Episode Details

Notre Dame students inspire University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., every day. In their curiosity and desire to lead lives of meaning and purpose, Father Dowd sees the heart of Notre Dame’s mission: forming students who seek truth, encounter new perspectives, and put their gifts in service to others.

In this episode of For Good, Father Dowd reflects on Notre Dame’s distinctive role as a Catholic research university and how that mission shapes the University’s engagement with the defining issues of our time, while preparing students to help shape what comes next.

Join us as Father Dowd reflects on what Notre Dame’s mission asks of the University today—and what it means to carry that mission forward.

00:00 — New Academic Year at Notre Dame, with Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.

02:50 — Lessons from East Africa

04:34 — Becoming a More Global University

07:58 — Building Bridges Across Differences

09:01 — Lessons from the Presidency

12:57 — Why Father Dowd Still Teaches at Notre Dame

16:39 — Making Notre Dame More Accessible

20:27 — How Notre Dame Is Facing Higher Education’s Challenges

21:31 — Keeping the Human at the Center of AI

24:04 — College Athletics Landscape: Putting Student-Athletes First

25:04 — Holy Cross and Notre Dame’s Mission