RISE offers incoming students the chance to get proximate to issues of justice in South Bend or their hometowns and to consider possible responses on an individual and societal level. Participants are part of a cohort of pre-matriculating students who are guided by Notre Dame faculty and Institute for Social Concerns staff to help students better understand the demands of justice rooted in a sense of place. 

RISE is grounded in the pedagogy of the Institute for Social Concerns, an interdisciplinary unit that considers the demands of justice through research, courses, and curricular and co-curricular programs.

• Find a community and cultivate friendships around justice-oriented commitments
• Get to know South Bend or your hometown through the lens of justice
• Discover a logic of community engagement via the ethics of encounter and the principles of human dignity in the Catholic social tradition
• Understand a basic framework for the theory and praxis of justice 

Two Options: Rise South Bend or Rise Hometown

RISE South Bend

This pre-orientation program allows a small cohort of students to come to Notre Dame and South Bend before other students arrive in order to build community and explore the structures of justice and injustice in their new home for the next four years. Participants in this select group will

• arrive on campus on Friday, August 15, and begin a one-week immersive experience;
• experience some of the culture, history, food, and arts that make South Bend such a wonderful place to live;
• work with community organizations and local leaders devoted to justice and the flourishing of all people; 
• meet with Notre Dame faculty, staff, and alumni; and 
• present some remarks at the end of the experience.

The program will wrap up on Thursday, August 21, so that students can then move into their halls along with other first-year students. All on-site expenses, including food, housing, transportation, are covered. Students are responsible for travel to Notre Dame. 

Dates: August 15–21 (Friday–Thursday), 2025 (1 week)

Application: The application will open May 1 and close June 15, 2025. Students will be notified of the status of their application by June 25, 2025. Complete this form to be notified when the application opens!

Questions? Contact Regina Williams-Preston at rwilli49@nd.edu.

RISE Hometown

This pre-orientation program allows a small cohort of students to work in their hometowns while in (virtual) community with Notre Dame faculty and staff. Participants in this select group will

• work in their own community with a non-profit organization that addresses the needs of marginalized populations (100 hours between June 30 and August 1);
• participate in a virtual orientation and training session on the principles and ethics of community engagement;
• participate in weekly virtual programming sessions to explore strategies for both making sustainable relationships and maximizing impact;
• meet virtually with Notre Dame faculty and Notre Dame partner organizations and others exploring questions of citizenship;
• share summer work in September at a symposium for fellow participants; and
• receive $1,500 in funding for participating (funding will be dispersed to participants in August).

Dates: Monday, June 30 – Friday, August 1, 2025 (5 weeks)

Application: The application will open May 1 and close June 15, 2025. Students will be notified of the status of their application by June 25, 2025. Complete this form to be notified when the application opens!

Questions? Contact Emily Garvey at garvey.32@nd.edu.