The students, faculty, and staff of the University see what’s possible for a world in need, and are willing to fight for it.
As the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was in the midst of its run in the College Football Playoff, campus was abuzz with activity: preparation for the rigorous slate of gridiron contests, of course, but also a host of off-the-field action requiring a different kind of focus, effort, and determination.
A technology expert was uncovering insights about the role robots will play in the future of the health care industry.
Scientists were digging into how to use data and analytics to lower energy costs and improve living conditions for people living in older, less efficient homes.
New research showed how to advance the peace process in Colombia, a country slowly recovering from a five-decades-long civil war.
Clearly, there’s a lot under the Golden Dome that’s worth fighting for.
Notre Dame’s history of research impact
Since its early days, Notre Dame has been home to pioneering research. The University was advancing flight research before the Wright brothers took off. Its researchers were experimenting with wireless communication before most Americans had electricity. Notre Dame unlocked breakthroughs in nuclear physics, synthetic rubber, and mosquito-borne disease.
That legacy continues today as scholars and scientists on campus uphold a tradition of inquiry, creativity, and impact. The only explicitly religious institution in the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of North America’s leading research universities, Notre Dame pursues discovery not as an end in itself, but as a means to serve humanity.
Notre Dame is pursuing a breakthrough in peanut allergy treatment through technology that targets the allergen before it can cause an overreaction. This preemptive action would be a stark contrast to current treatments that either knock down entire swaths of the immune system or merely respond to an overreaction after the fact.
Or consider the device developed at Notre Dame that predicts with 80 percent certainty whether a breast cancer patient will respond to chemotherapy. All this less than five days after the first treatment. This could potentially spare a patient from enduring additional treatments, opting instead for another medication or a surgical procedure that will be far more productive.
Philosophers and ethicists at the University are exploring the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, providing frameworks for humanity to approach technology responsibly and with agency. The work will be accomplished in part by establishing a network of influential tech industry leaders, scholars, and faith leaders.
Global since day one
These examples of research impact, along with many more, exemplify Notre Dame’s mission-driven approach to serving a world in need. And “world” is an apt term: With research and partnerships in more than 60 countries, Notre Dame’s global mission is grounded in the same call to serve. Working alongside an international network of leaders in government, religion, and research, the university strives to create transformative impact—because every person, regardless of circumstance, deserves the opportunity to flourish.
The University’s global character is nothing new. Notre Dame has been a global institution since its founding in 1842 by a 28-year-old French priest. It grew in part as a result of the influx of Catholic immigrants from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially those of Irish descent. Today, the University is a convener of the broader global community, making meaningful contributions that require connection and courage to transcend division.
As one example, Notre Dame established the Peace Accords Matrix at the signing of the 2016 peace agreement that was a major turning point in the 52-year civil war in Colombia. Selected by the United Nations, it is the first time a university-based research center has played a direct role in monitoring the implementation of a peace agreement. The work continues in Colombia and has expanded around the globe: A similar implementation framework developed by Notre Dame is helping to broker peace between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
A Catholic university for the 21st century
Collectively, this work showcases Notre Dame’s capacity for building bridges—between discovery and impact, and between knowledge and justice.
At Notre Dame, faith often serves as that bridge—to understanding, connection, and hope. While its Catholic character informs all it does, Notre Dame is also a home to people of all faiths and no faith. What unifies this diverse ecosystem of beliefs is a shared commitment to a holistic education that emphasizes inquiry, dialogue, and reflection.
University president Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., put it this way: “Informed by our Catholic mission, we will work together so that Notre Dame is an ever-greater engine of insight, innovation, and impact, addressing society’s greatest challenges and helping young people to realize their potential for good.
Faith is the animating force behind what the University does, and how it does it. Notre Dame not only prepares students to become leaders, thinkers, and changemakers—it also guides them to trust both heart and mind through the integration of faith and reason. This compels future engineers to consider the ethics of a particular technology and future business leaders to weigh responsibility against profit. It gives tomorrow’s lawyers the courage and skills to pursue their profession nobly. In every field, a Notre Dame education prepares students to do well by doing good, to look out for the most vulnerable among us and use the skills they developed on campus to help where they can.
At Notre Dame, the fight continues
This endeavor to be both a leading research university and an institution guided by its faith mission (not to mention proud owners of a historic athletics tradition) is an experiment all its own. It’s an experiment that requires people who are willing to take action to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex world head-on.
The students, faculty, and staff of the University see what’s possible for a world in need, and are willing to fight for it. “What would you fight for?” For the University of Notre Dame, it’s not a question. It’s a call to action.