Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Now that the fall semester is fully under way, we are excited to relaunch our newsletter after a brief hiatus. We have exciting news to share after what has been an eventful summer with several important developments.
As most of you know, the Office of Institutional Transformation (OOIT) was launched in Academic Year (AY) 2022-2023 with the aim of synergizing our campus-wide efforts to promote belonging. Over the past three years, our office has enjoyed tremendous success in helping facilitate campus-wide belonging initiatives, and we have been heartened by the positive response of so many to our efforts.
In assessing our work to date, we have taken note of two concerns: confusion about the meaning of “transformation” for Notre Dame; and the need for nomenclature—in all University endeavors—aligning unambiguously with our identity, core values, and objectives as a Catholic research university. In order to make clear how our efforts align with Catholic Social Teaching and the educational charism of the Congregation of Holy Cross, we are reconceptualizing our efforts and taking on a new designation—the Office of Belonging, Engagement, and Mission (BEAM).
As BEAM, we will deepen our existing slate of OOIT activities and continue to serve as a supportive “hub” for students, faculty, staff, and departmental representatives addressing issues related to belonging, engagement, mission, and institutional growth. We will also help campus partners create and modify roadmaps for thriving, in keeping with the University’s perennial goal of being the leading global Catholic research university.
We will continue issuing this occasional newsletter to keep everyone apprised of our efforts and those of campus partners along with our BEAM Community of Practice, whose purpose will be to provide encouragement and support for those engaged in initiatives promoting belonging, engagement, and other mission-specific objectives flourishing across units.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy and are uplifted by the stories featured in this issue of the newsletter. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions you may have. We look forward to working with you to nurture love and community at Notre Dame in the days ahead.
Sincerely,
(The Rev. Canon) Hugh R. Page, Jr., DMin, PhD, LHD
Vice President for Belonging, Engagement, and Mission and Advisor to the President
Professor of Theology and Africana Studies