RISE

RISE is a pre-orientation program that gives incoming students a jump start on their college experience. It introduces students to the values, commitments, and community that epitomize the Notre Dame experience, making friends while doing it.

RISE is a call to action for all incoming students who want to respond to the demands of justice while also beginning to explore their own sense of purpose in the world. The ideas they explore and work they do here will forever shape the way students interact with others, the decisions they make, and the lives they change, starting with their own.

Two Options: Rise South Bend or Rise Hometown

RISE South Bend

This immersive 8-day pre-orientation program invites students to come to South Bend before other students arrive and be part of an experience that engages fully in the vibrant community of South Bend—their home for the next four years. Through a framework of faithful citizenship, students will experience some of the culture, history, food, and arts that make South Bend such a wonderful place to live, and will also participate in tackling some of its challenges, working with community partners to make the city more just, humane, and equitable. Students will meet with local leaders and faculty community experts, hear from alumni, and see different models of social change in action. 

All on-site expenses including food, housing, transportation are covered. Students are responsible for travel to Notre Dame. (Note: After accepting an offer to participate, a $150 fee will be charged if you withdraw. After August 1, participants who withdraw will be assessed a $250 fee.)

Dates

August 16: Arrive on campus
August 17–22: RISE South Bend programming
August 23: Welcome Weekend begins, move into halls

Application Use THIS link to apply. Application closes on June 17.

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

RISE Hometown: Details and Expectations

  • Work in your own community with a non-profit organization (100 hours between July 22 and August 16).
  • Participate in a virtual orientation and training session on the principles and ethics of community engagement (1 hour).
  • Participate in virtual programming sessions to explore the challenges of community engagement and strategies for both making sustainable relationships and maximizing impact (3 hours).
  • Meet virtually with Notre Dame faculty and Notre Dame partner organizations and others exploring questions of citizenship (3 hours). 
  • Share your summer work in September at a symposium for fellow participants (2 hours).
  • Receive $1,500 in funding for participating (funding will be dispersed to participants in August).

Dates: Monday, July 22 – Friday, August 16, 2024. 

Application: The application is closed.

Questions? Contact Dave Lassen with questions at dlassen@nd.edu.