The Nanovic Institute for European Studies is pleased to announce that Rev. James M. Lies, C.S.C., has joined its team as of August 2023. Since July 2017, Lies has been at the University of Notre Dame London Global Gateway, first as director for Catholic initiatives and outreach and then as senior director for academic initiatives and partnerships. At the Nanovic Institute, which is part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, Lies will take up the role of senior advisor for faculty fellow affairs and partnerships. He will also serve as the priest-in-residence in Duncan Hall and provide sacramental support for Jenkins and Nanovic Halls.
“We are delighted to welcome Fr. Jim Lies to the Nanovic Institute,” says Clemens Sedmak, professor of social ethics and director of the Nanovic Institute. “Fr. Jim has already worked with the institute through the London Global Gateway and our Catholic Universities Partnership. He is a professor of teaching, an experienced senior administrator with many connections in Europe, and a Holy Cross priest with deep pastoral experience. All these qualities will be amazing assets that will enrich our mentoring of students, our student internships in Europe, and our collaboration with our faculty fellows.”
"I'm aware that engagement with Europe can powerfully impact and enhance the learning and research of our faculty and students. I'm delighted to be able to continue to facilitate such initiatives in this new role."
- Fr. Jim Lies
A priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Lies earned a B.A. in quantitative methods from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, an M.A. in psychological counseling from the University of Notre Dame, an M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology and human development from the University of Minnesota. Since ordination, he has ministered at three Holy Cross institutions of higher education. At Notre Dame, he has served as Campus Ministry’s assistant director of spirituality and retreats and as rector of Zahm Hall. At the University of Portland, he was an associate professor of psychology and executive director of the Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture. At Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, Lies served as vice president for mission and as an associate professor in the Department of Psychology. At the London Global Gateway, Lies has led the academic program for undergraduates, academic research initiatives, and academic partnerships, both internally with Notre Dame faculty and externally, advancing global scholarship in conjunction with the university’s global network.
Responding to his new appointment, Lies says, “I am honored to join the Nanovic team. Having lived and worked in London in various capacities for nine nonconsecutive years, I'm aware that engagement with Europe can powerfully impact and enhance the learning and research of our faculty and students. I'm delighted to be able to continue to facilitate such initiatives in this new role.”
As senior advisor at the Nanovic Institute, Lies will play a key role in maintaining and expanding the institute’s strategic collaborations at Notre Dame and in Europe. He will work with Nanovic faculty fellows from across Notre Dame’s colleges and schools. This will include helping to facilitate Nanovic’s support for its fellows’ research in European studies, their interdisciplinary projects and collaborations with European peers, and their work internationalizing their classrooms at Notre Dame. Lies will also support the institute’s strategic partnerships with scholars and institutions in Europe, including the Catholic Universities Partnership, which brings together scholars and leaders from Catholic higher education institutions in Central and Eastern Europe.
Michael Pippenger, vice president and associate provost for internationalization at Notre Dame International, reflects on Lies’ experience and how it prepares him for his role at the Nanovic Institute:
“Fr. Jim Lies’ transformative six-year service at Notre Dame’s London Global Gateway, including oversight of student service projects and working closely with faculty on teaching and research, uniquely positions him to champion the Nanovic Institute’s important initiatives with universities throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
"With his passionate commitment to Catholic education and exceptional leadership, he will advance meaningful collaborations and reinforce Notre Dame’s commitment to promoting understanding and cooperation across Europe.”
Sedmak welcomes his new colleague and looks forward to the effective and strategic collaboration he will bring. “I personally am especially excited to have a Holy Cross priest work with us,” he says. “Fr. Jim is a wonderful human being as well, and it is a privilege and a blessing to have him join the Nanovic Institute team.”