Four dorms welcome new rectors this year, including Sorin College, St. Edward's Hall, McGlinn Hall and Zahm Hall.
The Otters of Sorin are now under the leadership of Father Jim King, a 1981 Notre Dame graduate. He was ordained as a Holy Cross priest in 1988. King has served as the director of vocations for the Congre-gation of Holy Cross since 1997 and will continue to hold the position while he serves as rector.
King was enthusiastic about his placement in Sorin, the first residence hall built at Notre Dame.
"We've inherited a lot of tradition here, and that's quite a plus," King said. "Our first weekend got rave reviews from parents and students alike."
Father Tom Eckert, the new rector of St. Edward's Hall, graduated from Notre Dame in 1995. The fourth rector to head St. Edward's Hall in the past three years, he said he sympathizes with the adjustments his upperclassmen residents have had to make to each new rector's expectations.
"When I was a student, I had three rectors in four years, so I know where they're coming from. Patience has to be the name of the game when we're all adjusting to one another," Eckert said.
Eckert entered Moreau Seminary in the fall of 1995, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 2002. He was ordained a Holy Cross priest in 2003.
McGlinn Hall is the only female dorm to add a new rector this year, welcoming Beth Skinner to the staff. Skinner, who earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of California-Riverside, has completed all but her final exams toward a Masters degree in Theology from Notre Dame.
She comes to the University after serving for ten years in the diocese of San Bernardino, CA, including two years as the Associate Director of the Office of Small Faith Communities for the RENEW program. Skinner also served for the U.S. Army in Germany as a drug and alcohol counselor.
"I see my main role as one of providing leadership and direction for the women of this dorm," Skinner said. "It is very important to me to get and keep the dorm more organized than last year, especially in terms of following through with policies and organizing hall functions."
Skinner said her hall staff has been extremely helpful in her adjustment to the job.
Zahm Hall welcomes new rector Dan Parrish, who will be ordained a Holy Cross deacon Sunday .
"This past week has been amazing - I am so excited to be here at Zahm," he said.
Parrish praised the strong presence of community that is alive in the dorm, saying that he believes Zahm's hall spirit to be the best sense of family at Notre Dame.
"On top of social and athletic activities, the freshmen paid a 3 a.m. candlelit visit to the cemetery to see Father Zahm's grave. We talked about how he lived his life and how it's a call for us to live our lives - how Fr. Zahm lives on through us."
Parrish graduated from the University of Portland in 1996 and earned a Masters of Divinity degree from Notre Dame in May of 2003. During his time as a seminarian, Parrish volunteered at the Indiana State Prison, as well as in the Office of Campus Ministry.
