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In annual address to faculty, Father Jenkins outlines campus-wide vision for elevating excellence

2022-09-21T10:08:51-04:00

The University of Notre Dame is deep in the midst of developing a campus-wide strategic framework, a task it takes on every 10 years to set a path for its future. This framework “will guide Notre Dame to even higher levels of excellence and impact in accord with its mission,” University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., said Tuesday (Sept. 20) during his annual address to the faculty.

The process takes into account plans and aspirations of the colleges, schools and other units to leverage strengths, identify fresh opportunities, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and make investments with transformative potential, he said.

The process will lead to a , rather than a plan, according to Father Jenkins. It won’t produce a road map that the University will follow without alteration for the next decade. “As they say in the boxing world, ‘Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth,’” he said.

Instead, priorities and key initiatives will be identified on which to begin work, and over time, revisions and adjustments will be required, he said.

The work involves , each focusing on an academic theme, with 73 faculty members serving as committee members. Most of the groups will submit reports by the end of this calendar year. The committee reports will be woven together into a comprehensive strategic framework by John McGreevy, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost, working in collaboration with others. The results will be submitted to the Board of Trustees.

Father Jenkins also discussed the University’s goals in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. A 2021 Notre Dame Trustees’ Task Force Report, “,” provided a charge for progress.

Father Jenkins noted that this fall’s incoming undergraduate class is the most diverse in University history: 40 percent of the class are students of color or international students (up from 39 percent last year); 9 percent are Black or African American; 13 percent are Hispanic/Latino; 1 percent are Native American; and 10 percent are Asian or Pacific Islander. The University also is making progress in enrolling applicants who are first-generation college students or from limited socioeconomic means: 19 percent of this year’s incoming class are Pell Grant-eligible or first-generation college students.

On July 1, Rev. Hugh Page — a professor of theology and Africana studies, former dean of the First Year of 91��Ƶ and a former associate provost — assumed the newly created position of vice president for institutional transformation.

As part of the strategic framework process, an advisory committee has been formed focusing on . The University is continuing to invest in support programs to help all students flourish and in December will start construction on a new diversity and inclusion center in LaFortune Student Center.

University leaders are making progress in hiring diverse faculty, a task that has been helped by the colleges and departments, Father Jenkins said. “Though we can be proud of recent efforts, more needs to be done,” he said.

Father Jenkins described how the University last winter engaged Edelman, a global communications firm, for a comprehensive study of Notre Dame’s reputation and public perception. Consistent with previous studies, the survey showed that “while Notre Dame is well-known and well-regarded for its Catholic mission and football, its research and global presence are less well-known,” he said. Administrators and faculty must work together to help spread the word of the important work that professors are doing in research, teaching and global engagement, as well as the University’s efforts with diversity and inclusion, he said.

Father Jenkins reminded faculty of Notre Dame’s policy requiring employees to report misconduct of any kind that they become aware of on campus. He noted some other universities in recent years have faced major scandals involving such matters as dishonest admissions and serial sexual abusers.

Notre Dame makes it simple for individuals to — including ways to make a report anonymously. “If you see something, say something. Do it because it serves the University.�� Most importantly, do so because it is the right thing — the ethical thing — to do, and it will make our community better,” he said.

Father Jenkins reported that during the summer Notre Dame closed its COVID-19 Response Unit — the group that was created to conduct campus virus testing and arrange quarantine and isolation during the height of the pandemic. “With greatly reduced and more manageable cases, we were able to move these operations back to our University Health Services for students and our Wellness Center for staff and faculty, offices that in normal times care for the health and well-being of campus,” he said.

While the University remains , University leaders welcome the opportunity to devote the majority of their time to teaching, research and inquiry, he said. He thanked faculty and staff for their efforts to keep the campus open for in-person classes and prevent spread of the virus. “We had many pandemic heroes on this campus,” he said.

Father Jenkins also announced that the theme of the 2022-23 Notre Dame Forum is “War and Peace.” There will be a variety of lectures and other events designed to encourage campus discussion on the topic, including an featuring both professional actors and members of the campus community.

Read the full text of the speech at .

��

Margaret Fosmoe is associate editor of Notre Dame Magazine.

ND thinks big with future plans

2007-05-01T20:00:00-04:00

$300 million to $400 million in projects on drawing board

SOUTH BEND — A new art museum, four more residence halls, several new academic buildings and new athletic fields are in the University of Notre Dame’s future.

There also will be a lush lawn rolled out at the university’s front door.

Those are a few of the improvements included in Notre Dame’s master campus plan.

A total of $300 million to $400 million in campus building and renovation work is expected during the next five years, said John Affleck-Graves, Notre Dame’s executive vice president.

Don’t expect any dramatic architectural changes. Traditional collegiate Gothic will continue to be the style for future campus buildings.“Our alumni, and our students and the administration are really comfortable with collegiate Gothic,” Affleck-Graves said. “It’s not that it’s right for everybody, but we think for Notre Dame, it’s important that there’s a consistency.”

Scheduled projects

The following projects are under way or soon to start.

Stadium pedestrian plaza: Work is under way to erase the former Juniper Road, which closed last year after traffic shifted to a new road east of campus. Workers are removing the pavement, installing sewer and water lines, and building steam tunnels along that north-south corridor through campus. The area between Notre Dame Stadium and the Joyce Center is being transformed into a pedestrian plaza with landscaping and benches, to be complete by mid-May.

