The University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees elected Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on Friday (Oct. 16) to a second five-year term as president of the University, effective at the conclusion of his first term June 30, 2010, Chairman Richard C. Notebaert announced on behalf of the Board of Trustees.
“The vision and leadership that Father Jenkins has demonstrated in his first four years in office have been inspiring and innovative,” Notebaert said. “Building upon the foundation set by his Holy Cross predecessors, he is making the aspirations of this University a reality. The Fellows and Trustees look forward to continuing our work with him in service to Our Lady’s University.”
“I am humbled that the Board has expressed its confidence by electing me to a second term,” Father Jenkins said. “With the support of our Trustees, I will continue pursuing the goals I cited at my inauguration four years ago – offering an unsurpassed undergraduate education, becoming even more pre-eminent as a research university, and ensuring that our Catholic character informs all that we do.”
In a resolution issued Friday, the Fellows of the University said Father Jenkins has “combined courageous leadership with the kind of priestly dedication, pastoral concern and inspiration that we have come to expect of a President of Notre Dame.” They expressed their “appreciation for the commitment” of Father Jenkins to the “Catholic character of the University.”
In a separate resolution, the Trustees spoke of their “respect and full confidence” in Father Jenkins, adding that he has “advanced the institutional mission of the University to attain the highest standards of excellence in teaching, scholarship and research in a community of learning where truth is informed by belief and where, specifically, the Catholic faith and intellectual tradition are celebrated and lived.”
Father Jenkins was elected president by the Board on April 30, 2004, and became the University’s 17th president July 1, 2005. He had served the previous four years as vice president and associate provost.
At Father Jenkins’ inauguration Sept. 23, 2005, he stated, “My presidency will be driven by a wholehearted commitment to uniting and integrating these two indispensable and wholly compatible strands of higher learning: academic excellence and religious faith.”
More specifically, Father Jenkins has articulated a vision for the University that focuses on its becoming a pre-eminent research institution while maintaining its distinctive Catholic character and long-time excellence in undergraduate education.
Father Jenkins biography is available online at http://www.nd.edu/leadership/officers/john-jenkins/
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on October 16, 2009.