University Mission and Vision

The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842 by Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., a priest from the Congregation of Holy Cross who was directed by Father Moreau to establish a university in northern Indiana. The Holy Cross tradition continues to inform the comprehensive approach to education and student development at the University of Notre Dame. As stated by Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., President, “We have a much more challenging mission than most universities. Most universities strive simply to be excellent educational institutions by the accepted standards of the profession. We do this at Notre Dame, and we have had great success. But we also foster and celebrate a distinctive mission to be a Catholic university, inspired and guided by a great spiritual tradition.”

 

In an effort to achieve its overall aspiration of becoming a preeminent research university with a distinctive Catholic mission and an unsurpassed undergraduate education, the University of Notre Dame strives to meet five institutional goals:

1. Ensure that our Catholic character informs all our endeavors
2. Offer an unsurpassed undergraduate education that nurtures the formation of mind, body, and spirit
3. Advance human understanding through scholarship, research, and post-baccalaureate programs that seek to heal, unify, and enlighten
4. Foster the University’s mission through superb stewardship of its human, physical, and financial resources
5. Engage in external collaborations that extend and deepen Notre Dame’s impact

• University of Notre Dame Mission Statement
• The Spirit of Inclusion at Notre Dame
• Notice of Non-Discrimination
• Office of the President of the University