The old roadway also will be removed from the parking lots south of the Joyce Center and football stadium. Those lots will be resurfaced and landscaped. There will be a dedicated parking lot for patrons of Legends Restaurant&Alehouse Pub, a campus restaurant that is open to the public.

p. A road leading to Hesburgh Library will remain, but will be redesigned to add more short-term and disabled parking spaces.

More than 350 trees and other landscaping will be added along the former Juniper route. The work will be completed by August.

Notre Dame Stadium: Work will begin this spring on patching concrete sections of the football stadium’s original bowl to protect the structure from water damage. It’s an ongoing project that will continue for years.

Softball stadium: Construction will begin this spring on a new softball facility at the southeast corner. It will be named Melissa Cook Stadium, in honor of a former Notre Dame softball player who was killed in 2002 in an accident in Chicago. The $3 million cost was donated by Cook’s family.

Power plant: Work is nearly complete on an addition to the campus power plant that was needed to provide more capacity for the campus. Notre Dame will continue to rely primarily on coal for its power.

Duncan Hall: A three-story undergraduate men’s residence hall is under construction on the West Quadrangle, near the campus nine-hole golf course. Designed to house 232 students, it will open in August 2008.

Cedar Grove Cemetery: Two mausoleums are being built. Each will contain 72 crypts for above-ground interments and 528 niches for cremated remains. When construction is finished this summer, the cemetery will be open for interment of Notre Dame alumni and members of Sacred Heart Parish. (Since the 1970s, burial plots have only been available to Notre Dame employees and retirees.)

Notre Dame Law 91��Ƶ: Construction will begin in August on an 85,000-square-foot addition on the site of the former campus post office. The new classroom and office building will be connected to the existing law school with an arched walkway. When the project is completed in 2010, the renovated original building will be used as the law library.

The Great Lawn: Work will start in the fall on Notre Dame Commons, a landscaped park area along Edison Road at the main entrance to campus.“The main purpose of this is as a gathering space and a transit space so people (on campus) can find their way down to the Eddy Street development project and have an enjoyable path,” said Doug Marsh, Notre Dame’s university architect. “It’s also designed to create a new outdoor space literally at our front lawn.”

p. Some of the paths will lead to Eddy Street, where a “college town” retail-residential-office development named Eddy Street Commons is planned on land owned by Notre Dame. The developer is Kite Realty Trust Group of Indianapolis.

Notre Dame Commons will have the look and feel of a park, and is intended for use by both campus and community residents. A terrace on the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s south side will lead onto the Great Lawn.

Multidisciplinary engineering teaching and research building: Construction will begin in November for a $69.4 million building on the current site of the University Club, which will be demolished. Club leaders still are talking with administrators about the possibility of moving the club elsewhere. The 142,000-square-foot engineering building will include three floors and a full basement.

South Quadrangle: More than 100 new trees, mostly elms, will be planted on the South Quadrangle this year, a gift from an anonymous university benefactor. South Quad for decades had rows of elm and maple trees along its walkways. Most of the elms died by the early 1980s because of Dutch elm disease. The new trees are a disease-resistant variety.

New Center for Social Concerns/Institute for Church Life building. Construction of the $14 million, 64,000-square-foot building will begin in spring 2008 on the site of the existing Center for Social Concerns, which will be demolished.

Future projects

Joyce Center: A 60,0000-square foot, $25 million expansion and renovation of the south dome of the Joyce Center. The renovated arena will be named Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, in honor of Philip J. Purcell II, a graduate and trustee who has donated $12.5 million toward the project.All bleachers in the arena will be replaced with blue chair-back seats, dropping seating capacity from 11,418 to 9,800. A 16,500-square foot stadium club will overlook the floor at the arena’s south end. Other improvements will include updated concessions areas, more public restrooms and additional seating options for the disabled. A new main entrance will be constructed on the south side of the building, and the ticket office will move to the first floor.

p. Fundraising should be complete within six months and construction could begin in the next year, Affleck-Graves said.

Fundraising stage

The following future projects are planned and funds are being sought. Construction is not yet scheduled.

Art museum: A new building to be constructed near the intersection of Edison Road and Eddy Street. It will replace the Snite Museum, which has been isolated by the loss of nearby parking and roadways.

Two additional residence halls, planned for northeast of Hesburgh Library. Another new residence hall might be built on West Quad.

p. Notre Dame currently has about 8,000 undergraduates, and 6,400 live on campus. The university has no plans to significantly increase the size of its student body, Affleck-Graves said. The additional dorms will allow the university to restore study lounges in some of the residence halls that have been converted to student rooms, he said. There is no plan to build campus apartments for undergraduates.

New stadiums for soccer, lacrosse, and track and field: To be built on existing fields east of the Joyce Center.

North dome of the Joyce Center: A major donor is being sought for the $15 million renovation of the dome that houses the ice rink for the hockey team.

Social sciences building: Planned for the DeBartolo Quadrangle, probably just south of the Hesburgh Center.

Executive education center: Planned for the DeBartolo Quadrangle, just south of the Mendoza College of Business, to serve as the classroom site for the Executive MBA program.

