the center has served as an intern at the Pontifical Academy for Life and has had the opportunity to meet the Holy Father in private audience. In 2018, de Nicola Center Sorin Fellows were able to attend the Synod on Young People, which included an audience with Pope Francis. And in 2016 during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, the de Nicola Center hosted a conference at the Vatican entitled ‘Disability and the Face of Mercy,’ co-sponsored with the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization and held at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This event included a private audience with the Holy Father.”

In Snead’s field of public bioethics — the governance of science, medicine and biotechnology in the name of ethical goods — Pope Francis has been an unswerving and powerful voice for the weakest and most vulnerable, he said.

“He has been a prophetic voice against dehumanizing biotechnologies, reminding us that such innovations must be harnessed only to serve the health, wholeness and flourishing of the human family,” Snead said. “He has never wavered in his defense of every human being from conception to natural death and has spoken out consistently and resolutely against the injustice of life-destroying practices such as abortion, embryo research, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

“At the same time, he has expressed unconditional love, support and mercy for mothers and families facing difficult and desperate circumstances, bearing witness to the core principle at the heart of a culture of life, namely, that everyone counts, everyone matters, everyone possesses inalienable dignity and infinite worth, no matter how small, weak, dependent, poor or despised.”

Snead said the pope’s warnings about the “throwaway culture” apply with equal force to the domain of public bioethics and said Pope Francis has consistently and coherently shown how an abiding concern for the poor, for people at the peripheries and even for the environment itself naturally and necessarily includes care for those at the margins of life, including the unborn, people with disabilities and the dying.

“We cannot pick and choose among these goods but are bound to pursue them all and leave no one behind,” Snead said. “This coherent and integrated vision of self-emptying love and care for all has been a gift to the Church and much-needed lesson to all of us in these times of polarization.”

Contact: O. Carter Snead, osnead@nd.edu

ND Expert David Lantigua: The Pope of many firsts

2025-04-21T06:47:00-04:00

David Lantigua, associate professor of theology and the William W. and Anna Jean Cushwa Co-Director of Cushwa Center for the Study of America Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame, researches Catholicism's role in the Americas, social justice and human rights issues. Lantigua shares his thoughts on how Pope Francis led the papacy with humility and determination:

"Francis is the pope of many firsts: he is the first Jesuit pope, the first South American pope, and the first pope to write a social encyclical on the environment. He is also the first pope of the twenty-first century who did not attend and participate in the momentous global meeting of over 2,000 bishops known as the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). With nearly sixty percent of those bishops at Vatican II coming from outside Europe, and nearly half of those outside Europe from Latin America, the papacy of Francis appears to be a sign of the times for a religion that comprises one-fifth of the world’s population, most of which resides outside of Western Europe and in the global South.

"Like Pope Benedict XVI before him, Francis has interpreted Vatican II as a much-needed reform of the modern Catholic Church to authentically proclaim the gospel to a world starving for hope after the tremendous loss of moral credibility due to the clergy sex abuse scandal. To pursue this Herculean task of rebuilding the Church in the third millennium, Francis has followed in the radical footsteps of his medieval namesake from 12th-century Assisi. He has vividly embraced the poor and the planet, and advocated for peace and nonviolence without ignoring conflict and a convergent polycrisis—ecological, political, economic and epidemiological. His resolute, sometimes stinging, stances on specific pastoral and moral issues have generated outspoken critics and declared enemies both inside and outside the Church.

"True reform, according to Pope Francis, is an antidote to clericalism, which he has consistently identified as the greatest internal threat to a self-enclosed Church departing from the mission of love and mercy. Reform neither ditches tradition nor conforms to the Zeitgeist of Western cultural progress. Rather, it relies on the apostolic tradition and the sense of the faithful as authentic sources for renewing ecclesial faith on the journey through history. Respectively, evangelical poverty and popular piety, a mainstay of Francis’s papal writings from Evangelii gaudium (2013) to Dilexit nos (2024), open the life of God’s Spirit for the authentic reform of the Church. Francis has challenged the whole Church, beginning with bishops and priests, to imitate Jesus Christ and be among the people they serve, especially in the trenches and margins. His preamble to the 2022 constitution reforming the Roman Curia (Praedicate Evangelium), a centuries-old governing body often depicted with the sterile bureaucratic secrecy of the recent Conclave film, identifies the role of the Church as bearing “witness to the mercy that she herself has graciously received.”

