On Sept. 19, the former Office of Institutional Transformation, founded in 2022, released a newsletter informing the University community of its renaming to the Office of Belonging, Engagement and Mission (BEAM). The change in identification follows a series of similar name changes for diversity, equity and inclusion groups and spaces throughout Notre Dame, including the renaming of the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in LaFortune Student Center to the Sister Thea Bowman Center prior to the start of the school year.
BEAM’s new name comes as the Trump administration continues to target DEI programs in higher education with executive orders and investigations.
In a statement to The Observer, University spokesperson Erin Blasko said the purpose of the name change was to further clarify the mission of the office.
“In order to make clear how its efforts align with Catholic social teaching and the educational charism of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the office has been renamed the Office of Belonging, Engagement, and Mission (BEAM),” Blasko wrote. “BEAM will continue the great work it began as the Office of Institutional Transformation, serving as a supportive ‘hub’ for students, faculty, and staff. With campus partners, the office helps to ensure that all members of this community are able to thrive, in keeping with the University’s mission as a leading global Catholic research university.”
BEAM’s website describes the office’s mission as furthering the University’s commitment to defend human dignity, promote a just society, and attend to the vulnerable.
“The Office of Belonging, Engagement, and Mission (BEAM) serves as a wellspring for this commitment, helping to create a more inclusive and welcoming campus environment consistent with the animating purpose of the Congregation of Holy Cross and the ethical precepts represented in Martin Luther King Jr.’s concept of 'beloved community,’” the website states. “Guided by love and compassion, our office partners with individuals and entities across campus to address issues of belonging, engagement, mission, and growth for all faculty, staff, and students.”
Web captures from prior to the renaming show language now absent from BEAM’s homepage. In 2024, the homepage said, “We partner with colleagues across campus to implement an integrated diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice strategy.” It also described its work as creating a community which “dismantles systems of injustice and creates space for those who have traditionally been excluded.”
In the email explaining the name change, Hugh Page, vice president for BEAM and professor of theology and Africana studies, said the new name aims to clarify the office’s work.
“In assessing our work to date, we have taken note of two concerns: confusion about the meaning of “transformation” for Notre Dame; and the need for nomenclature — in all University endeavors — aligning unambiguously with our identity, core values, and objectives as a Catholic research university,” he wrote.
Notable BEAM programs include the BEAM Community of Practice, which consists of more than 200 faculty and staff members, along with consultations, departmental reviews, the Inclusive Leadership Colloquium Lecture Series, presentations and facilitated discussions.
