More than 1,600 staff members gathered to hear University updates at the Fall Staff Town Hall in Leighton Concert Hall and Carey Auditorium on Tuesday, October 1.
The 45-minute sessions began with a conversation with newly inaugurated University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., who began his role as president on June 1. Vice President for Human Resources Heather Christophersen, who served as emcee, asked Father Dowd questions ranging from what has surprised him during his first months as president to the reason for choosing this year’s Notre Dame Forum theme, “What do we owe each other?”
Father Dowd, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost John McGreevy, and Executive Vice President Shannon Cullinan each discussed different aspects of the Pathways to Notre Dame initiative, an expansion of the University’s affordability and accessibility initiatives announced during Father Dowd’s inaugural address. McGreevy also provided updates on strategic framework initiatives, while Cullinan shared details on various capital projects, both on campus and in the broader South Bend community.
All three executive leaders began their remarks by thanking staff members for their exceptional work starting another successful academic year and supporting a historic Inauguration celebration.
“I feel so grateful to be your colleague and to serve as president of this University,” Father Dowd said. “You make this place what it is. Notre Dame is only as good as the people who make it up. We have a mission that is timeless, but it’s you who make Notre Dame run and make sure we can advance that mission. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
McGreevy echoed that sentiment, highlighting the important impact staff members make in our efforts to “think as an institution” in order to advance Notre Dame as the leading global Catholic research university.
“Staff have been the lead here,” McGreevy said. “We will become the best at working across colleges, schools, and departments to make meaningful contributions to questions of national and international concern.”
Among those interdisciplinary efforts are six new initiatives launched under the strategic framework since its release: democracy, ethics, poverty, mental health, bioengineering and life sciences, and Arts@ND. Over the next year, the University will launch three more initiatives on the themes of climate and sustainability, data and computational science, and global Catholicism.
Cullinan rounded out the program by sharing updates based on questions sent in from staff members, many regarding construction and expansion projects. Following the successful migration of Holy Cross Drive to accommodate the construction of two new residence halls, Burke Golf Course will reopen in the spring. Grojean Hall, which will replace Pangborn Hall, is set to open in fall 2026, as is Coyle Hall, the replacement for Fisher Hall.
On the north edge of campus, construction is underway on the new KinderCare facility, which will serve infants to preschoolers, filling a gap in childcare options for faculty and staff. Cullinan reiterated that the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) will continue to operate on campus and work in collaboration with KinderCare.
Cullinan also reported on exciting off-campus developments as part of Notre Dame’s investment in the South Bend–Elkhart region. Most notably, ground has been broken on the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic, which will eventually serve more than 1,500 people in the community annually through mental health assessment, intervention, and prevention services.
Meanwhile, work is underway to create the new Downtown South Bend Tech and Talent Hub, which will feature renovated research and innovation space in the historic former South Bend Tribune building. This project envisions the University collaborating with industry leaders to advance applied research in areas such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, and advanced computing.
To conclude the sessions, staff chaplains Rev. Mike Mathews, C.S.C., Rev. Tim O’Connor, C.S.C., and Sister Andrea Lee, IHM, offered closing benedictions.
A video recording of the full Fall Staff Town Hall, with the option for closed captioning, is available on the executive vice president’s website.