Dear Students,
This comes with my very best wishes to all new and returning Notre Dame students. Whether you are arriving on campus for the first time or returning after a summer away, we are very glad you are part of the Notre Dame community.
As we celebrate the new academic year, I invite you to attend the campus-wide Opening of the Academic Year Mass on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 5:30 p.m. in the Joyce Center’s Purcell Pavilion. Please join me on this important occasion, as we gather to welcome new members and ask God’s blessing on our endeavors this year. Following Mass, there will be a picnic on South Quad, where music and entertainment are planned. All are welcome.
The University of Notre Dame’s mission is distinctive. We strive to offer an undergraduate education of the whole — mind, body and spirit — that is second to none. We cultivate scholarly excellence, and we advance human understanding through top-tier research and post-baccalaureate programs. In all that we do, we ensure that the Catholic identity of Notre Dame informs our efforts.
As you know, the University has a rich history. Generations of Notre Dame graduates have been shaped by their experiences here, and they, in turn, have left their mark on the University. We invite you to do the same, to be part of Notre Dame’s present as well as its future. Individually and collectively, you have tremendous talents and gifts to share. At a time when the world’s need for compassionate and creative leaders is great, I hope you will take every day, every place on this campus and every conversation with those you encounter here as an opportunity to engage, learn and grow. You are Notre Dame, and we are better because you are here.
Once again, welcome. I wish you every grace and blessing, and my prayers are with you.
In Notre Dame,
Fr. John Jenkins
president
University of Notre Dame
