Marianne Corr exudes a palpable calm and confidence during conversation. It’s the sort of steadiness you both admire and become curious about. Yet, it’s gratitude that she says best describes her outlook on life and work these days.
Just a few months from retirement after 17 years as vice president and general counsel, Corr is poised to wrap up a decades-long career as a lawyer. It’s a path she found somewhat unexpectedly as an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, or rather, a vocation she embraced during her early days at the University, never dreaming she’d return to practice here.
“I was with a large law firm that focuses on corporate law for 13 years and then [spent] another 13 at a multinational conglomerate managing their litigation, so Notre Dame seemed so different and out of the blue, but so wonderful. I remember telling my parents the only regret I have was that I didn’t get here sooner,” Corr said.
Corr was elected vice president and general counsel in 2008. She oversees all University legal matters, from human resources and employment to student policies, business negotiations, and real estate. Corr previously served as vice president and deputy general counsel for the Fortune 500 firm Textron Inc., a multinational conglomerate.
Earlier in her career, Corr was an associate and then partner in the international law firm Jones Day, handling a variety of case types, including antitrust and white-collar crime.
She graduated from Notre Dame, with honors, in 1978 with a degree in government and international studies, before earning her Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law. Corr also holds a master’s degree in trial advocacy from Temple University Law School.
A resident of Breen-Phillips Hall during her first stint on campus as an undergraduate student, Corr considered careers in business and journalism before gravitating toward a pre-law track. She came to appreciate the breadth of opportunities a legal background would prepare her for, but it was the holistic undergraduate experience during those early years on campus from which she gained some of her most foundational life lessons. She recalls time with beloved theology professor Rev. John S. Dunne, C.S.C., from whom she learned the importance of leading an intentional, but adventurous life. It was Father Dunne (1929–2013) who warned his students against the “deadly clear path” of following the most comfortable plan for one’s life. So, when a recruiter called in 2008, inviting Corr back to campus, she felt compelled to consider there was a different road to be explored.
“I was happy where I was [in corporate law], but I kept thinking my life is a ‘deadly clear path,’ and I wanted something more.”
During the nearly two decades at the helm of the University’s team of 11 attorneys, Corr has navigated an increasingly complicated regulatory landscape, especially with the rapid recent growth of Notre Dame’s research profile. Among the shifts she’s experienced, some of the most seismic are happening now: declining trust in higher education; significant changes in college athletics, including name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights; and rapid federal policy changes. She points to the balance her team strikes between legal guidance and strategic partnership as the key to shared achievements in disciplines from research to public relations to athletics, and University leadership notes the same as her legacy.
“For more than 16 years, Marianne has served Notre Dame in an extraordinary way,” University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., said. “I cannot thank her enough for her excellent judgment, sound advice, common sense, courage, and unwavering dedication to Notre Dame’s mission. She has helped to shape so many dimensions of the University in important ways, and her legacy of leadership will live on. On a personal note, she has been an invaluable source of support to me and I am deeply grateful. A mentor and friend to many members of our community, Marianne has led with humility and humanity. She represents the very best of Notre Dame.”
John Veihmeyer, chair of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees, added, “Marianne is a tremendously talented professional and a wonderful individual. She has been an invaluable sounding board on the most complex issues the University has faced, and a true partner to the Board of Trustees. I want to thank Marianne for her steady leadership and many contributions.”
As the legal landscape continues to evolve and demands increase, Corr has the utmost faith in both the University’s team of lawyers and its leadership.
“Our saving grace here is the unrelenting focus on always trying to do what’s best for our students. I firmly believe what both Father John and Father Bob said, that for all the greatness Notre Dame has achieved, its best years are still ahead. And with that comes more work and more responsibility.”
Corr’s confidence comes from that shared North Star: a commitment present in every corner of campus that the work matters because it shapes a place that shapes young minds and hearts. She says that when you know what you’re collectively striving for—educating future leaders for a world that needs their perspective—it’s easier to see anything contrary to that as simply an obstacle to be worked through.
President Emeritus Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., echoed that sentiment, after working closely with Corr during his time in leadership.
“Marianne was a tremendous help to me in my presidency, as she combined superb legal expertise with exceptionally sound judgment about what, in any particular situation, was in the best interest of Notre Dame. She also had a great sense of humor, which made thorny problems seem more manageable. It was a privilege to work with her. I’m grateful for all she did for Notre Dame.”
For Corr, gratitude stems from the blessing of being part of something bigger than even she imagined. A vocation that emerged from an adventurous, winding road she didn’t see coming, but felt compelled to explore.
“I feel incredibly grateful for the career I’ve had and the people I’ve met. It’s the energy and the commitment that I think is displayed throughout [Notre Dame], certainly at the leadership levels, but also a depth of appreciation for the mission and everyone’s role in accomplishing that mission. [I see] people coming to work every day and putting their heart and soul into doing something they’re proud of. That helps all of us achieve what we’re doing.”