The great thinkers of the world, past and present, extend the realm of the possible. Year after year, they also continue to inspire generations of University of Notre Dame students and alumni.
While studying philosophy at Notre Dame, Paul E. Tierney Jr. ('64) was inspired to "think different." Today, after a successful career in business, he is chairman of TechnoServe, a nonprofit organization that provides training and guidance to entrepreneurs in developing economies in India, Africa, and Latin America.
And thanks to Notre Dame Professor of the Humanities Steve Fallon and other scholar-teachers like him, tomorrow's thought leaders—students such as Elizabeth Davis who plans to address food sustainability after her graduation in 2012—are still being educated to ask questions that matter and to use their curiosity, critical thinking skills, and creativity to analyze complex problems in service of the common good.
They demonstrate that while there are no simple answers to universal problems, there are new perspectives and solutions worth pursuing.
Finding Inspiration in the Great Questions—and History's Great Thinkers (video)
http://video.nd.edu/209-academically-speaking-steve-fallon
Stephen Fallon Leads Marathon Student Reading of Milton's Paradise Lost (video)
http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/21683-marathon-reading-of-paradise-lost-highlights-miltons-masterpiece/Paul Tierney: The Investor (ND Magazine story)
http://magazine.nd.edu/news/18884/
Elizabeth Davis (2012) Notre Dame Student Selected as Truman Scholar (ND news story)
http://al.nd.edu/news/21949-notre-dame-student-named-2011-truman-scholar/
More from What Would You Fight For?
- 1:01Still fightingThe beloved What Would You Fight For series celebrates 100 episodes, and Notre Dame continues its fight to improve the lives of others
- 2:02Fighting Disease (Haiti)Father Thomas Streit, C.S.C., Department of Biological Sciences, Haiti Program Since 1997, Notre Dame has been committed to the elimination of lymphatic filariasis. Through the mass treatment of more than 1.3 million people annually, the Haiti Program, led by Notre Dame biologist Father Thomas Streit, is one of the world's premier initiatives against elephantiasis.
- 2:01Fighting On and Off the FieldIn Nepal, millions of girls suffer in extreme poverty, deprived of even the most basic human rights. Many are abandoned, abused, or forced into child labor. University of Notre Dame women's soccer player Lindsay Brown and her 2010 national champion teammates are doing more than just hoping for a better life for Nepali girls; they're helping them to achieve it.Through a series of campus fundraisers, the women's soccer team sponsored the education of several girls at the Nepal's Kopila Valley School. Fighting to make an even bigger impact, Lindsay traveled to Surkhet over the summer to volunteer as a teacher, as well as to establish the school's girls soccer team. Their efforts truly demonstrate the power of athletics to educate, to inspire, and to build community. http://fightingfor.nd.edu/nepal
- 2:01Fighting For Breakthroughs in the Treatment of Autismhttp://fightingfor.nd.edu/autism/ One out of every 100 children in the United States is diagnosed each year with autism, a disorder that affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. An interdisciplinary research team led by Notre Dame psychology professor Joshua Diehl is studying the effectiveness of robots in behavior-based communication therapies for children with autism, in an effort to break through barriers and discover effective treatment plans.
- 2:01Fighting To Preserve Our HeritageWhat if, in an instant, one of the world's most renowned, most beloved, most iconic sites was destroyed? Across the globe, many important cultural heritage monuments face the real threat of ruin by human or natural disaster. Scholars at Notre Dame are helping to ensure the preservation of these treasures.Architecture professor Krupali Krusche has launched a Digital Historical Architecture Research and Material Analysis initiative, which is mapping World Heritage Sites like the Taj Mahal and the Roman Forum with unprecedented precision and detail. The digital assessments will be translated into 3-D models which will provide essential information to best preserve and restore these sites in the future.Professor Krusche's comprehensive mapping technology and expertise have led her to be recognized as a leading expert on the construction of Taj Mahal. After earthquakes devastated much of nearby Nepal last spring authorities called on Professor Krusche to assess the condition of the Taj Mahal and identify any deterioration to ensure the future of the Indian landmark.
- 0:31We Are The Fighting IrishAt Notre Dame, we fight for what we believe in. Through ethical leadership, education, research and outreach, the University seeks to cultivate in its students not only an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings, but also a disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice, and oppression that burden the lives of so many. The aim is to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice.
