The Spirit of Land O’Lakes
The Land O’Lakes Statement, which insisted upon the “true autonomy” of Catholic universities “in the face of authority of any kind both lay and clerical,” inaugurated a period of unprecedented secularization of Catholic schools. NOTRE DAME, IN — The issuance 50 years ago of the Land O’Lakes Statement by prominent Catholic educators led by Father Theodore […]
Catholic By Design
The ND School of Architecture earns high praise for pioneering a return to classicism and urban planning nurtured by a Catholic perspective. Duncan G. Stroik is a practicing architect, author, and Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. His award-winning work includes the renovation of the sanctuary of Saint Mary Church in Norwalk, Connecticut, which […]
Academic Freedom Wins A Round
Shortly before a band of Notre Dame students drew national attention by walking out on Vice President Pence at commencement, a Notre Dame professor’s stand against student intolerance for unfashionable views had been publicized on national television. We take note. NOTRE DAME, IN — The photo below, which shows a Notre Dame football player being […]
A (Mostly) Fine Commencement
Some 100-150 members of the class of 2017 “respectfully” walk out on Vice President Pence’s commencement address in an officially sanctioned demonstration. NOTRE DAME, IN — Except for a few minutes of university-sanctioned agitation by a handful of discomposed students, the 2017 Notre Dame commencement was a fine affair. As the sun broke through the threatening […]
LGBT & Pro-Life Week on Campus
An April week brought to campus an LGBT protest of Vice President Pence, acknowledgment that the Gender Studies Program contradicts Catholic teaching, and celebrations of both same-sex marriage and pro-life champions. NOTRE DAME, IN — A lot went on at Notre Dame just a few weeks ago. On the LGBT front, Notre Dame student […]
It Depends on What They Mean by “Small”
With yet another tuition increase far exceeding inflation, the cost of a Notre Dame education balloons to nearly $70,000 next school year. NOTRE DAME, IN — In a February 17 press release, the university announced a tuition increase for next year: [box border=”full”]Undergraduate tuition and fees at the University of Notre Dame will increase 3.7 percent […]
Pence’s Turn for Student Brickbats
Now it is protests by Notre Dame students against Vice President Pence as commencement speaker rather than against President Trump that have drawn national attention. Notre Dame’s honoring of President Obama in 2009 continues to dog the university. The university’s having Pence instead of Trump as commencement speaker appears designed to mollify Trump supporters […]
The Commencement Speech That Wasn’t
Fake news: President Trump’s Notre Dame Commencement Address When the news broke that President Trump would not deliver Notre Dame’s 2017 commencement address nor receive an honorary degree despite the university’s tradition of honoring newly elected presidents in this fashion, The Irish Rover, Notre Dame’s independent student newspaper, published the following consolation offering. Trump’s Commencement […]
The Laetare Medal Misfire, Chapter 2
Notre Dame has chosen a dissident priest to receive the 2017 Laetare Medal. After last year’s unsettling award of the Laetare Medal to Vice President Joe Biden despite his championship of abortion rights and same-sex marriage, one might have hoped for a respite this year. It was not to be. On March 26, Notre Dame […]
The Ghost of Commencement Past
Notre Dame’s defense against charges of scandal surrounding President Obama’s 2009 commencement address is belied by its refusal to extend the same honor to President Trump. NOTRE DAME, IN — By declining to invite President Trump to deliver this year’s commencement address after the 2009 invitation to President Obama, the nation’s most pro-abortion president, Father Jenkins scuttled his […]