"When asked who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio in an interview after becoming pope in 2013, Francis began by saying in humility, “I am a sinner.” The experience of receiving God’s mercy of forgiveness as a sinner or God’s healing touch as a neighbor in need are catalysts for Christian discipleship, biblically portrayed in Francis’s favorite gospel stories like the conversion of St. Matthew the tax collector or the parable of the compassionate Samaritan. The act of divine mercy toward human frailty, miserando (mercy or “mercy-ing”), belongs at the center of the Church’s ministry and Francis has made it the motto of both his episcopal and papal coat of arms during the last three decades.

"Pope Francis has taught us that "mercy-ing" is not just an individual action but a great social virtue that takes political form through a solidarity desperately needed in today’s polarization, social isolation, cancel culture and bullyism. He teaches and lives out his deep conviction that mercy is not about paternalism over the needy, but about humble solidarity shared among friends, sometimes even enemies, as Christ taught his disciples. Media images throughout Francis’s papacy show him touching and kissing the severely handicapped, the disfigured, the imprisoned, beginning with stateless migrants in Lampedusa in his first visit as pope outside of Rome. From choosing not to wear a jeweled pectoral cross and requesting a simple wooden casket for burial, Francis has symbolized his accompaniment of simple and poor peoples from the world’s peripheries by making their wisdom and faith in the living God an essential part of proclaiming the gospel today."

ND Expert Arun Agrawal: The Holy Father’s vision in Laudato Si’ is both a beacon and a caution

2025-04-21T06:45:00-04:00

Arun Agrawal, the Pulte Family Professor of Development Policy at the Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs and inaugural director of the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative, focuses his research on environmental politics, sustainable development, community-based conservation and transformative change. Agrawal considers the Holy Father’s vision as described in his encyclical Laudato Si’ as being both a source of direction and inspiration for how we can work together to make lasting, meaningful change in our world, and a warning for what could happen if we don’t.

“The Holy Father gave all humanity — indeed, all of the planet — a way to create a better world, helping us advance a vision of connectedness and community as being essential ingredients for discovering meaning and purpose,” Agrawal said.

But, added Agrawal, Pope Francis’ “vision about the inherent dignity of each and all humans is simultaneously a beacon for those who care for a just and sustainable future and a caution for those who see the world transactionally.”

Agrawal believes that the best available science and our innermost convictions tell us that transformative change for sustainability requires adjustments in thought, structure and action, but that these all must remain consistent with the guidance from Pope Francis.

“The Sustainability Initiative at Notre Dame, as imagined and elaborated by the University’s leadership, is deeply aligned with and inspired by Laudato Si’ and its vision of integral ecology,” Agrawal said.

Going forward, the initiative will seek to transform how students and faculty at Notre Dame engage with sustainability research and practice, as well as alter the field of sustainability itself through high-impact research and knowledge creation, curricular innovations and global engagement.

ND Expert Scott Appleby: Pope’s letter speaks loud and clear to protect valuable resources, end poverty

2025-04-21T06:43:00-04:00

As the Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Global Affairs at Notre Dame’s Keough 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs, Scott Appleby focuses on global religion — in particular, its relationship to peace and conflict and integral human development. He said Pope Francis’ monumental 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home is one of the “most profound and enduring” of all the wonderful gifts he gave to the Church and to the world.

Appleby said the pope’s words inspire Notre Dame’s work in poverty, peace, sustainability and environmental justice — all of which are key elements of the Keough 91��Ƶ’s strategic focus.

Those important pillars, as well as the University’s new initiative on a just transformation to a sustainable environment, are “directly inspired by Laudato si’ and by the teaching and example of Pope Francis,” he said.

ND Expert Khaled Anatolios: Pope Francis’ most constructive and enduring legacy will be his efforts to articulate a hermeneutics of mercy

2025-04-21T06:42:00-04:00

Khaled Anatolios, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology and chair of the department, researches the history of Christianity. A particular focus of his work is the engagement between early Christian theological reflection and contemporary theological concerns.

In Catholic ecclesiology, Anatolios noted, the most fundamental task of the pope is to manifest and nurture the unity of the Church.

