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Notre Dame’s theology department ranked best in the world

2025-04-08T12:44:00-04:00

The University of Notre Dame has been ranked as the world’s best theology, divinity, and religious studies program by the influential QS World University Rankings. This is the fourth time since 2020 the Department of Theology has received the No. 1 distinction.

The ranking is based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. Out of 150 universities, Notre Dame rose to the top with an overall score of 93.4 — ahead of Harvard University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and Duke University.

“The key to our top ranking consistency is the combination of our rootedness in the whole historical breadth of the Christian intellectual tradition and our openness to engagement with contemporary culture and present-day concerns,” said Rev. Khaled Anatolios, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology and chair of the department.

Guided by the ideal of “faith seeking understanding,” 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 through more than 800 students who major or minor in theology and in the courses all Notre Dame students take as part of the University’s Core Curriculum.

“The true sign that we are authentically a great department,” Anatolios said, “is our zeal to become even better."

Originally published by College of Arts and Letters at al.nd.edu on April 08, 2025.

In memoriam: William H. ‘Bill’ Leahy, professor emeritus of economics

2024-08-15T09:29:00-04:00

William H. “Bill” Leahy

William H. “Bill” Leahy, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Notre Dame, died Sunday (Aug. 11). He was 89.

Leahy was an indelible figure at the University of Notre Dame and worked in the Department of Economics for 54 years before his retirement in 2020. Throughout his career, his research focused on labor economics, collective bargaining, arbitration and industrial relations. He also published six books and more than 30 journal articles, and he held departmental leadership positions such as chair and director of undergraduate studies.

Beyond his research, Leahy was known for his ability to connect with students. He was an incredibly popular instructor and taught courses including a social science University Seminar, Labor Law and Employee Relations Law. In 2004, he was recognized with the Sheedy Excellence in Teaching Award, the College of Arts and Letters’ highest teaching honor.

“Bill's love of Notre Dame, and of our students, was unmatched,” said Michael Pries, professor of economics and Arts and Letters associate dean for the social sciences. “It brought him joy to teach and mentor them — his face would light up whenever he spoke of a student, whether it was a current student or someone from decades before.”

Born in Nyack, New York, Leahy came to Notre Dame in 1952 and received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University. His commitment to Notre Dame was everlasting and, at one point, he and his wife Sharon lived on campus in apartments that were once located where the Hesburgh Library now stands.

Leahy joined the economics department as an assistant professor in 1966, was promoted to associate professor in 1969 and professor in 1975. Affectionately known as “coach,” he was also heavily involved in the recruitment and advising of student-athletes and was recognized as an honorary member of the 1966 football team under coach Ara Parseghian.

“Bill's passion was students. He was not just interested in teaching them about economics, but in teaching them about life,” said Eric Sims, the Michael P. Grace II Collegiate Chair, professor and department chair, and 2023 Sheedy Award recipient. “Bill's vocation as a teacher and mentor was a gift to all who encountered him.”

Leahy is survived by his wife, six children and many grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at 9:30 a.m. on Friday (Aug. 16). Leahy requested that everyone wear casual clothing (especially Notre Dame or kelly green apparel).

“Bill’s love for Notre Dame and the economics department was legendary — he was a leader and anchor for decades,” said Mary Flannery, Arts and Letters associate dean for undergraduate studies and a former director of undergraduate studies in economics. “But he most often spoke about his family, both their struggles and accomplishments. They were absolutely his top priority. His devotion to his faith, his family and Notre Dame was an inspiration to us all.”

Originally published by College of Arts and Letters at al.nd.edu on Aug. 14.

Foreign policy beyond 2016

2015-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

Michael Desch, political scientist and director of the Notre Dame International Security Center, will participate in a panel discussion in Chicago.

Read more: https://al.nd.edu/events/2015/12/14/38532-foreign-policy-beyond-2016-2/.

Washington Post writer Wil Haygood, author of 'The Butler,' to speak at Notre Dame

2014-10-15T11:25:00-04:00

Wil Haygood (Courtesy of Julia Ewan)

Washington Post national writer Wil Haygood, whose feature story provided the basis for the movie “The Butler,” will discuss his career as a journalist and author Oct. 28 (Tuesday) at the University of Notre Dame.

The conversation, which is open to the public and free of charge, will begin at 7 p.m. and take place in the auditorium of the Hesburgh Center for International 91��Ƶ on Notre Dame Avenue.

Haygood developed the original article about Eugene Allen, who served on the staff of eight presidents, into a best-selling book, “The Butler: A Witness to History,” which was published in conjunction with the popular 2013 film for which Haygood served as associate producer.

Before joining The Washington Post in 2002, he worked as a national and foreign correspondent at The Boston Globe for 17 years. In 1990, while covering the civil war in Somalia, he was taken hostage by rebels but eventually released. In 2005, he was one of the first journalists to arrive in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, and he reported on the aftermath for 33 consecutive days.

Haygood is the author of six books, including prize-winning biographies of Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Sammy Davis Jr. and Sugar Ray Robinson, as well as a memoir, “The Haygoods of Columbus.”

Among his many awards, Haygood has received an honorary doctorate of letters degree from Miami University (Ohio), his alma mater, and he’s won fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Alicia Patterson Foundation.

He is visiting Notre Dame as this year’s Journalist-in-Residence of the John W. Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics & Democracy. During his time on campus, he’ll also speak in classes and talk to students and faculty about journalism and writing.

Scholars of violence and religion to gather at Notre Dame

2010-06-23T10:52:00-04:00

Scholars from around the globe will gather at the University of Notre Dame June 30 to July 4 (Wednesday to Sunday) for the meeting of the Colloquium on Violence and Religion (COV&R). The theme of the conference is “Transforming Violence: Cult, Culture, and Acculturation.” More than 150 scholars from 14 countries are expected to attend.

Founded in 1990, COV&R is an international organization of scholars that meets annually to explore, criticize and extend the mimetic theory of French historian and philosopher René Girard.

“The daily news media is filled with reports of violence,” observes Ann Astell, professor of theology at Notre Dame. “Mimetic theory helps us to understand why, helps us to see and to address the root causes. Michel Serres has rightly called Girard’s theory ‘the most fruitful hypothesis of the age.’”

The recipient of six honorary doctorates and the MLA Lifetime Award (2008), Girard was inducted into the Académie Française in 2005. Born in France in 1923, he earned his doctorate at Indiana University. He has spent most of his academic career in the United States. His most recent publications concern religious terrorism.

Conference participants will study the violent phenomena associated with cultural contacts between and among groups of different ethnic origins and religious beliefs and identify means for peace-making.

“Notre Dame is an excellent site for this interdisciplinary exploration, given its rich immigrant heritage and the ethnic diversity of northern Indiana,” remarks Margaret Pfeil, assistant professor of theology and co-organizer of the conference.

The COV&R 2010 meeting is co-sponsored by Notre Dame’s Center for Religion and Society, Center for Social Concerns, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Department of Theology, Imitatio, Institute for Church Life, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, Kroc Institute for International Peace 91��Ƶ, Mendoza College of Business, Nanovic Institute for European 91��Ƶ, Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ, Office of the Vice President for Research, Program of Catholic Social Tradition, Program of Liberal 91��Ƶ, Raven Foundation, Journal of Religion and Literature, 91��Ƶ of Architecture, and Snite Museum of Art.

More information, including a list of speakers, is available online at http://transformingviolence.nd.edu.

Contact: Ann W. Astell, (574) 631-3047