Student activities center: A new building that would house multipurpose spaces for student events, such as dances and concerts. It might be built near the site of Stepan Center, a geodesic dome built in 1962, which would be demolished. The activities center would supplement, not replace, LaFortune Student Center.

TopicID: 22589

Provost ready for challenge

2005-07-23T20:00:00-04:00

Burish drawn to Notre Dame job by mission, Catholic character.

SOUTH BEND — Thomas G. Burish believes that the University of Notre Dame can build its reputation as a Catholic graduate and research institution, and maintain its excellence in teaching.

“Becoming a greater research institution should not and need not interfere with its teaching mission. If it did, it seems to me that it would be too great a price to pay,” said Burish, who will become Notre Dame’s next provost.

“I think it can be done, and at the same time retain the strength of its Catholic character and mission,” he said during an interview Saturday in South Bend.

Burish, 55, is leaving the presidency of Washington and Lee University to take Notre Dame’s second-highest ranking administrative job. He previously served as provost at Vanderbilt University for 10 years. He also has credentials as a professor and researcher in clinical psychology.

Burish didn’t initially apply for the Notre Dame provost’s job.

When he became president at Washington and Lee in 2002, he thought he’d finish his career there. He never imagined he’d return to Notre Dame, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1972.

Burish and his wife, Pamela, have two sons. The couple visited Notre Dame in recent years while their younger son, Brent, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees here.

While attending his son’s commencement here in May, Burish was approached by the Rev. John I. Jenkins, who became Notre Dame’s president July 1.

“I have great admiration for Father Jenkins and I have a great sense of excitement about his vision for the university and for its future,” Burish said. He expects to begin here in late August or early September.

Burish grew up in Wisconsin in a strong Catholic family. He attended a small Catholic college in his home state as a freshman, then transferred to Notre Dame as a sophomore. He was drawn to Notre Dame by its academic reputation and its Catholic nature.

Burish became interested in psychology during college.

As an undergraduate, he did research on mental retardation with two psychology professors, Thomas Whitman and John Borkowski, both of whom are still on the faculty. The project led to publication of an article, with Burish listed as a co-author.

That research, which involved working with children at Logan Center, convinced Burish to pursue an academic career.

“He was an exceptional student,” Whitman recalled. “He was not only bright, but extremely curious and extremely interested in psychology. And dedicated to doing good work.”

Burish’s first task will involve getting caught up on how Notre Dame has changed and grown.

He sees the primary job of the provost as creating a setting in which faculty can excel. “Ultimately, no university can be better than its faculty,” he said.

Burish has long been active in cancer research and policy. He got started while at Vanderbilt when a colleague asked him to study the impact of stress on cancer patients.

He’s currently chair of the American Cancer Society’s national board of directors.

TopicID: 12405

Hesburgh sought Ratzinger for spot on ND faculty

2005-04-19T20:00:00-04:00

SOUTH BEND — Decades ago, the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh sought to hire an impressive young German theologian for the University of Notre Dame’s theology faculty.p. That young German, the Rev. Joseph Ratzinger, declined the offer.p. On Tuesday, Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI.p. Hesburgh, Notre Dame’s president emeritus, estimates he first heard about Ratzinger’s work in the early 1960s. At the time, Hesburgh was trying to build up the reputation of the university’s theology faculty.p. “I was searching around the world for an up-and-coming theologian,” Hesburgh said in an interview Tuesday. He wrote a letter of invitation to the young German cleric, inviting him to join the faculty for a year or permanently.p. "He wrote back, ’I’d love to come, but I don’t think my English is good enough yet,’ " Hesburgh said.p. The rest is history. Ratzinger went on to become an archbishop, then a cardinal and now pope.p. “My guess is he’s going to be a very intelligent and personable pope. He was picked because of the intervention of the Holy Spirit,” said Hesburgh, who will turn 88 next month.p. In the decades since the Notre Dame job offer, Ratzinger’s command of English has improved greatly, Hesburgh said. The new pontiff also speaks German, French and Italian.p. “He has a pretty good start on the world’s languages. My guess is, like John Paul II, he’s going to belong to the world,” Hesburgh said, referring to the late pope’s extensive travels.p. Hesburgh was in the dentist’s chair Tuesday when he heard the news that white smoke was seen above the Vatican, signaling the election of the new pope. He wasn’t surprised that the new pontiff was selected by the College of Cardinals in just two days.p. “Apparently they agreed this was a man who could pick up the mantle of John Paul. I wish him well and I’ll pray for him every day,” Hesburgh said.p. Hesburgh recalled his own experience as a young man standing in St. Peter’s Square in 1939, when Pius XII became pope. “It’s a big thrill to stand there and see that white smoke go up and get the papal blessing,” the priest said.p. The elderly priest said it’s exciting to witness the naming of the new pope.p. “It’s a day to remember,” Hesburgh said, “and we can all be glad that we were around to see it.”

TopicID: 10874

Jenkins: ND board did not pressure me

2004-12-15T19:00:00-05:00

SOUTH BEND — The Rev. John I. Jenkins says he called for the meeting of University of Notre Dame leaders that led to Tyrone Willingham’s firing and he was not pressured into action by members of the board of trustees.

Willingham was given no assurances when hired that he would have a five-year minimum to prove himself as head football coach, Jenkins, the university’s president-elect, said Wednesday in a meeting with the Faculty Board on Athletics.

