Notre Dame prepares to inaugurate 18th president

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- It’s a new era at the University of Notre Dame as the campus prepares for the inauguration of its 18th president.

The event marks a historic moment in the university’s nearly two-century-long history.

Father Dowd, a Michigan City native, first arrived at Notre Dame in the 1980s, where he earned his degrees in psychology and economics in 1987. It was during his time here that he began to explore his calling to the priesthood, joining the congregation of the Holy Cross.

After spending 18 months in East Africa, Father Dowd earned his master's degree in African studies in 1998, and a PhD. in political science in 2003 from UCLA.

In 2004, he returned to Notre Dame as a political science faculty member. Prior to his presidency, he held the positions of vice president and associate provost for interdisciplinary initiatives. Since 2020, he has been a Fellow and Trustee of the University.

As the university’s 18th president, Father Dowd is the fourth person to serve as president in the last 70 years and his presidential inauguration is just the third in Notre Dame’s 182-year history, following those for Father Malloy in 1987 and Father Jenkins in 2005.

The university announced Thursday that Father Dowd has tested positive for COVID-19, but it appears the inauguration will continue as originally planned.

The university sent out a statement saying in part, "Father Dowd will be masked when near others indoors at the various inauguration events. Some minor modifications will also be made to the scheduled programming. Other than the mild cold symptoms, Father Dowd feels fine and looks forward to the inauguration events."

The Inauguration Mass will begin at 10 a.m. Friday at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Attendees can park in the Compton lot, Joyce lot, or the visitor lot at the Walsh Family Hall of Architecture. The university requests that attendees arrive early, as it will be a 15–20-minute walk to the Basilica.

The Convocation and Inauguration Ceremony will take place at 2:45 p.m. at the Purcell Pavilion. Parking is available in the Compton lot, Joyce lot, and the visitor lot at Walsh Family Hall of Architecture. Security measures, like bag checks and metal detectors, will be in place for all attendees entering the building.