The U.S. Senate today confirmed the nomination of University of Notre Dame alumnus and former senator Joe Donnelly as ambassador to the Holy See.

Walk the Walk Week, an annual celebration at the University of Notre Dame of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., kicked off Tuesday (Jan. 18) with a student-focused panel discussion titled “Walk the Walk: Building the ‘Beloved Community’ at Notre Dame” — a reference to King’s vision of a global community characterized by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood.

Robert McQuade, vice president for human resources at the University of Notre Dame for nearly 17 years, will retire June 30, Executive Vice President Shannon Cullinan announced today.

University of Notre Dame alumnae Irla Atanda and Amber Bryan have been named Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Fellows. Alumna DeJorie Monroe has been named a Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellow. This is the University’s first Rangel Graduate Fellow and second and third Pickering Graduate Fellows.

The following letter of appreciation from University of Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., on the accomplishments of Marie Lynn Miranda, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of the University, was sent Dec. 13 to faculty and academic staff:  Dear Colleagues, On behalf of the University community, I write to offer my sincere thanks to Marie Lynn Miranda for her dedication and hard work as Provost, and congratulate her on her significant accomplishments during her time as Provost.  As you know, she has taken a critical leadership role in increasing faculty and student diversity and creating programs that will serve faculty and students of color as well as those from lower-resource backgrounds.  She has championed several innovative educational innovations and has raised the profile of graduate education at Notre Dame.  She initiated the “Moment to See, Courage to Act” process, which has generated great excitement and creativity in thinking about our future.  On top of all these accomplishments, she has provided critical leadership in helping us navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.  In a short time as Provost, Marie Lynn has created a legacy on which we, in the coming months and years, can build.…

Marie Lynn Miranda, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost of the University of Notre Dame, has announced her intention to step aside as provost, effective Dec. 31. She will remain a tenured member of the faculty.

Offered through the Department of Political Science, the Hesburgh Program in Public Service, the Constitutional Studies Minor and the Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government, Philanthropy and the Common Good is an experiential course that offers students the opportunity to engage with local nonprofits while learning about the history and role of philanthropy in the U.S.

Leege died Nov. 20 in Green Valley, Arizona, at the age of 84.

University of Notre Dame alumna MacKenzie Isaac will study at the University of Oxford in England next year as a member of the United States Rhodes Scholar Class of 2022.