Tag: Rev. Robert Dowd

Photos of Notre Dame president Rev. Robert Dowd inauguration ceremony

A day of celebration in South Bend.

Notre Dame has a long and storied history, but only three times has a new president actually been inaugurated. The latest has come with the inauguration ceremony for the [autotag]Rev. Robert Dowd[/autotag], the 18th president of the university. Though he officially assumed the role in June, he finally had a chance to bask in the pageantry that comes with becoming a new president.

The day didn’t come without some tension though. The day before the ceremony, Dowd tested positive for COVID-19. The good news is the isolation period for the disease only is 24 hours now, but he still masked up while near others indoors. It’s a reminder that illnesses can affect even the most thought-out plans.

Despite the development, it still was a day of celebration in South Bend. Hopefully, it’s the perfect stepping stone to what will be steady leadership from Dowd for many years to come.

If you missed the ceremony, here are some images of it:

Notre Dame president tests positive for COVID-19 before inauguration

Tough news for the head man.

2024 marks a new era for Notre Dame in the form of a new president, the [autotag]Rev. Robert Dowd[/autotag]. It’s way too early to tell exactly what impact he’ll have on the university, but hopefully, it mostly will be for the better, both for athletics and otherwise.

However, Dowd is human, and we’re not far removed from COVID-19 upending everyone’s way of life. Even with the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, the disease very much remains out there, and it can affect anyone at any time. Notre Dame’s previous president, the [autotag]Rev. John Jenkins[/autotag], tested positive for it during the pandemic.

Unfortunately for Dowd, he has tested positive for the disease, and the timing for it couldn’t have been worse:

The good news is that earlier this year, CDC guidelines relaxed the isolation period to 24 hours from the previous five days. So it’s not like Dowd will have to miss his inauguration bonanza altogether. Still, it’s a reminder that the real world can and will inject itself into pageantry whenever it feels like it.

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New Notre Dame president talks about changing college athletics

Hear from the new head honcho.

We only are a few days into the [autotag]Rev. Robert Dowd[/autotag]’s tenure as Notre Dame’s 18th president. He’ll be confronted with many challenges out of the gate and many more in the years to come.

One issue that is starting out complicated and only figures to get more so is the changing landscape of college athletics. In a profile piece about Dowd for Notre Dame Magazine, one excerpt shows his thoughts on this very subject:

“Dowd has been a Notre Dame football fan since childhood, attending all games when he’s on campus. He’s closely following the myriad changes in college athletics. ‘That’s becoming a wild and ever-shifting landscape,’ he says.

‘I want to make it perfectly clear that we’re going to do our best to maintain integrity,’ he says. Notre Dame is foremost an academic institution, but at the same time aims to compete at the highest level on the athletic field. ‘And I really think to do both is the Notre Dame way.’

‘Ultimately, finally, we want to do what’s best for our student-athletes and what’s best for the University,’ Dowd says.”

So there you have it. The question now becomes how he and new athletic director [autotag]Pete Bevacqua[/autotag] plan to keep Notre Dame competitive athletically to the point where a few more national championships can be added. Irish fans who are hungry for a winner will be eager to find out.

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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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Rev. Robert Dowd elected as Notre Dame’s 18th president

The future is near.

The Notre Dame community now knows who will lead the university when the [autotag]Rev. John Jenkins[/autotag] retires after the current academic year. The [autotag]Rev. Robert Dowd[/autotag] has been elected as the 18th president in the university’s history. He will take over for Jenkins on July 1.

Dowd originally is from Michigan City, which is about 40 miles west of campus. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in 1987 and, after being ordained a priest in 1994, served as part of campus ministry. Since 2004, he has been a faculty member of the political science department.

Jack Brennan, the head of the university’s board of trustees, said the following:

“We are thrilled that Father Dowd will be Notre Dame’s next leader. His character and intellect, along with his broad academic and administrative experience and his deep commitment to Notre Dame, make him an ideal person to lead the University into the future. Since its founding, Notre Dame has been led by a priest-president from the Congregation of Holy Cross, the religious order to which Father Sorin, the University’s founder, belonged. The University has had only three presidents in the last 70 years, each exceptional in their own right – Father Jenkins, Father Edward Malloy, C.S.C., and Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C. Father Dowd continues in this rich tradition.”

Dowd, meanwhile, said this:

“I am deeply humbled and honored by the Board’s decision. We can all be grateful for Father Jenkins’ selfless and courageous leadership for almost two decades. Working together with others, his efforts have positioned the University extremely well in every way. We will build on those efforts. Informed by our Catholic mission, we will work together so that Notre Dame is an ever-greater engine of insight, innovation and impact, addressing society’s greatest challenges and helping young people to realize their potential for good.”

Here’s to much success for Dowd and the university once he assumes the reins.

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