The University of Notre Dame hosted its Spring 2026 Staff Town Hall Wednesday, holding three forums throughout the day for Notre Dame staff members. According to advertisements, these town halls aimed to provide campus updates and answer questions previously submitted by staff. Question submission was open until March 10.
The town hall opened with brief announcements from vice president for human resources Heather Christophersen. Among them were a redesign of the University’s Self-Service Center for HR-related questions and a performance management pilot for staff.
After Christophersen’s remarks, executive vice president Shannon Cullinan spoke. He began by recognizing 10 longtime staff members completing their 40th or 45th year of service at Notre Dame.
“Do the math quick, how many years of service between all of them up there?” Cullinan said. “425 years of service between 10 people, pretty incredible.”
Moving on to undergraduate access and affordability, Cullinan said full tuition for an undergraduate student at Notre Dame exceeds $69,000. He emphasized that the University’s focus on net tuition rather than full cost. After scholarships, the average net tuition is $8,389.
“Half the students at Notre Dame are on some need-based financial aid. That means they need scholarships to go here, and the average they pay is [$8,389]. Most people have no idea about that number, so in the general press, they talk about the big number,” Cullinan said. “It takes all of us to actually pull that off.”
Cullinan then provided campus updates, beginning with the construction of Coyle and Grojean Halls on the south side of campus. The dorms are expected to open in August and house more than 500 students combined.
“South Dining Hall is getting a major renovation, thank goodness, because you’re going to see a lot of those students there,” he said.
In addition to the new residence halls, the University and South Bend residents can expect the completion of the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic this fall. The clinic will focus on providing mental health services to surrounding residents.
“Everybody in this room knows somebody, either you yourself, or a loved one or somebody else, who could really use some mental health support,” Cullinan said.
Cullinan then played a video featuring university staff involved with the clinic, including managing director Jennifer Burke Lefever; director of clinical services Amanda Zelechoski; and Nancy Michael, a biology professor at Notre Dame.
“We are super excited,” Lefever said. “You just got to see the state of our building. Currently, we’re hoping to open our doors June 1.”
Lefever said the clinic will focus on three areas: research, clinical services and training. She said the research will aim to improve understanding of well-being, while clinical services will prioritize individuals in the South Bend community who lack sufficient insurance. The clinic will also provide training for Notre Dame students and community members.
“It really doesn’t happen that you get to partner research, clinical work and training in the same center,” Michael said.
The clinic will include a state-of-the-art fMRI machine to support advanced research on brain activity, with a focus on mental health, stress responses and ways to reduce their harmful effects.
“We are super excited to make an impact on our community and serve as a model for around the world,” Lefever said, “of how to do this work.”
The video presentation of the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic concluded the town hall. As attendees prepared to leave, Cullinan offered closing remarks to staff.
“Last thing, if you hear nothing else, thank you,” Cullinan said. “God bless you. God bless your families.”
There was no direct address during the town hall of the previously submitted staff’s questions.
