I came to work at Notre Dame 28 years ago because I believed
in the place. I'd had
a great undergraduate experience, but it was a document written
a few years later by Father Ted Hesburgh, CSC, that got me to
commit to a career in South Bend, Indiana.
The statement set
the University into its historical context and acknowledged the
continuity of institutional life as it had evolved from the vision
of its founder, Rev. Edward F. Sorin, CSC. But it also said this:
The world faced tremendous challenges -- in both kind and magnitude
-- that had never before been confronted by the human race. And
those challenges demanded not only extraordinary intellect, talent,
creativity and expertise but also a dedication to the common good,
to justice, to the less fortunate, to the moral, ethical and spiritual
dimensions of human life.
Notre Dame aspired
to be such a place, Hesburgh explained, and I, happy to join forces
with such a cohort of good people, wanted to be part of that endeavor.
Almost three decades
have passed since then, and I think it's fair to say the challenges
now presented to humanity are more daunting than ever. But it
still feels good to be part of a community whose ultimate purpose
is to produce scholarship and people devoted to making the world
a better place.
These thoughts have
been playing in my head lately for several reasons -- one of which
is the transition in leadership that has recently occurred at
the University. Father John I. Jenkins, CSC, '76, '78M.A,. has
assumed the presidency, and his inauguration presented an opportunity
for institutional reflection, renewal, rededication and celebration.
Additionally, John Affleck-Graves, formerly an associate provost
at the University, has become executive vice president, and Thomas
G. Burish '72 has become provost after serving as president of
Washington & Lee University since 2002. So there is new leadership
at the top and, with it, a new tide of optimism, vitality and
vision.
Notre Dame has never
been so ready to meet its aspirations. The students have never
been better. The faculty has never had such impressive academic
credentials. The financial resources have never been healthier;
the physical facilities never so robust. The University is poised
to do great things, even greater than what's been accomplished
in the past.
However, as Father
Jenkins explains in this issue, those achievements have more to
do with service than advancing personal aims. It's more about
being called and sent to do God's work in the world than with
gaining glory within that world.
This issue of the
magazine looks at all that -- the here and now of Notre Dame,
the new president's take on the University's mission, the inaugural
celebration, the story of today's generation of students and stories
of some who have gone forth to serve . . . and, as always, a whole
lot more.
(October 2005)
