Notre Dame removes Catholic mission from staff values, touts new 'refreshed' values
The university removed the value, 'Leadership in Mission: Understands, accepts and supports the Catholic mission of the university and fosters values consistent with that mission.'
The university announced the change via a press release titled 'Refreshed ND Values, University updates shared during Fall Staff Town Hall' on Nov. 10.
The University of Notre Dame (ND) will no longer ask staff members to support its identity as a Catholic institution.
The university, based in South Bend, Indiana, announced the change via a press release titled “Refreshed ND Values, University updates shared during Fall Staff Town Hall” on Nov. 10. The Staff Town Halls, where staff members were informed of the decision, took place on Oct. 29 and 30.
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The Observer, the ND student-run newspaper, reports that the former staff values included, “Leadership in Mission: Understands, accepts and supports the Catholic mission of the university and fosters values consistent with that mission.”
The new values, which appear at the bottom of the university’s press release, are “Community: Treat every person with dignity and respect,” “Collaboration: Work together with honesty, kindness, and humility,” “Excellence: Pursue the highest standards with a commitment to truth and service,” and “Innovation: Embrace opportunities with creativity and dedication.”
Notre Dame was founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Catholic religious order of priests and brothers.
But now, the word “Catholic” does not appear anywhere in the new “refreshed” values. However, in the press release, Heather Christophersen, vice president for human resources, states that the new values are meant to reflect the school’s Catholic identity.
“It’s in everything we do,” Christophersen said to The Observer about Catholicism at the school. “We strive to be the best global Catholic research institution, to be a force for good. So that kind of phrase frames these values.”
“At Notre Dame, our values are more than words—they are the foundation of our community and the guiding principles that shape how we work, interact, and contribute to a purpose greater than ourselves,” she said earlier in the interview. “These values reflect who we are and who we aspire to be.”
Christophersen also noted that the Catholic mission value “often caused confusion of what that really means.” The university wants all four of the new values to “reflect the mission.”
Still, the university’s move is not without its Catholic critics, who say the school is surrendering to cultural forces.
In a Nov. 17 interview with a Catholic radio outlet, Kevin Murphy, chief content officer for the Cardinal Newman Society, which promotes and defends Catholic education, noted that the “one thing that seemed to drop out of the equation with their new refreshed values” was the explicit mention of the school’s Catholic mission.
Murphy portrayed the value shift as part of a broader trend of Catholic universities backing away from their Catholic identity. “To cling to your Catholic faith is somehow to diminish your standing and the ability to sell the university,” Murphy said in the interview.
Campus Reform contacted the University of Notre Dame for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