“Although the program was strong in terms of its integrity and graduation rate, our success on the football field has not been up to our expectations,” the president-elect told the faculty board members, according to a copy of Jenkins’ prepared remarks obtained by The Tribune.

The meeting came a day after the Rev. Edward A. Malloy, the current university president, met with the same board. Malloy has publicly said he disagreed with the decision to fire the coach and was embarrassed to be Notre Dame’s president in the days following the firing.

The timing of the firing put Malloy in the position of being blamed for and having to defend a decision he opposed, Jenkins said, thus prompting Malloy’s public statement disavowing any responsibility for the firing.

“Father Malloy and I have spoken about this matter, and we each regret and have apologized for any difficulty each of us has caused the other. … We both deeply regret any damage we have caused the university,” Jenkins said, stating the two are committed to working together for the good of the university in the coming months.

Jenkins will become president of Notre Dame after Malloy steps down June 30.

The Faculty Board on Athletics includes seven faculty members elected by fellow faculty, four members appointed by the university president and four ex officio members — including the athletic director, Kevin White, and the head of academic student services, Patrick Holmes.

At least one board member — Steve Fallon, an elected representative from the College of Arts&Letters — expressed concern in recent days about the board being bypassed in the decision process that led to Willingham’s firing.

Fallon declined comment Wednesday. He and other members referred all questions to the board’s chair, law school professor Fernand “Tex” Dutile.

Dutile confirmed the board met with Malloy and Jenkins on separate days, but declined to provide any details. He said board members will meet again soon to discuss the matter.

“Until the board meets again, I don’t want to comment,” he said.

Jenkins and Malloy each have declined Tribune requests for personal interviews since Willingham was fired.

Jenkins said a number of high-level administrators at the university came to him in late fall to express concern about the football program. The team suffered a 41-10 loss at Southern California on Nov. 27, finishing the regular season with a 6-5 record.

Jenkins said the concerns expressed and the upcoming football recruiting season prompted him to urge the meeting that included himself, Malloy, three other administrators and two members of the board of trustees. Willingham was fired the next day.

NOTE:

See full statement from Father Jenkins to Faculty Boardbelow.(Notre Dame News and Information) *p. Statement to Faculty Board on Athletics

December 15, 2004

p. I thank you for this opportunity to speak to you, though I regret that my first address to this body is regarding a somewhat contentious set of circumstances.

I will respond to your concerns as honestly and straightforwardly as I can, though I must respect certain confidentialities. These arise from university policy not to comment on the details of personnel decisions. However, I think I can respond to your main concerns.

I have been asked about the process that led to the decision to dismiss Coach Willingham. I can describe the parts of the process in which I was personally involved.

The decision to retain or dismiss a coach lies with the Athletic Director and ultimately with the president of the university. We are in an unusual position this year, because we have both a president and president-elect. It has been and remains my understanding that, although Fr. Malloy is president and holds authority for decisions, it is appropriate for me to be involved in decisions which will influence future years when I will be president. Although no formal agreement between Fr. Malloy and myself has been articulated about specifically which decisions I will be involved in, we have been operating successfully with an informal, good faith understanding that my voice will be brought in and influence decisions on matters relating to the period when I will be president. He has on numerous decisions asked for my input or simply deferred the decision to me. This informal arrangement has been the basis for a working relationship which has been up to this point cordial and unproblematic.

In recent weeks a number of high-level administrators at the university came to me expressing concern about the football program. We had had mixed success on the field during the past two seasons, and the concern was about the trajectory of what is clearly the most visible athletic program in the university. Although the program was strong in terms of its integrity and graduation rate, our success on the football field has not been up to our expectations.

At the end of the regular season (November 27th), these concerns were brought to a head. Because December through February is so critical to recruiting for a football program, and because clarity about the future is so critical to recruiting, it was clear a decision had to be made quickly either to retain and support the head coach, or dismiss him. __ Because the decision facing the university was about who should be coach in the 2005 season and beyond, the period when I would be president, I felt it appropriate for me to have significant input on this decision. Consequently, on Monday morning, November 29th I went to Fr. Malloy’s office to discuss this situation, and urged that we should have a conversation with other leaders of the university about it. Fr. Malloy made it clear that he did not favor making a change, but expressed a willingness to have such a discussion. Consequently, that afternoon Fr. Malloy, myself, Nathan Hatch, John Affleck-Graves and Kevin White gathered to discuss this matter. Because this was a decision about such a high-profile issue, we included Patrick McCartan, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Philip Purcell, Chair of the Athletic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.

All parties in that meeting expressed their views. Fr. Malloy made it clear that he opposed a change of head coach, but, because the decision was for the 2005 season when I would be president, he would accede to the recommendation of the group. After sleeping on the issue for one night, the university administrators decided, with the concurrence of the trustees, to make a change. In accord with his position that he would not stand in the way of such a decision, Fr. Malloy accepted the recommendation of the group.

I will now make four points about this decision and the process which led to it.

First, it has been said there was inappropriate Trustee involvement in this decision. As to me personally, I was not pressured into any action I took by any member of the Board of Trustees. As I said, senior university administrators did contact me to express concern (though not to pressure me), but neither the Chairman of the Board nor the Chair of the Athletic Affairs took the initiative to contact me about this situation. (I took the initiative to ask their respective opinions.)

