Elizabeth Nanovic, a founding benefactor and advisory board member of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, passed away on March 30. She was 90.

Elizabeth, along with her husband, Robert Nanovic, founded the institute as the Nanovic Center for European Studies in 1992 under its first director, J. Robert Wegs.

She grew up in Long Island, New York, was a graduate of Hofstra University, and had a successful career for many years as an editor with McGraw-Hill. She had lifelong passions for nature, the arts and culture, which inspired her later philanthropy.

Speaking about why she personally wanted to invest in the institute at Notre Dame, Elizabeth said, “[My daughter] had graduated, and I was so impressed with the care that they took of her coming in as a freshman; she was my first to leave home.” She concluded, “I was just impressed with the way they took care of the kids and so I became a fan.”

For more than 30 years, she was a vibrant part of the institute's life, attending an array of Nanovic Institute events, taking a pivotal role in the advisory board and being a source of inspiration and wisdom for the institute team. In addition to these roles, she and her husband are the namesake of Nanovic Hall, the administrative center of both the Keough School dean’s office and the Nanovic Institute. This building offers classroom and office space for many Notre Dame units. She is individually commemorated in this building with the Elizabeth E. Nanovic Seminar Room, Room 1050.

“Elizabeth and her husband, Bob, have been invaluable supporters of the Nanovic Institute, the Keough School and the broader Notre Dame community for decades,” said Mary Gallagher, the Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School of Global Affairs. “Their unwavering generosity and dedication have made a lasting impact. We, alongside the countless Notre Dame students whose lives have been enriched by their support, are forever grateful for their steadfast commitment. Liz will be deeply missed.”

Elizabeth is fondly remembered among many of the institute staff and faculty fellows, as well as her three children and seven grandchildren.

Family and friends will gather on Sunday (April 6), and a funeral service is scheduled for Monday (April 7) at 11 a.m. at St. Pius X Church in Portland, Maine. To express condolences, please visit the memorial page hosted by Conroy Tully Walker Funeral Home.

An official obituary may be read in the Portland Press Herald.

Originally published by Keith Sayer at nanovic.nd.edu on April 3.