In his annual faculty address on Thursday, University President Father Edward Malloy presented the University's most recent 10-year strategic planning report, entitled "Notre Dame 2010: Fulfilling the Promise."
The 2003 version of the decennial report highlights Notre Dame's "providential mission" to be one of the great universities of the world, which relates to the University's position as a great Catholic academic institution, Malloy said.
"We must take the next step and measure our success by the highest standards in consonance with Catholic tradition," said Malloy. "The time has come to fulfill our potential of historic greatness."
"Notre Dame 2010: Fulfilling the Promise" proposes three essential goals for the University over the next decade: improvement in the relationship between teaching and research, emphasis of the centrality of community in educating the "whole person" and the fostering of a pre-eminent center of Catholic intellectual life.
Malloy said teaching and research are "two facets of the same academic reality." The University can maintain its successful programs in teaching and research by striving for innovation in teaching and forging for itself an acknowledged position among peer institutions in terms of both graduate programs and faculty research Malloy said.
"We will not grow substantially in size, but rather in quality," Malloy said of the planned enhancement of doctoral and research programs.
Notre Dame hopes to establish a more comprehensive learning community by increasing diversity of both students and faculty.
"We've got a long way yet to go, but I think we are making progress," Malloy said.
"The University will strive to strengthen faith in students and to provide a "vibrant, healthy social and extracurricular life."
He encouraged a "heightened sensitivity to cultural issues," while insisting upon the University's responsibility to restore trust within its community in the midst of scandals within the Church and chaos in economic and political spheres.
He said Notre Dame has a responsibility to criticize and propose a "way to move forward."
"There ought to be great conversation at a great Catholic university," Malloy said as he urged the faculty to dismiss "jargon-ridden conversation" and embrace the depth of resources it possesses.
Malloy said Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a model for faith-based intellectual conversation because he integrated faith, social issues and healing.
"Ethics ought to inform all that we do," Malloy said.