Secondly, my understanding is that in 2004-05 Fr. Malloy is the president and has all power to act as such. Because I will take over next year, I believe we have had an understanding that I will be involved in decisions which have an influence beyond this year. For example, Fr. Malloy has asked my advice about appointments which take effect next year; I have been heavily involved in the budget planning process for the 2005-06 budget; and I have been heavily involved in major development efforts for the coming campaign. In all this, I understand that any power I have comes from Fr. Malloy granting it to me for decisions which will influence the future. It is under this arrangement that I was involved in the decision about the termination of Coach Willingham.

Thirdly, several people have spoken to the press and to me about the traditional five-year contract for Notre Dame football coaches. My understanding of this is as follows. When Fr. Ted Hesburgh hired football coaches he invited them to his office, told them they had five years, and sealed the agreement with a handshake. (At least that is the story Fr. Ted tells at the dinner table.) Indeed, except for Joe Kuharich (who coached from 1959 to 1962), all coaches have coached for at least five years. However, as you may know, today all coaches now have sophisticated agents who would not stand for such an informal agreement. Consequently, Coach Willingham had a contract that specified in great detail the consequences if either party terminated the relationship at any given point in the employment. It anticipated that either party might terminate the relationship before the term of the contract expired. (Five years, I believe, was nevermentioned as a minimum.) It was under such a contact that Notre Dame hired Coach Willingham, and it was under such a contract to which he agreed to coach here. Had there been an assurance given to Coach Willingham or anyone else that he would have a minimum of five years, my position on this would have been different. However, I don’t believe there was such assurance, and no one has ever said anything to the contrary.

Finally, as I said at our recent press conference, success in our football program consists of three things: 1) acting with integrity, 2) giving our students a superb education, and 3) excelling on the field. Success in only one or two of these areas is not the success we seek. Just as we would not tolerate a program which failed to graduate its students or to act with integrity, so we should not be content with one that fails to succeed on the field. I feel these three goals have always defined success for us in Notre Dame football, and this will remain so in the future. I assure the Faculty Board on Athletics that academic success and integrity are central to our concerns.

In closing, I want to say something about the relationship between Fr. Malloy and myself. As is obvious to all, he and I disagreed about the dismissal of Coach Willingham, although he deferred to me on this decision. Although I did not fully appreciate it at the time, this put Fr. Malloy in the very difficult position of being blamed for and having to defend a decision he strongly opposed. It was for this reason, I believe, that Fr. Malloy made some widely reported comments, which put me and the university in a difficult position. Fr. Malloy and I have spoken about this matter, and we each regret and have apologized for any difficulty each of us has caused the other. It is not easy for anyone to operate in the glare of such intense media interest, speculation and criticism. We both deeply regret any damage we have caused the university. I am confident, however, that we are committed to working together for the good of the university in coming months.

Thank you for your time. I will take questions.

TopicID: 8629

Jenkins outlines 3 goals for ND

2004-05-15T20:00:00-04:00

University’s president-elect believes all of his objectives are within reach p.

SOUTH BEND — As president-elect of the University of Notre Dame, the Rev. John I. Jenkins has a threefold vision for the future.

His plans for Notre Dame include maintaining its traditional excellence in undergraduate teaching, improving it as a key research and graduate institution, and maintaining the university’s Catholic identity.

“I really want to retain those three points and enhance each one of them, without sacrificing the others,” Jenkins said Friday.

The priest believes firmly that the goals are simultaneously attainable.

“We are the most prominent institution that tries to retain its religious character — Catholic character — while being a distinguished university,” he said. “That’s not easy, but I think it makes us much more interesting. And I think that is the calling of this institution.”

Jenkins, 50, in late April was elected Notre Dame’s next president by the university’s board of trustees.

He will become the 17th president in June 2005, when the Rev. Edward A. Malloy steps down after 18 years in the job.

Jenkins said Notre Dame can maintain its teaching strength while growing as a graduate and research institution.

“A university doesn’t have a responsibility only to its students but also to the wider culture, to enter into debates about science, ethical values, religious questions and cultural questions,” he said.

“Unless Notre Dame is doing high-level work in those areas, it will not contribute to those debates,” Jenkins said. “And I think society would lose an extremely important voice in those debates.”

Jenkins felt his calling to the priesthood in his early 20s and was ordained a Holy Cross priest in 1983. Being a priest is the central focus of his life.

“I do see my life as flowing out of that vocation,” he said.

Jenkins, a faculty member and former vice president and associate provost, is settling into a new office on the third floor of the Main Building. He’ll occupy that office for the next 13 months, until he becomes president.

The board of trustees gave Jenkins specific responsibilities as president-elect, including some budget matters and working with the development office on a new capital campaign.

He’ll be working closely during the next year with Malloy and with John Affleck-Graves, the newly named executive vice president.

Jenkins also is making travel plans. Although he won’t reveal specific names, he’ll be visiting presidents of some other major universities and key members of the Catholic Church in the United States.

The president-elect is a respected scholar and author of the 1997 book “Knowledge and Faith in Thomas Aquinas.”

Jenkins earned bachelor’s and master’s degree in philosophy at Notre Dame in 1976 and 1978. He later earned a master of divinity degree and a licentiate in sacred theology from the Jesuit 91��Ƶ of Theology, Berkeley, Calif., and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oxford University.

