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Faculty Stories

Faculty at Notre Dame come from communities and cultures all over the world. They conduct research and scholarship on topics and issues that span numerous academic disciplines. They share with students not just their areas of expertise but also their questions and concerns about the enduring issues and latest developments that shape our times.

But their role in broadening and sharpening the lenses through which we understand ourselves and the world around us extend well beyond individual research projects, classroom lectures, course syllabi, or a list of academic programs.

The selection of stories below helps illustrate the many other ways Notre Dame faculty foster diversity, support inclusion, and enliven the entire Notre Dame community.

First-year or freshman? Internal Communications offers guidance on gender-neutral language

Published: May 22, 2023

diversity.nd.edu

The Office of Internal Communications recently updated the University Style Guide to reflect a preference in the term “first-year” rather than “freshman” when referring to students. Doing so is aligned with recent publishing trends to avoid using needlessly gendered language.…

Jewish American Heritage Month celebrated on campus and across the nation

Published: May 16, 2023

diversity.nd.edu

DeBartolo Performing Arts Center film festival and Hesburgh Library exhibit are among several ways to learn more about the Jewish experience.

Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic represents Sikh, Jewish, and Muslim groups defending a Muslim inmate’s religious rights

Published: May 11, 2023

Arienne Calingo

A Muslim man’s right to practice his religion was suppressed by state officials while being held in a New York correctional facility. His case highlights the importance of interpreting religious freedom laws to provide sufficient remedies in protecting the rights of religious minority groups in prison. …

Global Religious Observances Calendar highlights diversity, promotes inclusion

Published: May 05, 2023

Cidni Sanders

The free resource is designed to help the Notre Dame community stay informed about faith traditions and celebrations that may be observed by students and colleagues.

One-day gathering celebrates Latinidad and poetics in all its complexity

Published: April 28, 2023

Oliver Ortega

A select group of poets and critics convened at the University of Notre Dame for "Latinx Poetics, a One-Day Gathering", as part of a marquee spring event for Letras Latinas, the literary arm of the Institute for Latino Studies. The event, held on the second floor of McKenna Hall, was composed of an afternoon session and an evening session, with a...

Latino studies students learn spiritual leadership skills during Easter Monday workshop

Published: April 25, 2023

Angela Olvera

ILS group flanked by CSPL's Gabriel Lara (left) & Michael Nicolás Okinczyc-Cruz (right) (Credit: Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez for CSPL) A group of students from the Institute for Latino Studies embarked on a trip to Chicago on Easter Monday. Their mission was to meet with the Coalition of Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) and partake in an immersive Chicagoan experience.…

Maria Mercedes Salmon named director of Mexico City Global Center

Published: April 18, 2023

Cory Hankins

Notre Dame International is excited to announce that Maria Mercedes Salmon has been appointed director of the University of Notre Dame’s Global Center in Mexico.

New Gospel Mass premiering at the Basilica

Published: April 15, 2023

blackcatholicmessenger.com

On April 15, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame will host the debut of a new Gospel Mass composed by Fr Carl Gales, SVD, a Black Catholic priest serving in Chicago.

Five questions with Marisol LeBrón: Decolonizing scholarship in feminist studies/critical race and ethnic studies

Published: April 11, 2023

The Editors

Marisol LeBrón is an Associate Professor in Feminist Studies and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Prior to arriving at UCSC, Dr. LeBrón held appointments at the University of Texas at Austin, Dickinson College, and Duke University. Dr. LeBrón received her PhD in American Studies from New York University and her bachelor’s degree in...

Dianne Pinderhughes named fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Published: April 06, 2023

Tracy DeStazio

Dianne Pinderhughes, a Presidential Faculty Fellow and the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Professor of Africana Studies and Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, has been named the Eleanor Roosevelt Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) for the 2023 academic year.

School of Architecture features incoming associate dean for AANHPI Heritage Month

Published: May 17, 2023

diversity.nd.edu

The School of Architecture recently featured Ming Hu ’03, incoming associate dean for research, scholarship, and creative work, in an Instagram post for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month…

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Published: May 16, 2023

diversity.nd.edu

Get resources to learn more about the month, the cultures being celebrated and how you can help combat anti-Asian racism.

The Creator's Game: Lacrosse

Published: May 09, 2023

NDWorks

Tara Kenjockety, undergraduate community engagement librarian, Hesburgh Libraries and member of the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Group and Tiffany Gillaspy, music librarian for Hesburgh Libraries hold the flag of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi. Notre Dame’s lacrosse teams were recently recognized at the March 25 men’s game and the March 27 women’s game. Lacrosse, known as “the Creator’s Game” by its...

Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., recognizes Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Published: May 01, 2023

diversity.nd.edu

“Our campus community is enriched by their contributions and cultures,” Jenkins said.

ND Law’s Religious Liberty Clinic participates in oral argument before the en banc Ninth Circuit to defend Oak Flat

Published: April 28, 2023

Arienne Calingo

Apache Stronghold v. United States was one of the first cases that the Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic supported when the clinic was newly established in the 2020-21 academic year. For the past two years, faculty and students from the Religious Liberty Clinic have stood with members of the Apache tribe to protect Oak Flat, a sacred site...

