Robert A. Dowd

American Catholic priest

The Reverend
Robert A. Dowd
18th President of the University of Notre Dame
Assuming office
July 1, 2024
SucceedingJohn I. Jenkins
Personal details
Born
Robert A. Dowd

Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (BA, MDiv)
UCLA (MA, PhD)

Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. is an American Catholic priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and the incoming president of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. On December 4, 2023, Dowd was announced as the 18th university president, to succeed John I. Jenkins on July 1, 2024.[1]

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Dowd grew up in Michigan City, Indiana and attended Marquette Catholic High School in Michigan City, Indiana. He earned his B.A. in psychology and economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1987, and an M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in 1993. He later earned an M.A. in African Studies from UCLA in 1998, followed by a Ph.D. in political science in 2003.[1]

Before his election as president, Dowd served at Notre Dame as Vice President and Associate Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives, Assistant Provost for Internationalization, Director of the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity, and the director of the Notre Dame Millennial Development Initiative in the Mpigi District in Uganda, an initiative to advance agriculture, education and health initiatives.[2] He also served as religious superior of the Holy Cross Priests and Brothers at the University of Notre Dame.

Dowd's 2015 book titled Christianity, Islam, and Liberal Democracy was praised by many and called "groundbreaking" by reviewer Muhammed Haron.[3] In it, he makes the case that religious tolerance in Nigeria and other African countries happens because of a variety of religions, rather than in spite of it.[4]

Works

  • Christianity, Islam, and Liberal Democracy: Lessons from Sub-Saharan Africa. Oxford University Press, 2015.

References

  1. ^ a b "Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., elected 18th president of the University of Notre Dame". Notre Dame News. University of Notre Dame. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  2. ^ "Jenkins part of ND group visiting Uganda". South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana. January 6, 2007. p. 1.
  3. ^ Haron, Muhammed (2017). "Book review". Islamic Studies. 56 (3/4): 335–337.
  4. ^ Garvey, Michael O. (October 23, 2015). "Three questions with political scientist Rev. Robert Dowd". Notre Dame News. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved December 7, 2023.

External links

  • Three Questions with Rev. Dowd (Notre Dame News, 2015)
  • Introducing President-Elect Rev. Robert Dowd, C.S.C. (Notre Dame press release, late 2023)
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