“From one point of view, one can say that Pope Francis did not attain much success in that regard, putting aside the question of whether that lack of success was due to a fault on his part or the intransigence of some,” he said. “Indeed, while some Catholics have been alarmed at what they perceive to be his wavering on some matters of doctrine, others have also been frustrated at his seeming to fall short of advancing genuine doctrinal change.”

In the longer view, however, Anatolios said, “Pope Francis’ most constructive and enduring legacy will be his efforts to articulate a hermeneutics of mercy that affirms fundamental Church teaching in principle while also striving to interpret and apply this doctrine with pastoral compassion.

“Francis was surely right in believing that such a hermeneutic of mercy is indispensable to the integrity and credibility of the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel,” he said. “Even those who would fault him for what they consider to be misapplications of this hermeneutic should give him credit for his passionate articulation of it.”

ND Expert Kathleen Sprows Cummings: Pope Francis ‘changed the modern Catholic landscape in ways that will endure long after his death’

2025-04-21T06:42:00-04:00

Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a professor of American studies and history, focuses her research on Catholicism in the United States, as well as the history of women and American religion. Her latest book is “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American.”

Cummings noted that in March 2013, while addressing his brother Cardinals in the days before the papal conclave, Jorge Bergoglio reimagined the passage from the Book of Revelation that references Jesus saying, “I stand at the door and knock.”

“‘What if,’ Bergoglio posited, ‘Jesus is asking not to be let in, but is instead knocking from inside the Church, urging that he be let out?’ Many, including Bergoglio himself, believe it was this speech that led to his elevation to the papacy a few days later,” Cummings said.

“Certainly this evocative metaphor offers one way to understand how Pope Francis led the Church over the last dozen years. Through his insistence on mercy, his global vision and his renewed commitment to evangelization, the first pontiff from the Americas undoubtedly created a more outward-oriented Catholic Church.

“This endeared him to many and alienated some, but above all, changed the modern Catholic landscape in ways that will endure long after his death.”

ND Expert Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C.: Pope Francis ‘constantly reminded us that God’s love is boundless and knows no limits’

2025-04-21T06:41:00-04:00

Rev. Daniel Groody, C.S.C., vice president, associate provost and a professor of theology and global affairs, is an expert on Catholic social teaching and migration. His most recent book, “A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ,” features a foreword by Pope Francis.

In reflecting on Pope Francis’ legacy, Father Groody turned to the pope’s own words: “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s Mercy,” wrote Pope Francis in Misericordiae Vultus. “These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith.”

Father Groody stated that as Pope Francis internalized this mercy, it also shaped his social vision.

“He knew this mercy is an unmerited gift, but it also requires a response from us — one that calls us to live in God’s image and likeness as agents of the resurrection in the renewal of all of creation,” Father Groody said. “He knows that his life of faith is not only about his personal relationship with Jesus, but also his social connection to everyone he meets, beginning with the most vulnerable. This vision has led him to care for people experiencing poverty, migrants, refugees and the Earth.”

Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has shown how God cares about everyone, “especially those discarded and ignored by society,” Father Groody continued, noting that Pope Francis spoke frequently about the “globalization of indifference” and the call to solidarity with the poor and marginalized.

“He put great emphasis on remembering those cut off from the body of society,” Father Groody said. “Whether it be washing the feet of prisoners, migrants and non-Christians during the Holy Thursday exercises or stopping his papal motorcade to embrace the most disfigured and disenfranchised of the human family, he constantly reminded us that God’s love is boundless and knows no limits.”

Amid a world that increasingly demeans and dehumanizes migrants, Father Groody said, Pope Francis has repeatedly highlighted the dignity of the human person and our interconnection as a human family. He challenged us to see that migration is not the main problem but a symptom of a more profound global and systemic imbalance that displaces people and pushes them to seek more dignified lives.

According to Father Groody, Pope Francis’ first trip to Lampedusa was one of his most defining trips. After hearing of the plight of 360 refugees who died at sea in October 2013, Pope Francis visited the Italian island to call attention to the plight of migrants.

“While the world frequently ignores them and regards them as ‘nobodies,’ Pope Francis called us to see they are not only ‘somebody’ but connected to everybody and even the body of Christ,” Father Groody said.

In Pope Francis’ encyclical on fraternity and social friendship, Fratelli Tutti, the pope offered “a vision of building a more just, humane and peaceful world that unites everyone regardless of nationality, culture or religion,” Father Groody said. “He promoted a vision of faith that speaks to our common fraternal bonds, irrespective of nationality, culture or religion.”

