In some Notre Dame classes, students may look around them and see among the many college-aged students, a few students closer to the age of their parents. Often retired or semi-retired professionals, these students are usually fellows in Notre Dame’s Inspired Leadership Initiative, who engage with the University by auditing courses, attending lectures and performances and participating in campus life.
John Duffy, director of the initiative, wrote in a statement to The Observer that he feels fellows’ real-world experiences “enrich classroom discussions, provide mentoring opportunities, and contribute to the intellectual climate of the university.”
In addition to benefitting individual classrooms, Duffy said the program amplifies Notre Dame’s national and global impact. “Graduates often go on to serve in ways that reflect the University’s enduring commitment to ethical leadership and the common good,” he wrote.
For the fellows, the program is an opportunity to “embark on a transformational journey—to clarify ... their sense of purpose, identify new interests, and explore or further develop existing passions,” Duffy wrote.
Duffy said the initiative seeks to connect fellows with one another and provide opportunities for discernment and academic growth as they look towards the rest of their lives.
Opportunities for fellows during the semester range from weekly “Lunch and Learn” sessions featuring Notre Dame Faculty members to a mid-semester retreat inviting fellows to reflect on spirituality and faith. In addition, “weekly community dinners provide space for fellowship and shared growth, and an end-of-year immersion experience helps fellows integrate and apply the insights gained throughout the program,” Duffy wrote.
Connie Chartrand, formerly the global head of talent development for Morgan Stanley, is a recent graduate of program. Going into the program with high expectations, Chartand was “pleasantly surprised that Notre Dame and the ILI Program exceeded them.”
Chartand said the program gave “a framework that challenged my thinking, inspired me, and provided opportunities to discern who I want to be, and what I want to do in the next chapter of my life.”
For Chartrand, participating in the program provided an opportunity for reflecting on her values.
“What I realized in the Program is, at my core, I am a teacher. Throughout my career working in investment banks, I approached my work, led my team, and interacted with my colleagues as a teacher – with curiosity, asking questions, imparting information, coaching / mentoring others, and constantly learning new things,” she said. “It was a powerful insight that I am using in figuring out how I want to spend my time and talent going forward.”
Duffy highlighted the contributions of graduates of the ILI make to their communities, including founding nonprofits, promoting education, and creating a social enterprise to hire and train formerly incarcerated men.
For example, five fellows from the 2019-20 cohort, Karen Cunningham, Bill Miller, Bill Schenher, Vickie Seeger and Phil White, founded the Imago Dei initiative, which is dedicated to ending human trafficking.
For White, the ILI inspired him to take a step towards ending the problem. “There are lots of things that you can’t control and can’t fix, but you need to take a step,” he said. “If we do it as a group, taking that step makes it less scary. Yes, this is a terrible challenge, a deeply rooted problem that touches so many different people, but with the group holding hands, we can take a step in the right direction and with God's help hopefully have a positive impact.”
Impressed by the success of past fellows, Duffy said he believes “the Inspired Leadership Initiative embodies Notre Dame’s mission to be a force for good in the world.”
“We look forward to the continued growth and vitality of the program and to welcoming new cohorts of fellows,” Duffy wrote.