Jenkins specializes in ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy and the philosophy of religion.

Jenkins is a “genuine Catholic intellectual,” said W. David Solomon, a Notre Dame philosophy professor. He taught Jenkins as both an undergraduate and graduate student and has worked with him as a faculty colleague in the philosophy department.

“He was a superb student as an undergraduate, very thoughtful from early on,” Solomon said. “He’s exactly what we look for at Notre Dame: a commitment to undergraduate teaching and scholarship at the highest level.”

Alasdair MacIntyre, another Notre Dame philosophy professor, echoed that assessment of Jenkins’ academic profile. The priest’s book was a “particularly nuanced and clear statement of themes in Aquinas’ work,” he said.

Jenkins was on sabbatical for the 2003-04 academic year, working at the University of Chicago on a planned book about St. Augustine.

The manuscript is half finished. Because of his new commitments, Jenkins said he may have to turn his work into a series of articles rather than a full book.

However, intellectual pursuits don’t occupy all of Jenkins’ time.

He’s a reader who appreciates P.D. James mystery novels in addition to philosophical works.

Jenkins stays fit by running in the warmer months and swimming in the winter. He ran his first marathon last fall in Chicago, finishing “somewhere in the middle,” he said.

He was a member of the swim team in high school and, as a Notre Dame undergraduate, was involved in intramural sports and the philosophy club.

Jenkins enjoys college athletics and attends all Notre Dame football games. He isn’t ready to provide any details about his plans for the athletics program.

“I think we have a wonderful tradition here of athletic excellence combined with a commitment to integrity, and a concern for students as students,” he said.

As president, Malloy changed the university’s management structure to have Notre Dame’s athletic director report directly to him. Jenkins declined to discuss whether he plans to keep it that way.

Jenkins’ current home is Dillon Hall, a men’s residence hall. For 2004-2005, he’ll be living in Keenan Hall, another men’s dormitory.

Jenkins plans to continue Malloy’s tradition of the university president living in a student residence hall.

“I enjoy it because it allows you to interact with the students away from your administrative duties and your teaching. It allows me to work as a priest,” he said.

Jenkins won’t be teaching a class during 2004-2005, but he hopes to teach a freshman seminar while president.

Jenkins plans to continue Notre Dame’s efforts to be involved in the community and to welcome local residents to campus. The university’s efforts include establishing the Center for the Homeless, the Robinson Community Learning Center and encouraging employees to build new homes in the northeast neighborhood.

Next fall’s opening of the DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts on campus will further enhance the community, providing many opportunities for local residents to visit campus for events. “The whole area of arts and performance is going to take off,” he said.

Notre Dame students and employees will continue to reach into the community and work with its residents, he said.

“I think our advancement as a university depends upon the advancement of South Bend,” Jenkins said. “It’s critical that we develop strong, positive relationships with the South Bend community and work together to make this a wonderful place to live, so people will want to come and live here.”

TopicID: 5300

ND has $833 million effect on local community, study says

2004-01-24T19:00:00-05:00

SOUTH BEND - The University of Notre Dame has an economic impact of $833 million a year on the community, according to a new study.p. In 2002, Notre Dame spent $536 million on goods and services, with $305.9 million of that spent in St. Joseph County.p. Six Notre Dame home football games each year generate about $38 million in visitor expenditures- more than $6.3 million per home game weekend.p. Those are a few facts reported in a new economic study of the university’s effect on the community.p. The report was commissioned by Notre Dame and prepared by Bay Area Economics, a private consulting firm with headquarters in Berkeley, Calif.p. The report is based on data from fiscal year 2002, from July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002.p. Notre Dame commissioned the study last spring because the university has received requests over the years for economic data, said James Lyphout, Notre Dame’s vice president for business operations.p. The results produced no big surprises, he said. “It pretty much confirmed our suspicions. If anything, the overall impact is a little more than expected,” Lyphout said.p. The report does a pretty good job of capturing the economic impact of Notre Dame, said Mark Eagan, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County.p. “There is no question (ND) has a significant economic impact on our community in economic terms, as well as quality of life,” he said.p. In seeking new employers to the community, economic development specialists looks for the precise characteristics Notre Dame offers, Eagan said: a large number of stable jobs, ranging from basic skills positions to those requiring advanced degrees.p. The fact that the university draws a diversity of workers and students from around the country and around the world makes it even better, he said. “Creative minds help strengthen a community,” he said.p. The report emphasizes the importance of football weekends at $6 million apiece, close to the study’s estimate, Eagan noted.p. p. “Those six weekends a year are critical for our community,” he said.p. This is the first such comprehensive report Notre Dame has commissioned. In the past, the university has done some limited local economic studies of itself, he said.p. “Almost every major university does this kind of report every year or two. It’s helpful to the university and its community,” Lyphout said.p. Notre Dame will share the report with the community and other universities that request it. Universities often compare such studies among their peer institutions.p. The university likely will commission update studies every year or two, Lyphout said.p. The study’s release is unrelated to Notre Dame’s pending request to St. Joseph County for permission to close Juniper Road through campus and shift that traffic to the east, Lyphout said.p. “This report is strictly a source of information. It’s not any leverage we’re trying to obtain,” he said.p. The $833 million annual impact represents the total annual expenditures by the university, its students and visitors.p. Among other conclusions in the report:* Notre Dame remains St. Joseph County’s largest employer, with 4,070 full-time employees. An estimated 8,655 additional jobs exist locally because of spending related to the university and its visits.