At its core, Father Groody said, Pope Francis’ vision of faith has been a relational vision, one attuned especially to our integral connection to all creation.

“In Ladauto si’, his encyclical on the environment, he critiqued unbridled consumerism,” Father Groody said. “He illuminated how the care of creation is a moral and spiritual responsibility that calls forth a collective response to our times’ social and environmental crises.”

As the first pope elected from Latin America, his vision has been genuinely Catholic, Father Groody said.

“In his appointments, he sought to promote the universal message of the Gospel by concretizing a global vision for the Church,” Father Groody said. “While he started with the College of Cardinals, primarily comprised of people from Europe, he has appointed 176 cardinals from 76 countries since his election.

“Francis’ relational vision has been a fresh presentation of an age-old calling. It taps into a deep spiritual journey that transforms our hearts, communities and world. Ultimately, he has called us to live in a way that reflects the God of Life and to build a civilization of love.”

ND Expert John McGreevy: Pope Francis, as first pope from Global South, was ‘hugely meaningful’

2025-04-21T06:40:00-04:00

John T. McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost and Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, is an expert on the history of Catholicism. He focuses his research on both American and global religion and politics and has authored four books and numerous articles on religious and political history. His most recent work is “Catholicism: A Global History from the French Revolution to Pope Francis.”

“Pope Francis was the first pope from the Global South, now Catholicism’s demographic center, and that has been hugely meaningful,” McGreevy said. “This is reflected in his focus on the poor — a core theme of Latin American theology since the 1970s — and on migrants and the environment. It is also reflected in his commitment to ‘inculturation’ of the liturgy and Catholic life into local, often Indigenous cultures, as well as his restrictions on the use of the Latin Mass.”

According to McGreevy, Pope Francis also did more than any predecessor to “diminish the monarchical dimensions of the papacy.”

“His informal personal style, the willingness to carry his own luggage and live in Santa Marta, all reflected a caution about the idea of the pope as a prince of sorts,” McGreevy stated. “He is continuing the legacy of John Paul II and Benedict XVI here, but in a much more pronounced way.

“Finally, he began through the process of synodality a new way for Catholics to talk about the issues that divide them or new challenges. The impact of this mechanism is uncertain; but it seems unlikely to be stopped entirely.”

Statement from University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., on the passing of Pope Francis

2025-04-21T06:34:00-04:00

Pope Francis shakes hands with University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. in 2024. (Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)

University of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., joined today with leaders worldwide in mourning the death of Pope Francis at age 88.

“The Notre Dame community joins with the Church and the world in mourning the passing of Pope Francis,” Father Dowd said. “Through his heroic and prophetic ministry, he has inspired and challenged us to respect the God-given dignity of all people and the integrity of creation. The Holy Father’s life and witness call us to awaken from indifference to the suffering of others, to embrace our responsibilities to one another and to be agents of faith, hope and love for a world in need. As Pope Francis often reminded us, no one is far from God’s merciful love, and the Church must be a ‘field hospital’ to warm hearts, heal wounds and open doors.

“When Pope Francis last met with the University’s Board of Trustees in February 2024, he asked Notre Dame to continue educating students through ‘three languages: the head, the heart and the hands. … Together, these provide a horizon within which Catholic academic communities can strive to form strong and well-integrated leaders whose vision of life is animated by the teaching of Christ.’

“We pray in thanksgiving for Pope Francis’ extraordinary leadership and ministry. As we seek to follow his example, we hope Pope Francis will pray for us from Heaven.”

CANCELED: University to host Cardinal Pedro Barreto of Peru and Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana as part of Notre Dame Forum

2025-04-17T15:30:00-04:00

Leer en español

DUE TO THE PASSING OF POPE FRANCIS, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

As part of the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum, Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, S.J., of Peru and Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana will visit the University of Notre Dame to participate in a conversation with President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., at 11:30 a.m. April 25 in the Smith Ballroom of the Morris Inn. The conversation is open to the public and will also be livestreamed for both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking audiences.

Titled “10 Years After Laudato si’: Faith, Anthropocene, and Justice in the Global South,” the event will reflect on Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on care for our common home in the context of this year’s Notre Dame Forum theme, “What do we owe each other?” In recent years, during speeches and in Laudate Deum, a 2023 addendum to Laudato si’, Pope Francis has discussed a growing concern about the increasing impact of human activities on God’s creation and the climate, signs of what some earth system scientists have described as a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene.

