Kevin and Cynthia O鈥橞rien of Dallas have made a significant gift to the University of Notre Dame to endow the聽, which provides a forum for scholars and students at the University of Notre Dame and elsewhere to explore the most pressing issues in national security policy.
Inspired by the inscription over the east entrance to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart 鈥� 鈥淕od, Country, Notre Dame鈥� 鈥� the center seeks to play a catalytic role in matters of global policy through actionable research, teaching and programming guided by the University鈥檚 Catholic character. It connects policymakers and the public with top-tier scholarship on issues of international security, especially on grand strategy 鈥� where, when and how states consider using military force among other instruments of statecraft to achieve foreign policy goals.
鈥淔or nearly two decades, the Notre Dame International Security Center has been an exemplary force both in impactful research and in shaping the lives and careers of future leaders,鈥� said , the I.A. O鈥橲haughnessy Dean of the and a professor of political science. 鈥淭his incredibly generous support from the O鈥橞riens empowers us to expand our commitment to fostering critical conversations and forming influential voices on national security policy for generations to come.鈥�
The O鈥橞riens鈥� gift will sustain and significantly advance the research and curricular ambitions of the center, including endowing a newly created executive director position and launching the O鈥橞rien Fellowship for two graduate students and two postdoctoral scholars.
It also provides sustainable funding for a research seminar and expands support for a doctoral program for active-duty officers, predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship programs and collaborative partnerships on and off campus, as well as regular scholarly programming in Washington, D.C.
鈥淐ynthia and Kevin not only talk the talk of public service in international security, they live it: Kevin is a decorated Gulf War veteran, and among Cynthia鈥檚 many charitable activities is one which supports active-duty military members and their families,鈥� said , the Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations and the Brian and Jeannelle Brady Family Director of the center. 鈥淢y ONDISC colleagues and I are gratified by their support and honored to continue their family鈥檚 legacy of service.鈥�
Since its inception, the center has focused on developing scholars and policy leaders in international security. Its , supported through the O鈥橞riens鈥� benefaction, is home to the College of Arts & Letters鈥� minor in international security studies, a five-course sequence that includes coursework options across political science, history, philosophy and other disciplines, as well as an undergraduate fellows program that includes funding in support of students completing a yearlong senior thesis research project and an internship related to international security.
ONDISC also supports graduate students in many other ways, including sixth-year funding for doctoral students and research grants. The center鈥檚 supports doctoral candidates for one year in advancing their research while participating in seminars, a weeklong study trip to an international battlefield and a teaching workshop, while its hosts one scholar per year whose work involves innovative approaches to the study of U.S. grand strategy.
The center also offers targeted support for future military leaders, partnering with the to offer an accelerated three-year Ph.D. program for active-duty U.S. military officials, as well as a that brings senior officers from the U.S. Army or Marine Corps to campus for a year of advanced continuing education.
Since 2017, the center has hired three faculty and more than 10 postdoctoral fellows; appointed Jim Webb, a former U.S. senator from Virginia and secretary of the Navy, as its inaugural distinguished fellow; hosted more than 100 predoctoral fellows; and run a visiting faculty program.
Kevin O鈥橞rien is a 1988 graduate of Notre Dame who majored in economics and English and was a Navy ROTC midshipman. He served four years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, including as a surface warfare officer on the USS Nicholas in combat operations during Operation Desert Storm, for which he earned a Bronze Star. After earning his Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, he spent 21 years at private equity firms CCMP Capital and its predecessor, JPMorgan Partners, where he led the health care practice. He retired in 2021 and is now an investor and board member for several early-stage health care technology companies, serves on the board of the Special Operations Fund, and is an adviser to the Diplomatic 91视频 Foundation.
鈥淥ur country needs leaders with a holistic understanding of history and policy, and Notre Dame is a place where students can uniquely develop this understanding with an eye聽towards future service,鈥� Kevin O鈥橞rien said. 鈥淧rofessor Mike Desch and the team at ONDISC are a true force for good 鈥� taking on these critical topics and providing the mentorship and education to develop future leaders in a world that sorely needs them.鈥�
Cynthia Craft O鈥橞rien earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Pennsylvania State University and master鈥檚 degrees in business administration and environmental health from Temple University. She worked as a hazardous material specialist and professor of environmental engineering technology before devoting more than 20 years to service on nonprofit boards. She has been a member of the strategic planning, capital campaign and executive committees for the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, as well as serving on the boards of the North Texas Military Foundation, the Alcuin 91视频 and the Crested Butte Land Trust.
鈥淚 vividly remember being a 23-year-old newlywed when Kevin, at age 24, was deployed to the Persian Gulf. I was hoping that the people deciding to send our troops to war had exhausted all forms of diplomacy and understood what a military member and their family sacrifices for our country,鈥� Cynthia O鈥橞rien said. 鈥淚 believe that Professor Desch and his team are educating incredibly bright students who will then be making policy and advising decision-makers on international security, protecting the best interests of active duty military members and their families.鈥�
Contact: Tracy DeStazio, associate director of media relations, 574-631-9958 or tdestazi@nd.edu