Happy 250 years, USA!

As a priest and professor, Rev. Stephen M. Koeth, C.S.C., delves into his passions for history and his faith. “I don’t have to pick one or the other,” he said. “That’s why I joined the congregation — because it proposed a life where I could be a priest-scholar.” https://bit.ly/3QtWX6y

To the designated luggage luggers in our lives, happy Father’s Day! 🫶

A team of four Notre Dame undergraduates won the competition America’s Startup with their pitch for a data security company. “It felt great to see our hard work pay off after putting so much time and effort into this company,” team member Peter Bae said. https://bit.ly/4exlDTP

Like any good mentor, Kasey Buckles helps her graduate students produce the best work they can. But she also knows there’s more to life than writing an economics dissertation. That's part of why she's receiving the 2026 Arts & Letters Graduate Student Mentorship Award. https://bit.ly/42NZo6k

Americans say they love compromise. But elected officials increasingly choose conflict and polarization instead. James Kirk and Abigail Hemmen are digging into this political paradox, asking, “In what contexts are American citizens most supportive of compromise?” https://bit.ly/3OmS3r3

.@notredame.bsky.social political scientist David Campbell has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest learned societies. https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/democracy-scholar-david-campbell-elected-to-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences/

Through a senior thesis, a D.C. internship, and global connections, Faiza Filali has found the focus of her future career: nuclear nonproliferation. “I know the world can be a better place,” she said. “That’s exactly why I care so much about ending the nuclear crisis.” https://bit.ly/4eCeumA

Jon Bullock’s research has brought him around the world, and he’s brought the world into his O’Neill Hall office. In the latest installment of “Office Hours,” the assistant music professor discusses instruments and mementos that remind him of resilience. https://bit.ly/4dVZfon

Wishing our Arts & Letters family a joyful and peaceful Easter! 🌷 ☘️

The College of Arts & Letters is launching the Human Neuroimaging Center, which will drive innovation in interdisciplinary neuroscience and uncover how brain networks shape the remarkable capacities of the human mind. https://bit.ly/41Mz7op

“One of my colleagues at Michigan said that Notre Dame just seems like it’s on fire — in a good way,” said Ken Kollman, who joined Notre Dame's political science faculty this semester after 32 years at the University of Michigan. “And it’s fun to join something like that.” https://bit.ly/3Q9Qih8

Music professor Rebecca Maloy and philosophy professor Alexander Jech have each been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities for research on medieval Iberian liturgy and Kierkegaard's “Fear and Trembling.” https://bit.ly/4170jOy

As a first-year, Natalie Magura's appetite for edification took her across disciplines as she added majors in sociology, economics, and political science — then she just needed a career plan. That's where Beyond the Dome and Consulting Connect came in. https://bit.ly/4l33FLO

English professor and Franco Institute director Kate Marshall discusses important pieces in her office that are relevant to her writing, her leadership, and her personal life in the latest installment of "Office Hours." https://bit.ly/4aAzYxW

Mike LaMena ’95 was always envious of his fellow Notre Dame students who knew what career they wanted to pursue from the start. Like many, he thought the ladder to success was linear. But over time, LaMena discovered that career paths often have many loops and lateral steps. https://bit.ly/3MMtSRY

A new guide from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences will help higher education institutions prepare students for engagement in the democratic process. Democracy Initiative director David Campbell led the group of experts who developed the report. https://bit.ly/4aBTzwx

Assistant English professor Ann Killian, OP, writes and teaches about medieval literature and devotional culture. She's particularly interested in the social life of poetry — not just what was written down, but how it affected people in the past. https://bit.ly/4tEyyKq

The most essential tool in David Bird's office isn't a microphone or a synthesizer, but the computer on his desk — that's where the magic happens. A specialist in electronic music, the assistant music professor pushes the boundaries of performance with each composition. https://bit.ly/3Mf6ZGE

In the most recent U.S. News and World Report rankings, Notre Dame's political science department made a significant jump — up 10 spots. It's a demonstration of their conscious effort to strengthen in one area without sacrificing quality in others. https://bit.ly/3ZfSt4i

Notre Dame has been awarded nearly $4 million in a four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund a new initiative that will incorporate tools and strategies for teaching critical thinking into college classrooms around the country. https://bit.ly/4tho7fg

Interior design aficionado and Institute for Latino Studies director Jason Ruiz discusses inspiring pieces in his office in the first installment of a new A&L story series called “Office Hours” that gives personal tours of our faculty's workspaces around campus. https://bit.ly/3Z7gURi

We all carry little pieces of our family with us. Literally. In a phenomenon called microchimerism, studied by a Notre Dame anthropologist, fetal and maternal cells migrate back and forth across the placenta, creating a lifelong link between mothers and their descendants. https://bit.ly/4rpioTa

Notre Dame neuroscientists are at the forefront of research on the brain's organization and integration, discovering how neural systems work together to create intelligence. https://bit.ly/45AAVDu

John Deak is helping write the next chapter in the story of one of Austria’s oldest historical research institutions. The associate professor of history recently became one of the first non-Austrian members of the Commission for Modern Austrian History. https://bit.ly/4sUEEWy

Tom Stapleford and Patrick Gamez argue that if AI will actually help humanity, we need more than just regulations — we must consider how AI can facilitate human well-being. To accomplish that goal, the duo created the Generative AI Research Innovation Collaborative. https://bit.ly/4r55VUn

When John Babbo first stepped onto Notre Dame’s campus, he imagined himself studying great books and cheering in the student section. He didn’t imagine that the ideas he encountered would eventually lead him toward the priesthood. Read his story: https://bit.ly/4qu4uPv

