Notre Dame Principles of Diversity and Inclusion

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion arises from our aspirations about the community we want to be, the educational environment we hope to provide our students, and the moral character they will develop during their time with us. It goes to the heart of our mission, to who we are and to what we want to be.

Respect the dignity of every person.

We affirm the transcendent dignity and worth of every human person, from conception to natural death, regardless of race, nationality or ethnic group, religious tradition, gender, socioeconomic class, immigration status, sexual orientation, or anything else.

Build a Notre Dame community in which all can flourish.

Human beings are inescapably social, and the flourishing of each individual is possible only in a social context in which we each have responsibilities to others and others have reciprocal responsibilities to us. Together, we strive to realize the common good — that which enables any sort of community and its members to flourish individually and collectively.

Live in solidarity with all, particularly the most vulnerable.

We are called to live in solidarity with all people, which arises from recognizing that the well- being of each person is a concern for us all. We are all, in one way or another, our sister’s and brother’s keeper. Solidarity demands that we strive to overcome fragmentation and separation to see the deeper unity we share with all people.

Originally articulated by University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. at the President's Annual Address to the Faculty on September 20, 2016.

University Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

Venite ad me omnes—“Come to me all of you.”  That is the inscription on the base of the statue of Jesus that stands before the Golden Dome with arms extended in welcome.  His heart—the Sacred Heart—is exposed, the image of a love that is disclosed, that seeks us out, embraces us and shares our burdens. 

The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the heart of our campus is a daily reminder of the kind of community we strive to be at Notre Dame—one that, recognizing the dignity of every member, welcomes each one fully,  treasures their gifts as a reflection of God, supports them and shares their struggles.  Such a community invites us out of isolation into something richer, more whole and sustaining.  The University Mission Statement recognizes that “the intellectual interchange essential to a university requires, and is enriched by, the presence and voices of diverse scholars and students.”  As an academic community, we strive to explore, discuss and, when appropriate, celebrate differences as well as commonalities, thus enriching our grasp of truth and understanding.   

Throughout its history, the Congregation of Holy Cross has made community—expressed in the image of a family—central to the life of the educational institutions it founded around the world, and we want all members, regardless of background, to feel included in that community.  We also remember that the University was founded by a small band of immigrants in this land, who then educated succeeding generations of immigrants– in time overcoming obstacles that were found in their path.  So we strive to reach out to those on the margins and work together to enable all to flourish.

In our commitment to diversity, we hope to reflect a global Church that is richly diverse ethnically and culturally, yet bound together in a family extending across the whole of the earth.        

At this moment, let us recommit ourselves to ensuring that every person who lives, teaches, studies and works on our campus is embraced into such a community.   In this way, we are co-creators of a Notre Dame community that seeks to embody ever more fully the love that radiates from the heart of Christ and the welcome of his open arms.   

Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C.
President, University of Notre Dame
Fall 2016

Spirit of Inclusion

“Strangers and sojourners no longer...” (Ephesians 2:19)