Marquette Catholic High School sends its warmest congratulations to Reverend Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., on his election as 18th president of The University of Notre Dame. Fr. Dowd, a 1983 graduate of Marquette, graduated from Notre Dame in 1987. He entered the Moreau Seminary in the fall of 1987 and was ordained a priest in 1994 following an 18-month assignment in East Africa.

Fr. Dowd earned a M.A. in African studies in 1998 in addition to a doctorate in political science in 2003. He returned to Notre Dame one year later as a faculty member of the political science department.

During his impressive tenure in South Bend, Fr. Dowd founded Notre Dame’s Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

Fr. Dowd, who currently serves as vice president and associate provost at Notre Dame, will assume the role on July 1, 2024.

Marquette Catholic interim principal Katie Collignon issued the following statement:

“This is a very proud day for the Marquette community. Father Dowd followed a most important calling to serve the Lord and has, in turn, selflessly served humanity across the globe. As a school community, we express our congratulations and best wishes to Father Dowd as he embarks on this remarkable journey.”