In The News

Center student takes community organizing skills to hometown March 18, 2022 Erica Browne ‘22, a Neuroscience and Behavior major, first became involved at the Institute for Social Concerns when she joined Organizing, Power, and Hope, one of numerous courses the center offers on current justice-related topics. In the course, students explore the field of community…

Working to create more diverse language arts curricula and more just communities March 4, 2022 Drs. Kati and Mike Macaluso know that everyone loves a good book. As faculty in the Institute for Educational Initiatives, they will tell you that it is hard to overstate the ways that literature can affect our emotional, intellectual, and…

Faculty exchange pilot program creates intercultural opportunities March 3, 2022 “What do I take for granted as universal, but is actually cultural? How do I ask the right questions or give the right answers so that my Mexican friends and colleagues and I can work well together? How can I learn to ‘unpack’ a misunderstanding…

Community impact grants support innovative approaches to lead reduction in South Bend February 18, 2022 A 2017 Reuters report found higher lead levels in some South Bend neighborhoods than Flint, MI, prompting Notre Dame faculty to partner with local neighborhood organizations to put research on safe housing into action. With a Community Impact Grant from the…

Community fellow considers applications of Just Wage Initiative for collective bargaining February 17, 2022 In 2021 the Institute for Social Concerns started its Community Fellows Program to enhance research and teaching at the University by connecting community and campus on various social concerns. Community fellows are professionals in the local community with a strong history…

2022 Social Concerns Fair celebrates collaboration between the University and the community February 4, 2022 Residents of South Bend have long been critical parts of life and work at the University of Notre Dame, especially when it comes to the University’s work to advance social justice. Working toward the common good and a preferential option…

The memory project: Reweaving threads of loss, love, and hope February 4, 2022 For the past two years, Neeta Verma, associate professor of Visual Communication Design in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, and faculty fellow with the Institute for Social Concerns, has been leading “The Memory Project: Reweaving Threads of Loss, Love, and…

Center conducting research on how Catholic social teaching guides financial decision-making (or not) February 2, 2022 How do Gospel values impact the financial decisions of Catholic institutions? What difference can Catholic Social Teaching (CST) make in budgeting “on the ground?” These questions lie at the heart of the Institute for Social Concerns’ Catholic Social Teaching…

Motels4Now and local housing advocates work to provide housing to homeless people in South Bend January 21, 2022 The City of South Bend has long had a weather amnesty policy that provided seasonal emergency shelter in the City by permitting provider organizations to remain open for longer than normal operating hours. Weather amnesty is implemented…

Pandemic, racial justice, the economy drove Notre Dame students to the polls in 2020 By: Erin Blasko January 21, 2022 Nearly 72 percent of University of Notre Dame students voted in the 2020 election, up from 53.3 percent in 2016, according to the latest report from the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE). About…