Terrorist attacks influence Malloy faculty address
By JASON McFARLEY
News Editor
In his annual address to faculty Tuesday, a practical Father Edward Malloy, University president, urged professors to be thoughtful of recent terrorist acts but to get about the business of planning Notre Dame's future following the Sept. 11 attacks.
"I'm very proud of our approach," Malloy said, referring to campus response to tragedies in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. "It was sensitive. It was well-done."
During Malloy's 50-minute speech, he recounted immediate steps the University took in the wake of the national crisis — cancelling classes, declaring Sept. 11 a day of prayer and organizing a Mass on South Quad.
University officials also planned panel discussions of the attacks, postponed the Notre Dame-Purdue football game originally scheduled for Sept. 15 and collected more than $350,000 for New York relief efforts.
"What I would hope can happen here in the coming weeks and months is that we can recognize more appropriate ways to respond thoughtfully," said Malloy, who last week was in Washington twice on business. "I hope that we can have a conversation that's ongoing."
The president advised faculty members to encourage in their classrooms dialogue about subjects connected to the attacks: world religions, especially Islamic fundamentalism; history of terrorism; urban architecture; city planning; transportation; news media; governmental leadership; immigration; cultural identity; U.S. economic policy and human rights issues.
"I would suggest that this is a place to talk about fundamental questions," Malloy said, proposing that the attacks have spurred inquiries into the meanings of life, death and after-life and evil.
At the same time, Malloy asked the faculty to sort through the tragedy and be conscious of future academic and fund-raising initiatives at the school.
He described the University's current strategic plan and implored the DeBartolo Hall audience to be part of the organizational project.
Every 10 years, the University reassesses the plan, beginning with an internal tactical process, according to Malloy. That process leads to a report that the University forwards to North Central Accreditation officials to maintain accredited status.
The next step is for Notre Dame administrators to create a fund-raising campaign plan and eventually a fund-raising event, Malloy said.
A coordinating committee will oversee the strategic planning process begun this year, the president said. The committee includes several faculty members and key Notre Dame officers Nathan Hatch, provost; Father Timothy Scully, executive vice president; Father Mark Poorman, vice president for Student Affairs; Scott Malpass, vice president for finance and chief investment officer; and John Affleck-Graves, vice president and associate provost.
He said that committee will oversee the work of other committees dealing with four planning areas: curriculum, finance and fund raising, research priorities and challenges and future of higher education.
By next October, the committees will have enough compiled data to ultimately be presented to the Board of Trustees at the group's May 2003 meeting, according to Malloy.
"All of these committees are intended to assist [strategic plan] work at the local level," he said. "The primary work will come from the colleges and various units. We want to make sure everyone — faculty, students, staff — has a chance to speak out of their desires and aspirations."
Malloy called to faculty members' attention other "sweeping, unresolved issues" that they can work on with strategic plan organizers. Among them were the future of campus libraries, University computing, graduate education and research, faculty population and Catholic intellectual life.
"[Work] has begun," Malloy said. "I ask for your enthusiastic support and contribution."
"We've puzzled, we've mourned and we've grieved," he said, reiterating campus reaction to the terrorist attacks. "I hope we can be as reflective as possible about what this means and about strategies for our future."
In other faculty address news:
Malloy credited increased financial aid initiatives with this fall's over-capacity first-year class. He said the same trend was evident among graduate and professional school enrollment and student financial aid awards.
The University president was pleased with the recent openings, renovations and ground-breakings for campus buildings. He restated Notre Dame officials' commitment to expand current law school and engineering facilities and to construct a campus hotel to replace the Morris Inn.
All News Stories for Wednesday, October 3, 2001