Cardinal Barreto and Cardinal Turkson will discuss the outsized impact of climate change on communities in the Global South, how those communities are developing strategies for resilience and how the Anthropocene epoch affects the way we think about justice, the planet and the Church.

Cardinal Barreto, the archbishop emeritus of Huancayo, Peru, currently serves as president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon, a new international body linked to the Holy See. In this role, he promotes the recognition and appreciation of the charisms of all members of the people of God with an Amazonian identity, fostering a more participatory and synodal Church. He was named a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2018, after serving as archbishop of Huancayo since 2004. A Jesuit priest since his ordination in 1971, Cardinal Barreto has dedicated his life to pastoral care, promotion of integral ecology and protection of Indigenous communities.

Cardinal Turkson has served as the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences since 2022. He was ordained a priest in 1975 and consecrated as archbishop of Cape Coast in 1992 by Pope John Paul II, who also made him the first cardinal archbishop of Ghana in 2003. The Holy Father has appointed him to numerous roles, including president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 2009 to 2017 and prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development from 2017 to 2021. Cardinal Turkson, a champion of human rights and sustainable human development, has served as a religious peacebuilder in numerous politically volatile situations on the African continent.

The event will also serve as the culmination of a conference titled “Anthropocene ND conference,” organized by Julia Adeney Thomas, a professor of history, and Brad Gregory, the Henkels Family College Professor of History.

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

CANCELADO: La Universidad recibirá al cardenal Pedro Barreto de Perú y al cardenal Peter Turkson de Ghana en el marco del Foro de Notre Dame

2025-04-17T15:30:00-04:00

Read in English

ESTE EVENTO HA SIDO CANCELADO DEBIDO AL FALLECIMIENTO DE SU SANTIDAD EL PAPA FRANCISCO.

Como parte del Foro de Notre Dame 2024-25, el cardenal Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno, SJ, del Perú y el cardenal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, de Ghana, visitarán la Universidad de Notre Dame para participar en una conversación con el rector, Reverendo Robert A. Dowd, CSC, el 25 de abril a las 11:30 am, en el salón Smith Ballroom del Morris Inn. La conversación está abierta al público y también se transmitirá en vivo para el público tanto hispanohablante como anglófono.

Titulado “10 años después del Laudato si': Fe, antropoceno y justicia en el Sur Global”, el evento reflexionará sobre la encíclica de 2015 del Papa Francisco sobre el cuidado de nuestro hogar común en el contexto del tema del Foro de Notre Dame de este año, “¿Qué nos debemos unos a otros?”. En los últimos años, durante sus discursos y en el Laudate Deum, una adenda de 2023 al Laudato si', el Papa Francisco ha abordado una creciente preocupación por el impacto cada vez mayor de las actividades humanas en la creación de Dios y el clima, signos de lo que algunos científicos del sistema terrestre han descrito como una nueva era geológica: el Antropoceno.

El Cardenal Barreto y el Cardenal Turkson discutirán el impacto descomunal del cambio climático en las comunidades del Sur Global, la manera en que esas comunidades están desarrollando estrategias de resiliencia y cómo la era del Antropoceno afecta la forma en que pensamos sobre la justicia, el planeta y la Iglesia.

El cardenal Barreto, arzobispo emérito de Huancayo, Perú, se desempeña actualmente como presidente de la Conferencia Eclesial de la Amazonía, un nuevo organismo internacional vinculado a la Santa Sede. En esta función, promueve el reconocimiento y apreciación de los caracteres de todos los miembros del pueblo de Dios con identidad amazónica, fomentando una Iglesia más participativa y sinodal. Fue nombrado cardenal por el Papa Francisco en 2018, luego de servir como arzobispo de Huancayo desde 2004. Sacerdote jesuita desde su ordenación en 1971, el cardenal Barreto ha dedicado su vida al cuidado pastoral, a la promoción de la ecología integral y a la protección de las comunidades indígenas.

