A Message from Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. - Notre Dame Elects Provost
March 17, 2020
Dear Members of the Notre Dame Community,
In these trying times for all of us, I am very pleased to share with you some good news. This morning, upon my recommendation and that of the Provost Search Committee, the University’s Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Marie Lynn Miranda as the fifth Provost of Notre Dame. You can find at this link a press release describing Professor Miranda’s career and her exceptional qualifications. She comes to us as someone who has been a faculty member, dean and provost at three of the best research universities in the nation. She is a winner of the highest teaching award at Duke University, and is committed to the education and well-being of our students. An accomplished leader with many opportunities, she is drawn to Notre Dame by our distinctive Catholic mission. I very much look forward to welcoming her to campus.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the capable and dedicated Search Committee who helped us identify and recruit Professor Miranda. They generously gave many hours to attend listening sessions with faculty and staff in each of the colleges, with undergraduate students and with graduate students. Informed by those sessions, they helped craft a prospectus that went out to those whom we asked for recommendations and to prospective candidates. They reviewed the materials from a large pool of candidates, helped select the top candidates and participated in two rounds of interviews. Throughout this process, they represented Notre Dame at its best, and offered balanced, thoughtful and often incisive observations on the candidates. They served you, the faculty, and the University extremely well in their role.
The pool of candidates was talented, deep, and diverse. The interest in this position was due in large part to the University’s current strength and positive trajectory. We would not be in such a strong position without the exceptional leadership of our current Provost, Tom Burish. As I have said before, I believe Tom has been the most effective Provost in the nation in the past 15 years. He has overseen remarkable progress in the academy, and has put Notre Dame in a position to attract strong candidates to succeed him and to build on his success.
Professor Miranda is excited to join us as a colleague, and to lead Notre Dame to realize its promise – to become, even more, a preeminent research university with an unsurpassed undergraduate education, informed in all its endeavors by a distinctive Catholic mission. I know you will join me in welcoming her and working with her to serve the mission of Notre Dame.
Respectfully,
Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
President