As the leader of a global Catholic research university with a presence on five continents, University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., will draw on a rich background of global experience that includes deep connections to the University’s Keough School of Global Affairs and Notre Dame Global.
It’s a fitting background for Father Dowd, whose interests have long emphasized global engagement. As a Holy Cross seminarian, he asked to be assigned to East Africa and spent 18 months there. His research, which specializes in comparative politics, has focused on how Christian and Islamic religious communities affect support for democratic institutions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. And he has served as a board member of Brother Andre Hospital in Nairobi, which provides healthcare to underserved communities.
At the Keough School, Father Dowd has served as founder of the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity, part of the school’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies. The program is guided by Catholic social teaching and dedicated to creating community-engaged research partnerships in the Global South.
Father Dowd has also served as a fellow for many of the school’s institutes, including:
- The Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion. The institute is dedicated to studying, learning from, and collaborating with religious communities worldwide through research, teaching and outreach.
- The Kellogg Institute for International Studies (where he also served on a faculty committee that helps provide direction for the institute). The institute’s research focuses on critical global challenges, with a particular focus on democracy and human development.
- The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, one of the world’s leading centers for the study of the causes of violent conflict and strategies for sustainable peace.
- The Nanovic Institute for European Studies, where he was involved with the institute’s Catholic Universities Partnership.The institute strengthens Notre Dame’s presence in Europe, deepens the understanding of Europe within the Notre Dame community and contributes to academic discourse and research on European studies.
At Notre Dame Global, Father Dowd served as assistant provost for internationalization. His primary responsibilities included overseeing Notre Dame Dublin and Notre Dame Kylemore in Ireland and Notre Dame São Paulo in Brazil, and establishing Notre Dame Nairobi to promote and support Notre Dame’s research and educational partnerships in Africa.
Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
Presidential Inauguration Events
September 11-13, 2024
With great joy, the University of Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees announces the events celebrating the inauguration of Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., as the University’s 18th president.