FLTA spotlight: Cin-Hua Chen

Published: April 25, 2023

Luke Van de Walle

Taiwan boasts a rich culture and picturesque scenery unlike any place in the world, offering a unique blend of indigenous, Chinese, and Japanese influences that is evident in its architecture, cuisine, and traditions. From the vibrant night markets and bustling shopping districts in Taipei and Kaohsiung, to the stunning peaks of the Alishan and Taroko National Parks, to the pristine...

Count Me In Campaign

Published: April 17, 2023

Ashley Wright

The Count Me In Campaign is meant to encourage more Notre Dame employees to voluntarily self-identify their disability status. Only an estimated 25 percent of employees who could voluntarily self-identify actually do so. Currently, the Office of Human Resources reports that fewer than 300 faculty and staff members have voluntarily self-identified as having a disability, but more might have a...

Expert on racial justice to speak at Notre Dame

Published: April 12, 2023

diversity.nd.edu

Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad, professor of history, race, and public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, will speak at Notre Dame at 1:30 p.m., Friday, April 14.

‘Ragpickers’ of Mumbai use entrepreneurship to find meaning, study shows

Published: April 11, 2023

Shannon Roddel

A new study from Dean Shepherd, the Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business considers meaning-making in the face of difficult dirty work by examining the “ragpickers” in Mumbai, India. These members of the lowest caste in Indian society live in the slums and dig through trash for food and...

Yixing Chen receives award for responsible research in marketing

Published: April 04, 2023

Brandi Wampler

Assistant Professor of Marketing Yixing Chen has been named a Distinguished Winner of the American Marketing Association’s Award for Responsible Research in Marketing. Yixing Chen The goal of the AMA-EBSCO-RRBM Award for Responsible Research in Marketing is to recognize published research in marketing that produces both useful and credible knowledge. The award is given to researchers who have used reliable...

Sociologist Anna Haskins studies impact of criminal legal system on racial disparities in educational outcomes

Published: May 17, 2023

Jon Hendricks

Through her research, Anna Haskins learned that fathers who were formerly incarcerated engaged less with their children’s school than parents who haven’t been detained. She and a team of undergraduate and graduate students are now examining why that’s the case, with a goal of creating interventions that address needs of both families and schools.

Ground broken, mural taking shape at Foundry Field, a true community project

Published: May 16, 2023

Erin Blasko and Carrie Gates

The proposed public-access baseball field is designed to celebrate the Foundry Giants and other underrepresented baseball teams from South Bend’s past. Active during the 1920s, the Giants were a predominantly Black baseball team whose players typically worked in the Studebaker Foundry. The team included several players who went on to play in the Negro Leagues.

NDLA Board honors Vietnam veteran John Lancaster ’67, ’74 J.D. for contributions to disability rights

Published: May 08, 2023

Charles Williams

John Lancaster ’67, ’74 J.D., a Vietnam War veteran and pioneering advocate for disability rights, was honored this spring with the Notre Dame Law Association’s Father William Lewers Award.

London book launch with Lord David Alton explores need for international response to genocide

Published: April 28, 2023

Arienne Calingo

The Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative hosted a book launch and discussion in London last month for Lord David Alton’s and Ewelina Ochab's recently published book, State Responses to Crimes of Genocide: What Went Wrong and How to Change It. The event, organized by Professor…

Kroc Institute releases special report on implementation status of gender approach within Colombian Peace Agreement

Published: April 26, 2023

Jena O'Brien

The Peace Accords Matrix at the University of Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies has released a new special report outlining the current implementation status of the gender approach within the 2016 Colombian Peace Accord. The implementation of the gender approach has been fundamental to guaranteeing the protection and promotion of the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people.

Notre Dame Law School holds second annual Interfaith Dinner in observance of Ramadan, Passover, Easter, and Ridvan

Published: April 24, 2023

Jonathan Bailey

Notre Dame Law School held its second annual Interfaith Dinner on April 12 in observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Jewish Passover, Easter, and the Baha’i festival of Ridvan.

Confronting cultural change: Divinity students seek intercultural competency to improve ministry

Published: April 17, 2023

Office of Strategic Content

Students in Notre Dame’s Master of Divinity program cited a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the emotional highlight of their pilgrimage to Mexico City. Seminarian Johnny Ryan, C.S.C., said getting to experience Mary’s maternal love for everyone was more powerful than he expected even though he was familiar with the story of Mary’s appearance before Juan Diego in a...

Panelists share insights on Carson v. Makin and the legal landscape for school choice

Published: April 11, 2023

Arienne Calingo

On March 30, the Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative hosted a panel discussion that explored the dynamic and complex intersection of education and religious liberty. The event featured accomplished attorneys who have taken up cases that pose questions about the interpretation of the Free Exercise Clause in relation to educational programs.…

Arnaldo Serrano and Katharine White Receive NSF CAREER Awards

Published: April 07, 2023

Rebecca Hicks

Arnaldo Serrano, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Katharine White, Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, have been selected as recipients of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. The award is given to recognize outstanding research and its integration with education, and it is one of NSF’s most prestigious awards for...

VIDEO: Maria Ressa keynote address for 2023 Asia Leadership Forum

Published: April 03, 2023

Liu Institute

Maria Ressa, a Filipino and American journalist who won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for reporting on abuses of power and fake news, was the distinguished speaker for the Asia Leadership Forum at the University of Notre Dame on March 21, 2023. Notre Dame Law Professor Diane Desierto, a Liu Institute faculty fellow and international human rights attorney, moderated the discussion...