Sociologist Timothy Hallett understands interactions — how they create culture, sustain organizational success, and fuel conflict. He embeds himself in the operations of organizations to learn how the institutions shaping our lives are inhabited by people acting together. https://bit.ly/4pHBcLW

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once wrote that “only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome.” Students in the Italian studies course The Literature of the Journey to Italy discovered that to be true. Read about the class's fully-funded literary odyssey through Italy: https://bit.ly/4pPDysw

Anthony Petro never thought he’d end up at a Catholic university. But only a few months after joining the Department of American Studies, he says Notre Dame's unique intellectual environment drives his research, which aims to deepen understanding of U.S. Catholicism. https://bit.ly/4spuJYF

“What does my heart actually desire?” Lane Poche often asks himself. “What actually brings me life?” This graduate's journey to answer the big questions is just one Arts & Letters story highlighting the power of the liberal arts. Read this year's top 5: https://bit.ly/44AMyde

Scott Jackson encourages actors to more deeply engage with their art — not get lost finding the “right" way to act. It's how he teaches some of theatre's most prominent plays. This is just one of many A&L stories shared on camera in 2025. Watch the top 5: https://bit.ly/4j4Yk5j

Merry Christmas from the College of Arts & Letters! May your day be filled with faith, laughter, and love.🎄✨🎶💚📖

Patrick McKelvey's award-winning book "Disability Works: Performance After Rehabilitation" invites readers to think more deeply about disability and culture, sharing the untold history of art and performance preceding the Disability Rights Movement. https://bit.ly/48FmIHj

Mark Roche's pedagogy emphasizes that teaching is best done with students leading the way, and it has earned him the Sheedy Award for Excellence in Teaching. https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/i-want-to-teach-as-much-as-i-can-sheedy-award-winner-mark-roche-inspires-discoveries-through-discussion/

Discover how Congress finds common ground and achieves more than meets the eye, as James Curry explores the true benefits of bipartisanship: https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/notre-dame-political-scientist-seeks-out-the-benefits-of-bipartisanship-amidst-d-c-conflict/

Yasmin Solomonescu, associate English professor, won the International Conference on Romanticism’s Jean-Pierre Barricelli Book Prize for "Persuasion After Rhetoric in the Eighteenth Century and Romanticism," a "wildly interdisciplinary" essay collection. https://bit.ly/4hKn9mC

Psychology Ph.D. student Melissa Nance recently won a NIH grant to support her study of alcohol use and self-harm in young adults, connecting two isolated fields. https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/clinical-psychology-ph-d-student-awarded-nih-grant-bridging-research-on-alcohol-use-and-self-harm/

If you watched Jeopardy last night, you already know Joyelle McSweeney is today's returning champion. She racked up a final score of $17,700 to win the game, fulfilling her mother's lifelong dream. Read more about her victory: https://bit.ly/3LK8sUs And watch her next episode at 7:30 p.m. on CBS!

Let's play some Jeopardy! Starting with Notre Dame for $1,000: A 2022 Guggenheim fellow, the chair of the Notre Dame Department of English, and one of tonight's Jeopardy! contestants. !!!!🛎‼!! Who is Joyelle McSweeney? Tune in at 7:30 p.m. EST on CBS to watch her compete!

Supported by @francoinstitutend.bsky.social, Notre Dame associate professors Brian Krostenko and Alex E. Chávez kickstarted a year of writing and research through the @natlhumanities.bsky.social Summer Residency Program. Learn about their upcoming books: https://bit.ly/47smUb0

Notre Dame's Department of English ranked No. 21 on U.S. News and World Report’s list of the Best English Programs this year — 13 spots higher than before. Those who’ve been a part of the department’s success know it's been a long time coming. Read more: https://bit.ly/4qoVJ9B

Joseph Blanco ’92 has experienced career shifts that required him to learn new skills and industries. He attributes his ability to take on changes to his humanities education. https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/search-for-the-truth-economics-and-government-major-joseph-blanco-92-on-processing-change

A $55 million gift will empower ND's Rooney Democracy Institute to lead vital research, teaching, and dialogue on the future of democracy. https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/francis-and-kathleen-rooney-make-transformative-gift-for-notre-dame-institute-focused-on-democracy-research-and-education/

[email protected] has added 11 new economists to its faculty, including leaders in subfields such as family, poverty, policy, development, health, and macroeconomics. https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/department-of-economics-adds-11-leading-scholars-to-its-faculty-including-two-endowed-chairs/

.@artslettersnd welcomes six fellows to the Provost's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Applications for the second cohort are now open — deadline is Oct. 31. https://al.nd.edu/news/latest-news/six-early-career-scholars-join-inaugural-cohort-of-prestigious-notre-dame-postdoctoral-fellowship-program/

To help identify — and ultimately mitigate — harmful heat islands in South Bend, a team of University of Notre Dame researchers has partnered with the city to collect data using a novel method: garbage trucks. Read up on how this will help vulnerable populations: https://bit.ly/4g0n3X1

When studying theater, many scholars focus on the actors, director, or script. But in her award-winning book "Revolutionary Stagecraft" Tarryn Chun points the spotlight backstage, using theater technology as a lens for viewing politics and culture. Learn more about Chun's research: bit.ly/4fwPbAL

For the first time, a comprehensive resource cataloging the policies and platforms of congressional candidates is publicly available — thanks to researchers at @notredame.bsky.social. Learn more about the new database CampaignView: bit.ly/4fpsO06

Three Notre Dame researchers have been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, supporting work in classical archeology, contextualizing Catholic resistance in 20th-century Europe, and virtue ethics in generative AI systems. bit.ly/4fmEOzv