El cardenal Turkson se desempeña como canciller de la Academia Pontificia de Ciencias y de la Academia Pontificia de Ciencias Sociales desde 2022. Fue ordenado sacerdote en 1975 y consagrado arzobispo de Cape Coast en 1992 por el Papa Juan Pablo II, quien también lo convirtió en el primer cardenal arzobispo de Ghana en 2003. El Santo Padre lo ha nombrado para numerosos cargos, entre ellos, presidente del Pontificio Consejo para la Justicia y la Paz de 2009 a 2017 y prefecto del Dicasterio para el Servicio del Desarrollo Humano Integral de 2017 a 2021. El cardenal Turkson, defensor de los derechos humanos y del desarrollo humano sostenible, ha actuado como constructor de paz religioso en numerosas situaciones políticamente volátiles en el continente africano.

El evento también servirá como culminación de una conferencia titulada “Conferencia de ND sobre el Antropoceno”, organizada por Julia Adeney Thomas, profesora de historia, y Brad Gregory, profesor de historia del Henkels Family College.

Contacto de prensa: Carrie Gates, Directora Asociada de Relaciones con los Medios, C.Gates@nd.edu, +1-574-993-9220

Statement on the sale of alcoholic beverages at Notre Dame basketball, football and hockey games

2025-04-11T12:00:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame released the following statement today regarding the expansion of alcohol sales at certain campus events and venues:

“The sale of alcoholic beverages at Notre Dame football, hockey and basketball games will expand to include both premium and general admission seating beginning with the 2025 football season. Fans will have the opportunity to purchase alcoholic beverages at concession stands inside Notre Dame Stadium, Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center and Compton Family Ice Arena. This expansion will provide for a modern fan experience, consistent with other professional and collegiate stadiums and venues throughout the nation. Notre Dame is committed to promoting responsible consumption and ensuring a safe and enjoyable environment for all attendees.”

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

Notre Dame to confer seven honorary degrees at Commencement

2025-04-10T10:00:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame will confer honorary degrees on six distinguished leaders in science, business, literature, media and the Catholic Church at its 180th University Commencement Ceremony on May 18. A seventh honorary degree will be bestowed on Adm. Christopher Grady, the Vice Chairman and Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who will deliver the principal Commencement address.

The honorees are:

Dr. Rafat Ansari

Dr. Rafat Ansari (doctor of science)

Dr. Rafat Ansari, a South Bend oncologist and hematologist, has been an extraordinary community leader for more than four decades. Ansari, who grew up in Pakistan, attended medical school at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences before coming to the U.S. to complete his medical residency. In 1984, Ansari helped found the Hoosier Cancer Research Network, a research nonprofit that streamlines the clinical trials process for cancer patients. Inspired by their daughter, Ansari and his wife, Dr. Zoreen Ansari, funded the launch of the Sonya Ansari Center for Autism in 2008, which supports the flourishing of those with autism and their families through a wide range of services. Ansari was also instrumental in the creation of the center at Notre Dame that bears his family’s name, the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion, dedicated to studying, learning from and collaborating with religious communities worldwide. In recognition of his many contributions to the community, he was inducted in the South Bend Community Hall of Fame.

Stephen Brogan

Stephen Brogan (doctor of laws)

Stephen Brogan is the former managing partner of Jones Day, an international law firm with a broad and extensive law practice in complex litigation, including securities, banking, contests for corporate control, corporate criminal investigations and product liability matters. During his tenure as managing partner, Brogan was instrumental in expanding the firm’s commitment to pro bono work. Prior to becoming partner-in-charge of Jones Day’s Washington, D.C., office, he served as deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice for two years. He returned to the firm and was named managing partner in 2002. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ. Brogan has served as a member of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees since 2007, and was a member of the University’s Board of Fellows, its highest governing body, from 2020 to 2024.

David Brooks

David Brooks (doctor of laws)

Renowned author and political and cultural commentator David Brooks was born in Toronto and raised in New York City. Brooks began his career as a police reporter in Chicago and, in 1986, joined The Wall Street Journal, rising to become an editor of the paper’s opinion page. He joined The New York Times as an op-ed columnist in 2003, where he has written about politics, culture and the social sciences and has been a prominent voice advocating for democracy, civility and strategies for helping all people to be deeply seen and known. He has been a frequent commentator on “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” (later called “PBS News Hour”) and has written six nonfiction books. In 2010, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and serves as senior adviser at the Leadership and Society Initiative at the University of Chicago, where he was previously a member of the school’s board of trustees. When he was a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson 91��Ƶ of Global Affairs, he taught courses in philosophical humility. Brooks graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in history.

