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.

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

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. …

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

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...

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Latino studies students learn spiritual leadership skills during Easter Monday workshop

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.…

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

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...

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The Creator's Game: Lacrosse

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...

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

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...

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FLTA spotlight: Cin-Hua Chen

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...

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Count Me In Campaign

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...

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

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...

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Yixing Chen receives award for responsible research in marketing

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...

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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...

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

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.…

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Arnaldo Serrano and Katharine White Receive NSF CAREER Awards

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...

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VIDEO: Maria Ressa keynote address for 2023 Asia Leadership Forum

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...

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