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.
Yoon's book analyzes how the rise of transnationalism has affected the social and economic lives of Korean migrants searching for wealth and stability in Beijing’s Korean enclave.
In Memoriam: Thomas F. Broden, emeritus professor of law
University of Notre Dame Law Professor Emeritus Thomas F. Broden Jr. — a pioneer in clinical legal education and a skilled advocate for civil rights and the indigent — died Nov. 20 at his home in South Bend. He was 96.
Liu Institute welcomes seven new faculty fellows in fall 2020
The Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies approved seven new faculty fellows during the fall 2020 semester. The scholars examine Asia and Asia-related topics from a range of colleges, schools, and departments at Notre Dame.
Phillips named Fellow of National Society of Black Physicists
L. Arielle Phillips, research assistant professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Notre Dame, has been named a fellow of the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP).
USAID awards $8 million to Notre Dame to expand early literacy, learning programs
With USAID’s support, Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Haiti and Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child (GC-DWC), in partnership with the Pulte Institute for Global Development, have begun work on Strong Beginnings: Leveraging the home, school and church to develop the whole child in Haiti.
Statement by Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on Pope Francis elevating Archbishop Wilton Gregory to cardinal
"We offer Archbishop Gregory our warmest congratulations on his elevation to cardinal by Pope Francis and assure him of our prayers and support."
Children’s Environmental Health Initiative joins the University of Notre Dame
The University has welcomed the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative, a research, education and outreach program committed to fostering environments where all people can prosper.
Video: Theatre historian La Donna Forsgren on women’s contributions to the Black Arts Movement
La Donna L. Forsgren is an associate professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre; concurrent faculty in the Gender Studies Program; and affiliated faculty in the Department of Africana Studies. Her latest book, Sistuhs in the Struggle: An Oral History of Black Arts Movement Theater and Performance, is the first oral history to fully explore the contributions of...
Wolbrecht receives American Political Science Association grant to broaden impact of organization promoting expertise of female scholars
Wolbrecht received the award as a principal investigator for “Broadening the Impact of Women Also Know Stuff” — one of six projects to receive funding in 2020.
Building Language Bridges: Ernest Morrell expands literacy education research at Notre Dame
Teaching English at Oakland High in the late 1990s, Ernest Morrell faced the age-old problem of how to get modern students interested in a canon of long-dead writers and poets. “I just got tired of teaching the regular way that I…
Faculty in science, engineering named AAAS fellows
Peter M. Kogge, Jeanne Romero-Severson and Jennifer L. Tank have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Assistant dean's family has welcomed dozens for Thanksgiving each year
Dr. Jan Sanders was the first Black pediatrician to have her own practice here. Her husband, Leo McWilliams, is an assistant dean in the University of Notre Dame engineering department and a “quadruple Domer.” For decades, the couple have been the unofficial parents for many Black students at Notre Dame. This year, that family is scattered, reflecting on the year’s crises.
FTT professor wins theatre society prize for essay on adaptations of The Wiz and is appointed associate editor of prestigious journal
La Donna Forsgren, an associate professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre, has won the American Society for Theatre Research's Oscar G. Brockett Essay Prize. The award, given annually to the best essay of theatre research in a scholarly English-language publication, honored Forsgren’s “The Wiz Redux; or Why Queer Black Feminist Spectatorship and Politically Engaged Popular Entertainment Continue...
You drive like a girl: Study uncovers gender bias in perceptions of ride-sharing performance
While digital brokerages provide a more efficient method for the exchange of goods and services and an improved way for consumers to voice their opinions about the quality of work they receive, bias and discrimination can emerge as part of the review process, according to Notre Dame research.
Dean Galvin’s impact and legacy
Mary E. Galvin, the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame since 2015, recently announced she will step down from the position effective December 31, 2020. Notably, Galvin is the first woman to serve as dean in the college’s 155-year history.
Notre Dame files formal comment with Department of Homeland Security
Three University of Notre Dame leaders have filed a formal comment on behalf of the University urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to withdraw a proposed rule that would make it harder…
Recent Grads use Latino Studies as Springboard for Law Careers
The field of Latino Studies is marked by its intersectionality:…
Bridging the Divide speaker series adds event with Pete Buttigieg
Bridging the Divide is free and open to all members of the Notre Dame community as well as the public. Past events included "Exploring Racial and Social Injustice and Inequality in America," and the series will also tackle “The 19th Amendment and the Myth that All Women Vote the Same” among other topics.
The Snite Museum of Art Announces Important Acquisitions to its Mesoamerican Collection
The Snite Museum of Art announces five gifts to the Museum’s distinguished Mesoamerican collection. Mr. William. J. Gallagher Jr. ND’1950, was one of the original lenders of Pre-Columbian objects to the Snite Museum of Art when it opened its doors in the fall of 1980. These early loans from the Gallagher Family were foundational objects to the development of...
Video: Sociologist Dana Moss on studying authoritarian regimes, transnational repression, and protest movements
Dana Moss is an assistant professor of sociology at Notre Dame whose research interests include collective behavior and social movements, global and transnational sociology, international migration, and political sociology. She's currently working on a book project on the "Arab Spring abroad" — how Libyan, Yemeni, and Syrian communities, spread from as far away as Los Angeles to London, mobilized to support...
United Way in need of support, now more than ever
The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a rough year for everybody. For some of our Michiana neighbors, it’s been unbearable. …
Having Coffee with Dianne Pinderhughes
Dianne Pinderhughes has been observing protests and marches for racial and social justice since her childhood in segregated Washington, D.C. In 2020, after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, things seem different.
Notre Dame Stories: Office Hours: Finding the "Just Right Home"
Architecture professor Marianne Cusato is an industry leader in the home building industry. In her book, The Just Right Home, Cusato suggests criteria for home buying and community that is at times contrarian to some of today’s popular home buying trends.
Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study Names New Associate Director
Maria Di Pasquale will join the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) as associate director beginning on November 9, 2020.
Neuroscientist Michael earns outreach award from the Society of Neuroscience
Nancy Michael, associate teaching professor of neuroscience and behavior at the University of Notre Dame, earned a Next Generation Award from the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) for her community-based learning programs and course for undergraduates that matches students with community partners that serve a vulnerable local population.
2020 United Way Campaign is underway
According to the United Way of St. Joseph County,…
How the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities is fighting to prevent homelessness
The Homeless Prevention Call Center for the City of Chicago, currently run by Catholic Charities of Chicago, has helped thousands of families stay off the streets. Knowing funding for public programs is never guaranteed, it wanted to prove its method was cost effective and impactful. In 2012, it approached Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) for assistance. Could LEO...
Liu Institute Experts Join Panel on US-Asia Relations
In a turbulent election year, it’s a topic that has received far less attention…
Asian cultural events drew enthusiastic audiences in 2019-20
The three biggest cultural events sponsored and co-sponsored by the Liu Institute in 2019-2020 saw enthusiastic capacity audiences. …
A Topologist, an Educator and an UndocyAlly Join the ILS Faculty Fellows
This fall, three leaders from the Notre Dame community have been appointed Faculty Fellows of the Institute for Latino Studies. …