Teresa Lambe

Teresa Lambe (doctor of science)

Teresa Lambe played a critical role in the fight against COVID-19 as a principal investigator in the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine program. She codesigned the vaccine, led preclinical studies and spearheaded the research required for regulatory approval. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is estimated to have saved more than 6 million lives in 2021 alone. Lambe, the Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology at the University of Oxford, currently focuses her research on developing and testing vaccines against a number of outbreak pathogens, including Ebola virus, Marburg virus disease and coronaviruses. A passionate advocate for women in STEM fields, Lambe has sought to support future leaders through the Teresa Lambe Bursary Fund established in her hometown of Kilcullen, Ireland. Her scientific excellence has been recognized with numerous honors, including an honorary appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her service to sciences and public health in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honors and the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad in 2022. In 2024, she was named a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Lambe completed a joint honors bachelor’s degree in pharmacology and genetics and a doctoral degree at University College Dublin.

Alice McDermott

Alice McDermott (doctor of letters)

Alice McDermott, born in Brooklyn, New York, to first-generation Irish American parents, is the author of nine critically acclaimed and New York Times-bestselling novels and a collection of essays. She received the National Book Award for her 1998 novel “Charming Billy” and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize three times, for her books “That Night,” “At Weddings and Wakes” and “After This.” In 2013, she was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, and in 2024, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Among numerous prizes, McDermott is the recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award, the Seamus Heaney Award for Arts and Letters and the Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award from Irish American Writers & Artists Inc. Her latest novel, “Absolution,” received the 2024 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. She served for many years as the Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University before stepping down in 2019. McDermott received her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego and a master’s of arts from the University of New Hampshire.

Sr. Raffaella Petrini

Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E. (doctor of laws)

Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, holds the highest leadership position within the administrative structure of the Vatican as the president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State. In this capacity, Sister Petrini oversees the governance of Vatican City and manages its daily operations and policies in accordance with the Holy Father’s directives, including security, infrastructure and cultural heritage. Appointed by Pope Francis, she is the first woman to serve in this role. Her life as a Catholic religious sister has been filled with many other “firsts,” including being one of three women Pope Francis appointed to the Dicastery for Bishops. Having earned her undergraduate degree in political science from Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali in Rome, she holds a master’s degree in organizational behavior from the University of Hartford and a doctorate from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, where she later taught courses in welfare economics and the sociology of economic processes.

The Shirt 2025 to be unveiled April 11 at Notre Dame

2025-04-09T11:00:00-04:00

The Shirt Project will unveil The Shirt 2025 at 4:30 p.m. Friday (April 11) on the library lawn at the University of Notre Dame. In the event of rain, the event will take place at 5 p.m. at Hagerty café, on the ground floor of Duncan Student Center.

This year’s celebration will include performances from various student groups, including the marching band, glee club, cheerleading team and dance groups, among others.

Immediately afterward, The Shirt 2025 will be available for purchase on the library lawn, at Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore locations (campus and Eddy Street Commons) and online.

For those unable to attend the celebration inperson, it will be livestreamed on The Shirt Project’s YouTube Channel. News and updates will also be posted to The Shirt Project’s Instagram account.

Proceeds from all sales of The Shirt go directly to The Shirt Charity Fund, which assists students with unexpected medical expenses; student clubs and organizations; and the Office of Student Enrichment, which offers programming and resources to students with limited incomes, aiding them in having a successful Notre Dame student experience.

More than 3.5 million shirts have been sold since the project’s inception 36 years ago, making it the largest student-run fundraiser at Notre Dame.

For more information, visit theshirt.nd.edu.

Notre Dame researchers develop new, ultra-power-efficient 5G antenna

2025-04-09T10:58:00-04:00

Globally, two billion people use fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks. These users have gained more rapid upload and download speeds, lower latency, and greater reliability on their mobile devices. But the rollout of 5G technology has also come with a steep energy cost. 5G networks require more energy than previous generations, with each base station consuming as much energy as 73 U.S. households.

Each antenna utilizes a 3D-printed dielectric material with a repeating pattern of gyroid cells. Photo by Angelic Rose Hubert.

Now, with funding from the U.S. Army, researchers at the University of Notre Dame are launching an effort that could help reverse this trend. The team will apply prior research conducted at the University on the physics of low-power antennas. Working with a set of industry partners, they aim to produce an antenna that delivers 5G-level performance while using less than ten percent of the energy.

