As the University of Notre Dame welcomes new and returning members of its community for the academic year University president Rev. Robert Dowd has urged the campus to engage in respectful dialogue in light of ongoing global conflicts and the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
In an email sent out Tuesday to the Notre Dame community, Dowd emphasized the importance of fostering understanding and constructive conversation across differences of opinion. He announced that this year's Notre Dame Forum will focus on the theme, “What Do We Owe Each Other?”
The Notre Dame Forum will feature various events, including a keynote session on September 12, coinciding with the Presidential Inauguration. The Forum will feature discussions on Catholic social teaching, the presidential election and the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
Fr. Dowd also shared a Statement on Freedom of Expression, reaffirming the University's commitment to academic freedom while calling for a community rooted in respect and charity. He urged students, faculty and staff to actively participate in dialogues that bridge divides and promote healing.
“As members of this Catholic university community, we hold ourselves to a higher standard,” Fr. Dowd wrote. “We will not treat those who disagree with us with contempt, but rather, engage with respect and understanding.”
The president concluded his message with a call to action, encouraging the Notre Dame community to be a model of respectful dialogue in a world fraught with division.
