Presidential Agenda

The new president will be joining a university with a “can do” culture, where everyone contributes to getting the job done. The president will lead the community in immediately addressing the following areas.

Notre Dame’s University Identity

The president will lead the Notre Dame community in building a strategic plan to reconfirm the University’s mission and strengthen its unique Catholic identity. This agenda calls for preserving the integrity of the undergraduate women’s college while ensuring the quality, visibility and credibility of all graduate, professional and extended programs within a University context.  Re-enforcing the programs and services that are unique features of the school and ensuring a strong self-image will be essential in positioning the University and expanding visibility in the region and throughout the nation and the world.

External Relations

One of Notre Dame’s greatest strengths, consistent with the values of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, is the institution’s history of innovation and responsiveness to needs within the Baltimore and greater Maryland communities, as well as to the broader issues of the region and the nation. The president will ensure the preservation and expansion of external relations regionally, nationally and internationally on behalf of the University. This agenda will include securing collaboration and support in building both academic programs and financial resources.

Fundraising for the Capital Campaign and Beyond

The University is currently engaged in a Capital Campaign referenced previously. The president will become immediately engaged in the work of the campaign, with the help and support of the Board of Trustees, to bring the campaign to successful closure. With the new university designation and expansion of diverse programs, it is anticipated that new areas of opportunity can be identified for both friend raising and fundraising. The president will be actively involved in both the identification of new resources for the University and the preservation of relations with current supporters. Future fundraising plans will be consistent with goals identified in the strategic plan for the University and will enhance the University’s financial strength.

Campus Unity

Another great strength of Notre Dame is the personal attention and respect provided to students and encouraged among all campus constituencies. There is concern that expansion of the institution to university status may undermine these important values. The president will provide a leadership presence that offers accessibility and encourages respect and open communication throughout the institution. This will necessarily include appropriate recognition of all programs and services and continued vigilance in encouraging integration, collaboration and consensus throughout the University. In the spirit of “honoring the past while embracing the future,” the president must provide a balance in protecting tradition and values, while ensuring outward visibility and forward movement for the institution.

University Structure and Master Plan

The evolution from college to university calls for presidential leadership that focuses on the University’s future as a more complex institution. The president will continue to lead the university community in addressing organizational development, staffing and technology to meet the needs of major academic units serving multiple student audiences.The Master Plan for the University will need to address an expanded, improved infrastructure. The Notre Dame community will need the president’s vision and guidance in moving the institution to a cohesive, integrated university with a healthy future.