Plans are well underway for the three-day celebration September 11–13 in honor of the inauguration of Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., who became the University’s 18th president June 1. All members of the Notre Dame community are invited to take part in this historic celebration. Father Dowd’s inauguration will mark only the third presidential inauguration in more than 70 years at the University.
The central inauguration events will be held Friday, September 13, beginning with a special Inauguration Mass to be celebrated in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Inauguration Ceremony will take place at a convocation in the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m., and all members of the Notre Dame community are encouraged to attend. Classes are canceled on September 13 to allow participation, and where possible, University departments are encouraged to accommodate staff attendance at the convocation that afternoon. A livestream of Mass and convocation will be available for viewing by our colleagues around the world.
An academic procession from the Main Building to the Joyce Center will precede the convocation, beginning on the Main Building steps with a reading from a letter written by University founder Rev. Edward F. Sorin, C.S.C.
All faculty are invited to participate in the procession in academic regalia. Faculty will receive more information about how to participate in early August, including how they may rent academic garb at no cost through the Hammes Bookstore.
The University will kick off the three-day celebration with a campus-wide picnic on Wednesday, September 11, open to Notre Dame students, faculty, and staff and their families, which will feature food trucks and a live performance by The High Kings.
On Thursday, September 12, a special set of Notre Dame Forum discussions are planned to mark the Inauguration, beginning at 11:00 a.m. This year’s ND Forum focuses on the theme “What do we owe each other?” Open to the entire Notre Dame community, this series of “fireside chats” in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center will feature international leaders in global development, philanthropy, and the future of technology. The list of speakers will be announced soon.
Following the convocation on Friday, a free but ticketed concert for students, faculty, and staff will feature Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste. Information on ticketing will be shared in early August. The evening will conclude with a Student Ball in Notre Dame Stadium.
In the week after the Inauguration, Notre Dame will partner with Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County on Inauguration Build 2024. During the week of September 16–20, faculty, staff, and students will have the chance to volunteer to help construct five affordable homes on South Bend’s Near Northwest Side. More information on how to sign up will follow.
For a full list of Inauguration events, visit president.nd.edu/inauguration-events/.
Questions can be directed to inauguration@nd.edu.
Originally published by at ndworks.nd.edu on July 22, 2024.