Rev. Robert Dowd officially begins tenure as Notre Dame president

Best of luck to Father Bob.

June has begun and so has a new era in Notre Dame’s long history. The [autotag]Rev. Robert Dowd[/autotag] officially has succeeded the [autotag]Rev. John Jenkins[/autotag] as the 18th president in the university’s history. Dowd, affectionately known as Father Bob, was greeted appropriately on social media:

Dowd’s time as president comes at a very interesting time in the university’s history. In March, [autotag]Pete Bevacqua[/autotag] took over the athletic department for [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag]. That’s two big changes for the university in only a few months.

This also is happening at a time when college football is at a crossroads with the advent of NIL and the expanded College Football Playoff. For most of Notre Dame’s other sports, the future of the ACC somewhat is concerning as it risks being swallowed by the new super conferences in the SEC and Big Ten.

The problem for Dowd and Bevacqua is how to navigate Notre Dame through all these changes that are coming faster than anyone keep up. As long as wins come, Irish fans will be happy. They need to recognize that.

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