The team is led by Jonathan Chisum, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and an affiliate of Notre Dame's Wireless Institute. Chisum says the key to the new antenna is a kind of artificial dielectric material designed and built in his lab.

“Right now, a large portion of the cost to operate a cellular network is for electricity. If you look at a cell tower, you can see why: It uses a different antenna for each band, and these rely on active, powered chips,” Chisum said. “Our initial idea was simple: What if we could design similar capabilities into just one very wideband antenna by letting the physics of materials do the work normally done by many power-hungry chips.”

Benjamin Davis holds an antenna prototype constructed layer-by-layer through a detailed, 100-hour process. Photo by Angelic Rose Hubert.

The new low-power antenna is a type of millimeter-wave gradient index (GRIN) lens antenna. Although GRIN lenses have existed for over a century, the idea of developing a GRIN lens antenna for 5G networks once seemed far-fetched to most researchers in the field of wireless technology. However, over the past eight years, Chisum and his lab have made groundbreaking discoveries in the fundamental science of wideband beam steering. These findings have allowed Chisum and his team to create one antenna that can operate over all the frequency bands for 5G, a feat once thought to be impossible.

The antenna’s wideband, low-power capabilities make it especially useful to the U.S. Army. The Army was involved in the development of 5G technology and relies on it not just for secure communications but also for tracking equipment and monitoring the health of soldiers. However, current 5G technologies are difficult and costly to set up, transport, and operate in the field.

“The Army has to operate 5G networks all over the world,” Chisum explained, “and 5G networks operate at different frequencies across the globe. Thus, a wideband solution like ours is an essential capability. And since it consumes very little power and is relatively small and lightweight, it can be integrated into a mobile platform.”

Once it is implemented, the technology will provide a “5G-on-the-move” solution with improved efficiency, safety, and versatility.

Chisum also emphasized that developing this new technology is the first step in integrating it into mobile networks for civilian use.

“The deployment of 5G millimeter-wave base stations in current 5G networks has stalled because operators cannot afford the cost of the current multi-antenna solutions. However, wideband 5G antennas based on GRIN lenses open up new possibilities for lowering cost and efficiency in commercial wireless networks,” Chisum said.

So far, Chisum and his team have a working prototype of their design produced in the lab one thin layer at a time through a detailed 100-hour process. The team is developing an efficient and cost-effective way to manufacture the device using cutting-edge 3D printing technology. It will also allow Chisum’s team to demonstrate the technology in the field, paving the way for inclusion in a 5G network.

Researchers in Chisum's lab create and refine digital models of the lens antenna using computer-aided design software. The image on the left shows an individual gyroid unit cell from the lens antenna design. The image on the right shows a 3x3 cube of gyroid cells. Image courtesy of Microwave & Millimeter-wave Circuits and Systems, Notre Dame College of Engineering.

To transition this technology from the lab into the field, Chisum’s lab has formed a team of industry partners. The team will include multiple leading vendors with expertise in wireless networks, antennas, and additive manufacturing uniquely suited to GRIN media.

"Nicolas Garcia, CEO of Cheshir Industries, said, “The Cheshir Industries team is proud and excited to lead the lens and array design efforts for Notre Dame's 5G-on-the-move antenna development program. This project represents not only an important step in advancing our nation’s wireless capabilities but also a major milestone in the commercialization and development of wideband GRIN antenna systems.” Cheshir Industries was launched with support from Notre Dame’s IDEA Center. It was co-founded by Chisum along with two graduates of Notre Dame’s Electrical Engineering doctoral program: Nicolas Garcia (‘22 Ph.D.) and Nicholas Estes (‘22 Ph.D.)."

Karlo Delos Reyes, Chief Customer Officer and Co-founder at Fortify, said, “As the leader in RF design and manufacturing, we at 3D Fortify are thrilled to collaborate with the University of Notre Dame and our industry partners to deliver cutting-edge technology. This partnership allows us to leverage our advanced capabilities to push the boundaries of what is possible in GRIN lens antenna design. Together, we’re working across the value chain to deliver a transformative solution that will pave the way for future civilian applications."

To learn more about advances in wireless technology at the University of Notre Dame, visit wireless.nd.edu.

Contact: Jessica Sieff, associate director of media relations, 574-631-3933, jsieff@nd.edu