In fiscal year 2002, Notre Dame drew 673,000 visitors from outside St. Joseph County who spent about $92.1 million at area hotels, restaurants and retailers.
Notre Dame is the second most visited attraction in Indiana, second only to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The university paid $285,000 in hotel-motel taxes and property taxes on off-campus properties for 2002. (As a nonprofit organization, most Notre Dame facilities are exempt from property taxes.)
Notre Dame students and employees volunteer an estimated 455,000 hours annually.
The university draws about 673,000 out-of-area visitors annually, about one third of whom visit during football season.
From 1997 through 2002, Notre Dame spent an average of $52.1 million annually in building construction.
4,097 Notre Dame graduates live and work in St. Joseph County, including 2,269 in the city of South Bend.

By the numbers: Notre Dame employment * Annual payroll: $290 million

Employees: 4,070 full time, 688 part time
Total: 4,758 faculty/staff
Employees living in St. Joseph County: 4,152
Spin-off jobs outside the university: 8,655
Based on fiscal year 2002

Source: University of Notre Dame
The full report is available online at: .

TopicID: 3936

Tyson elected Holy Cross provincial superior

2003-06-20T20:00:00-04:00

SOUTH BEND — The Rev. David T. Tyson was elected Friday as the new provincial superior of the Indiana Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross.p. Tyson, 55, a former vice president at the University of Notre Dame, has served as president of the University of Portland, in Portland, Ore., since 1990.p. He will succeed the Rev. William Dorwart, who has served as provincial superior since 1997.p. Tyson was elected Friday by delegates of the provincial chapter during a meeting in Portland.p. The Indiana Province is based in South Bend. Tyson is expected to relocate to South Bend and assume his new position no earlier than Aug. 1, according to Veronica Locsmondy, a spokeswoman for the order.p. As provincial superior, Tyson will direct the work of more than 300 fellow priests and brothers around the world. The provincial superior of a religious order is charged with the spiritual and corporeal welfare of his fellow priests, and is responsible for the health and operation of his province. He also represents his colleagues with fellow provincials, the order’s superior general in Rome, Catholic bishops, cardinals and the pope.p. Tyson also is expected to play a role in the selection of the next president of Notre Dame.p. The Rev. Edward A. Malloy, Notre Dame’s current president, is expected to retire when his current term expires in 2005.p. The Notre Dame president is elected by the university’s board of trustees, after receiving recommendations made by the board’s governance and nominating committee. That committee is required to request a recommendation for the president’s job from the provincial of the Indiana Province.p. Notre Dame’s president must be a priest and a member of the Indiana Province of the Holy Cross order.p. Tyson himself was one of the top candidates for Notre Dame’s presidency when Malloy was selected in 1987. Malloy succeeded the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, who was Notre Dame’s president for 35 years.p. Tyson remains a possible candidate for the Notre Dame presidency.p. Tyson is a native of Gary. He professed his final vows in the Congregation of Holy Cross on March 8, 1974. He was ordained to the priesthood on April 5, 1975, in Sacred Heart Basilica.p. He earned two degrees at Notre Dame: a bachelor’s degree in 1970 and a master’s degree in 1974. Tyson earned a doctoral degree in philosophy from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1980.p. At Notre Dame, Tyson served as an associate professor of management, served in the admissions office and was vice president of student affairs and executive assistant to the president during Hesburgh’s administration. Tyson remains a member of Notre Dame’s board of trustees. p. The University of Portland, like Notre Dame, is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross.p. Under Tyson’s leadership, Portland has doubled its endowment and applicant pool, conducted the most successful fundraising campaign in Oregon private college history, established five new faculty chairs, built six new halls, earned an NCAA Division I national championship in soccer and has become one of the top five Western regional universities in the United States in the U.S. News&World Report rankings, according to a news release from the religious order.p. The Board of Regents of the University of Portland will conduct a national search for a successor to Tyson. Brother Donald Stabrowski, Portland’s provost, will serve as acting president until a successor is named.p. Staff writer Margaret Fosmoe: mfosmoe@sbtinfo.comp. (574) 235-6329p. p. June 21, 2003

