A Letter to the Notre Dame Community - August 2025

Dear Members of the Notre Dame Community,

To those who are new to campus, welcome. To those returning to campus after a summer away, we are glad you are back. I look forward to the year ahead with great anticipation and joy, and I hope you do as well.

As this academic year begins, it is good for us to rededicate ourselves to our mission. That mission brings together the life of the mind and the heart, scientific discovery and moral wisdom, as we seek to advance human knowledge through specialized disciplinary expertise as well as multidisciplinary collaboration. Most fundamentally, in a time of rapid change, we remain committed to being a “Catholic academic community of higher learning, animated from its origins by the Congregation of Holy Cross . . . dedicated to the pursuit and sharing of truth for its own sake . . . enriched by the presence and voices of diverse scholars and students.” (University Mission Statement)

As I announced last spring, our Notre Dame Forum theme for the year is “Cultivating Hope.” Before his passing, Pope Francis announced that 2025 would be a Jubilee Year, a special year of forgiveness, reconciliation, and renewal celebrated by the Church every 25 years, and that “Pilgrims of Hope” would be the theme of this Jubilee Year. In doing so, Pope Francis observed that “hope and kindness touch the very heart of the Gospel.” He acknowledged that “kindness is not a diplomatic strategy” nor “a set of rules to ensure social harmony,” but rather “a form of love that opens hearts to acceptance and helps us all to become more humble.”

As members of the Notre Dame community, these notions of hope and love resonate with us in a special way. The motto of the Congregation of Holy Cross is “The Cross, Our Only Hope,” words etched in Latin on the floor of the Main Building Rotunda. In my inaugural address last September, I encouraged us all to be “seekers of truth, sustainers of hope, and builders of bridges.” Of course, we will only be the sustainers of hope we are called to be if we acknowledge our own struggles and seek to understand the suffering, pain, and injustice in the world around us. Rooted in our faith in God’s promises, hope is an active virtue that transforms our lives and motivates us to turn our gifts and talents to the service of others. As we know well, it can seem that hope is in short supply at a challenging time in human history.

We will host a series of events as part of the Forum this year, and I invite you to join us for as many of these events as possible. Beyond your attendance at these events, I hope you will seek out the opportunities available to each of us—whether in the classroom, lab, studio, residence hall, or workplace—to consider how we might, as individuals and as a community, cultivate hope in our own hearts and in the wider world.

If we are willing to work together for a brighter future, hope can transcend division. This does not mean ignoring our differences; rather, we must listen to and learn from those who do not share our convictions. Obviously, it is important that we each feel free to express our views and to support those causes we believe in. At the same time, we are diminished as individuals and as a community if we engage only with the like-minded, and most especially, if we fail to treat with respect those with whom we disagree.

I draw your attention once again to our Statement on Freedom of Expression, which articulates the University’s unwavering commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression, and the rights and responsibilities that accompany those freedoms. We seek to build a community that combines passionate pursuit of truth through inquiry and dialogue with respect and charity toward anyone with whom we disagree. Speech that incites violence, involves threats, or constitutes harassment will not be tolerated. In addition, compliance with Notre Dame’s policy regarding the time, manner, and place for free expression is essential so that the work of the University—the teaching, learning, research, and intellectual exchange core to our mission—can continue even as we grapple with important issues.

At Notre Dame, we walk together as a community of faith, hope, and love, and none of us need walk alone. Whether you are new to the University or have been part of it for some time, know that you belong here. Each of us brings unique gifts and talents, and we are immeasurably enriched by your presence. Let us work together to build a community that reflects ever more fully God’s love and mercy and the richness of his creation.

Be assured of my prayers for you all as we seek to exemplify the spirit of Notre Dame and pursue the truth in love.

Sincerely Yours in Notre Dame,

Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
President

August 26, 2025