The University of Notre Dame ranks second in the nation for study abroad participation among doctorate-granting universities, according to the latest Institute of International Education Open Doors report. This new designation, which ranks Notre Dame second with a participation rate of 77 percent for undergraduate students during 2021-22, recognizes the University’s commitment to global education.

The Alexandria Award recognizes a middle grade or young adult book that advances Gospel values through the positive actions and portrayals of tenacious adolescents. It is named for St. Catherine of Alexandria, an adolescent Christian of the fourth century who was an eager student and a famed orator. Copies of the book will be given to schools across the country, including local schools in South Bend, and will be accompanied by a curriculum insert designed by an expert teacher offering a sample lesson plan.

The Alliance for Catholic Education awarded John and Sue Sobrato, known for their deep support of Catholic schools in the Bay Area and beyond, the 2023 Notre Dame Award for Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Education. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Alliance for Catholic Education.

Five University of Notre Dame alumni have been recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30 recipients. Forbes unveils its 30 Under 30 list each fall, spotlighting the 30 most accomplished individuals in the United States under the age of 30 in various industries. The list features emerging talent in 20 fields, including finance, science, health care, education, music, art, style, social impact and more.

The AI Alliance is a broad, international coalition of organizations that are working across numerous aspects of artificial intelligence education, research, development, deployment and governance. Its aim is to enhance the social benefits of AI by supporting open innovation and ensuring that AI systems are safe, secure and trustworthy.

The University of Notre Dame has acquired the historic portion of the former South Bend Tribune property from Schurz Communications. Acquisition of the property represents an early milestone for the University’s newly adopted strategic framework, which calls for meaningful investments in science and engineering and further collaborations to advance economic well-being in the South Bend-Elkhart region.

A new venture capital fund to advance the commercialization of University of Notre Dame and South Bend-area innovations has reached a key milestone. Indianapolis-based High Alpha Innovation has successfully closed the first $17.5 million of the 1842 Fund,…

The Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame has elected Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., as the University’s 18th president, effective July 1. He will succeed Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., who announced in October that he will step down at the end of the 2023-24 academic year after serving as president for 19 years.…

Philanthropy and the Common Good students awarded a combined $59,000 to five local nonprofits during an event Tuesday (Nov. 28) at McKenna Hall at the University of Notre Dame.

Marie Isabel Charles, assistant provost emerita and former director of international studies at the University of Notre Dame, died Sunday (Nov. 26). She was 97. Charles joined the University faculty as an associate professor of English and assistant dean in the College of Arts and Letters in 1973. She became dean of the college in 1976 and was the first woman appointed as dean or assistant dean at Notre Dame.

A new gateway to the University of Notre Dame continues the University’s long legacy of commitment to the arts. Welcoming visitors from across the country, the new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art opens its doors to the public Friday (Dec. 1). The new 70,000-square-foot building on the northeast corner of Eddy Street and Angela Boulevard is designed by the award-winning firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA). Recognized as a leader in classical-inspired architecture, RAMSA has designed an expanded home for the University’s robust art collections that honors both tradition and innovation. The building’s brick, cast stone and Indiana limestone exterior blends with other historic buildings on campus. The new museum, occupying a prominent intersection where the University’s campus meets the greater community, will anchor and function as a gateway to an expanding on-campus arts district.…

Building on its pioneering Country Index, which ranks climate vulnerability and readiness across more than 180 countries, the University of Notre Dame’s Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) will soon begin tracking the progress of such efforts in cities around the world. Based on evolving climate vulnerability and adaptation research, the Global Urban Climate Assessment (GUCA) aims to develop a pilot decision-support tool to inform actions and investments in urban areas.

The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, in partnership with the Ratzinger Foundation and the Benedict XVI Institute, is hosting a series of academic panels discussing “Benedict XVI’s Legacy: Unfinished Debates on Faith, Culture, and Politics,” with the first event to be held Wednesday (Nov. 29) at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

In her undergraduate course Decolonizing Gaming, Ashlee Bird, an assistant professor of American studies, asks students to consider how video games teach players to behave within digital worlds and to examine colonial narratives around violence, race, gender, sexuality and relationship to the land.

Drawing on insights from his latest book, “Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point,” Harvard University professor and New York Times bestselling author Steven Levitsky will serve as keynote speaker at a Notre Dame Forum event at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 (Monday). The event will take place in McKenna Hall, Room 215/216, and is free and open to the public.…

Students in the Robinson Community Center's afterschool program visited Lakeland Academy of Tennis recently as part of a pilot progam aimed at introducing South Bend-area youth to the fast-paced racket sport.

The Nanovic Institute for European Studies at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs will welcome Mikuláš Dzurinda, who served as prime minister of Slovakia from 1998 until 2006, to deliver the Nanovic Forum lecture “The Challenges Facing Both Shores of the Atlantic” at 11 a.m. Nov. 30 (Thursday) in the Hesburgh Center Auditorium. His address will consider the context of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, terrorist activities in Africa and other factors causing global destabilization before offering a perspective on how democratic nations can respond in a united way.

Notre Dame Law School has established a new Global Human Rights Clinic. Launching in spring 2024, the new clinic will be the experiential learning unit of the Law School’s LL.M. Program in Human Rights Law and will be open to J.D. and Human Rights LL.M. students.