TopicID: 406

'Nightmare' since son vanished

2003-01-16T19:00:00-05:00

SOUTH BEND ? When they head back to Wisconsin, Steve and Jane Sharon will take home the Notre Dame sweat shirts their son bought as Christmas gifts for relatives shortly before he disappeared.p. The sweat shirts are a tangible link to their only child, a University of Notre Dame freshman who mysteriously vanished Dec. 12.p. Chad Sharon, 18, of Pelican Lake, Wis., has been missing since he walked away from a student party at a house at 520 Corby Blvd. Despite an extensive search, Chad hasn’t been seen or heard from since.p. ?We’ve been living a nightmare for 36 days now,? Steve Sharon said Thursday.p. The Sharons visited South Bend and talked in person with the local news media Thursday for the first time since their son disappeared.p. While they cling to hope that Chad will return or be found safe, each day is more difficult. The hardest thing is not knowing, the Sharons said during a somber news conference and a Tribune interview.p. The couple believe that if Chad is able to contact them, he will.p. ?This is totally out of character,? Jane Sharon said. ?If Chad is out there, this is totally against his will.?p. Steve Sharon urged anyone who has any information about Chad to call.p. ?Someone, we feel, knows something or saw something that maybe at this time they don’t feel is significant,? he said. Even if it seems insignificant, ?please talk to the police or us.?p. The Sharons said they chose to stay in Wisconsin through the holidays to provide emotional support to other relatives and because they hoped Chad might call or show up at home. The couple praised the local police investigation and said they are sure investigators here have done everything possible to locate their son.p. During the university’s winter break, there was no point in coming to town because students were gone and most of the campus was vacant, Steve Sharon said. Classes resumed Tuesday.p. “If we didn’t feel they were doing a competent job, we would have come down (earlier),” Jane Sharon said.p. Chad went home twice during the fall semester, for a week at October break and for a few days at Thanksgiving. When friends and relatives asked him how he liked Notre Dame, he answered “I just love it,” his father said.p. Also Thursday, the Sharons met with Notre Dame Security Police investigators and the Rev. Edward A. Malloy, university president.p. The couple’s hopes briefly rose Thursday morning when they were contacted about an unidentified young man who was being treated at a Florida hospital.p. A LaPorte woman visiting Florida called the Sharons on their cell phone to alert them to a news story about a hospitalized young man whose identity was unknown. With the help of police, the Sharons quickly contacted the hospital and obtained a photo of the young man. It was not Chad.p. Besides meeting with residents of Chad’s hall during their visit, the couple also hope to talk to other students and local residents who know Chad or have any information about him.p. The Sharons met with some of those people in a meeting room at Fisher late Thursday night before a 10 p.m. Mass across the hall in the dorm’s chapel. It was standing room only in the chapel, which seats roughly 75 people. Most in attendance were Notre Dame students.p. Malloy addressed those in attendance before the Mass began.p. “We would like to welcome two parents who are suffering great pain as they are missing their son,” Malloy said. “Perhaps it is the uncertainty that makes this so distressing…We pray for Chad’s safe return and we pray for consolation and strength as we wait for his return.”p. The Rev. Robert Moss, rector of Fisher Hall, presided over the Mass. Moss pointed out that Chad would attend Mass in the chapel Sunday nights with other Fisher residents.p. The homily was said by the Rev. Richard V. Warner, director of campus ministry.p. “We pray God listens to our prayers and continues to give us hope,” Warner said. “Chad is and always has been a beloved son of God.”p. The Sharons describe their son as rather shy and never outspoken. Chad is a generally cautious person who is not a risk-taker, according to his father.p. He is “studious, well-mannered and loving,” his mother said. Chad has no known medical problems and was not on any prescription medication, according to his parents. He has no history of depression, they said.p. Although an outdoorsman, Chad is unlikely to have taken a walk in a wooded area or near the river at 4 in the morning, Steve Sharon said. The family lives on a lake and Chad is a competent swimmer, according to his parents.p. Chad has always been an excellent student. In high school, he was president of the student council, the National Honor Society and his senior class. In the yearbook, his classmates named him “Most Likely to Succeed.”p. Attending Notre Dame had been Chad’s dream for several years.p. He got the idea because his cousin, Jim Frank, graduated from the university in 2000. The cousin earned a full-ride academic scholarship to Notre Dame, and Chad aimed for and earned the same academic scholarship.p. His mother said Chad kept in nearly daily contact with them while he was at college, usually on the computer via instant messaging. The last computer chat they had was Dec. 11, which was the last day of classes before exams and the eve of his disappearance.p. Chad said nothing unusual in that electronic chat, according to his mother. He wrote that he had finished classes and felt almost like he was on Christmas break, although he knew he had to study for exams.p. He didn’t mention plans to go out that evening. That apparently was a spontaneous decision he made later when some friends announced they were going to the party, his mother said.p. Earlier, Chad had told his mother about the sweat shirts he bought and stored in his dorm room to give as Christmas gifts.p. The couple said they wish the FBI would become involved in the search.p. The Sharons have hope Chad will be found alive and well, and they don’t plan to give up that hope.p. What would they like to say to their son?p. “We love you. If you can hear me right now, just call us,” his mother said. “If you need our help, get in touch with us.”p. While in South Bend, the Sharons saw the house where the party was and retraced the route west along Corby Boulevard and south on Niles Avenue that Chad is believed to have walked that night.p. The last known contact with Chad was a brief conversation he apparently had about 4 a.m. Dec. 12 with a security guard at Madison Center for Children, 701 N. Niles Ave. The guard told investigators a young man matching Chad’s description asked him directions to the nearest convenience store.p. The guard told investigators he pointed the young man toward the 7-Eleven store at Niles and LaSalle avenues. The store clerk told investigators no one fitting Chad’s description visited the store.p. The couple tentatively plan to return home to Wisconsin late today.p. Chad is about 5 feet 10 inches tall, 140 pounds, with short blond hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing jeans, a white sweater and a red jacket.p. The university is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information regarding his disappearance.p. Anyone with information is asked to call Notre Dame Security Police at (574) 631-5555 or leave an anonymous tip on a special tip line: (574) 631-8000.p. Tribune Staff Writer Gwen O’Brien contributed to this story.p. January 17, 2003

TopicID: 3492