Author: David Cramer

Our North Star of Encounter As we celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope proclaimed by Pope Francis, we mourn his loss, while embracing the new leadership of Pope Leo XIV. Since its founding in 1983, the Institute has anchored its work in the enduring principles of Catholic social tradition, drawing deeply from the treasury of […]

Speaking of Proximity SIGNATURE LECTURES AT THE INSTITUTE As the University’s home for public scholarship on questions of justice, the Institute hosted three signature lectures—with a common theme emerging among them: getting proximate to justice and the marginalized. In the fall, Bryan Stevenson, an acclaimed public interest attorney and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, […]

Cultivating Moral Ambition McNEILL COMMON GOOD FELLOWS Architecture major Adam Scott ’27 is using insights from affordable housing design in Singapore and Japan to improve housing in the United States. As a McNeill Common Good Fellow, he spent several weeks in Japan and Singapore learning about sustainable design before embarking on a multi-day walking project […]

Catalyzing Community Connections TOWARD A THRIVING SOUTH BEND As a newly hired assistant professor of information technology, analytics, and operations at the Mendoza College of Business, Chengcheng Zhai began her time at Notre Dame by joining the Institute’s annual Engage South Bend faculty tour. More than just introducing her to the city in which she […]

FROM INCARCERATION TO TRANSFORMATION Reimagining Reentry Michael Chaney walked out of Westville Correctional Facility in January after being incarcerated for seven years, one of more than 12,000 people released from Indiana prisons each year. While many returning citizens struggle to find work, things are looking up for Chaney in part thanks to his connections to […]

Setting the Standard for Summer STUDENT RESEARCH FOR THE COMMON GOOD Joshua Jones, a neuroscience and behavior major from Chatham, New Jersey, crossed the Hudson River to New York City to work with the organization Alliance for Positive Change for the summer through NDBridge. NDBridge is a summer program at the Institute that enables rising […]

HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER AS PRACTITIONER-IN-RESIDENCE Ending Human Trafficking Every morning, Monalisa arrives at Geddes Hall, thanks her office and the Notre Dame campus, meditates, and sketches pictures to center herself. Then she gets to work. Her goal: the end of human trafficking. As an international human rights lawyer and graduate of Notre Dame Law School’s […]

PERSPECTIVES Jay Brandenberger ’78 PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICEDIRECTOR FOR ASSESSMENT AND ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP The Institute for Social Concerns is a home for justice research and education for scholars at any stage of their academic career, from undergraduate students to seasoned professors. Jenifer Solano Becerra is a junior at Notre Dame, majoring in neuroscience and behavior […]

PERSPECTIVES Suzanne Mulligan PROFESSOR OF THE PRACTICE The Institute for Social Concerns is a home for justice research and education for scholars at any stage of their academic career, from undergraduate students to seasoned professors. Jenifer Solano Becerra is a junior at Notre Dame, majoring in neuroscience and behavior with a minor in chemistry. Amandhi […]