Notre Dame, << NOH tuhr DAYM, >> University of, is a private, Roman Catholic school in Notre Dame, near South Bend, Indiana. It is governed by two groups, the Fellows of the University and the Board of Trustees. Both groups include priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross—the order that founded the university—and lay people. Students of all faiths may attend the university. Notre Dame was founded in 1842.
The campus.
Notre Dame has a large campus with twin lakes and wooded areas. The center of campus is dominated by two architectural landmarks, a church called the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the golden-domed Main Building. Nearby are the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is a replica of a shrine at Lourdes, France; and the Log Chapel, which is a replica of the first building erected at Notre Dame.
The Theodore M. Hesburgh Library was completed in 1963. Its important collections include the Dante Collection of books from the 1400’s and 1500’s, the Joyce Sports Research Collection of materials relating to American sports, and several collections of Spanish and Latin American literature and cultural documents.
The university’s athletic teams are known as the Fighting Irish. The Fighting Irish football team plays at Notre Dame Stadium. Great football figures, such as Coach Knute Rockne, player George Gipp, and the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame (four players that formed the backfield of Notre Dame’s 1924 team), brought the university much fame (see Rockne, Knute).
Programs.
Notre Dame offers a wide variety of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Its law school was the first law school at a Roman Catholic university in the United States.
The university has awarded the Laetare Medal nearly every year since 1883. The award honors a leading Roman Catholic of the United States for his or her contributions to society.
Notre Dame places a strong emphasis on research. It receives millions of dollars in research grants annually. The university conducts research in radiation chemistry at a radiation laboratory built by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. The Medieval Institute conducts research in the culture, life, and thought of the Middle Ages. The university also conducts research in a variety of other areas. Notre Dame’s website at https://www.nd.edu/ presents information about the school.
