ACADEMICS

• For the second consecutive year, the was ranked No. 1 in Bloomberg Businessweekā€™s 6th annual survey of ā€œ.ā€ The College also garnered the No. 1 spot in ethics, the No. 2 spot in sustainability and top 10 spots in nine other categories, becoming the most decorated school in the survey. The MBA program also won accolades from the , ranking No. 4 in the world for ethics and social impact.

• The 2011-12 91³Ō¹Ļ Forum, ā€œ,ā€ brought to campus prominent speakers including former Florida Governor and New Jersey Governor . The year-long discussion of the profound and challenging questions that shape the national debate about K-12 education will continue with more events planned for the spring.

• Former U.S. Secretary of Defense urged the class of 2011 to continue 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s rich tradition and strong commitment to public service at the 166th University Commencement Cermony on May 22. Edward A. Larkin, a biological sciences major from East Lansing, Mich., delivered the and the was awarded to Sister Mary Scullion, R.S.M., and Joan McConnon, co-founders of Project H.O.M.E., an organization devoted to ending homelessness in Philadelphia.

• 91³Ō¹Ļ continued its in National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships with two professors, historian Thomas F.X. Noble and theologian Eugene Ulrich, becoming the latest faculty members to receive the honor. 91³Ō¹Ļ has been awarded 44 NEH fellowships between 1999 and 2011ā€”more than any other university in the country.

• Ten faculty members were of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in honor of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. The AAAS is the worldā€™s largest scientific society and publishes the prestigious journal Science.

RESEARCH

• Construction began in October on a new in 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s Nuclear Science Laboratory (NSL). The first accelerator the National Science Foundation has funded in nuclear physics in nearly a quarter century, the machine represents a major equipment upgrade for the University and is expected to be completed in January 2012.

• Breakthrough research on (NPC) was published by 91³Ō¹Ļ and Cornell scientists in March. NPC is an inherited cholesterol metabolism disorder that strikes one in every 150,000 children. It has been referred to by the National Institutes of Health as ā€œchildhood Alzheimerā€™sā€ because of similarities in the brains of NPC and Alzheimerā€™s disease patients. There currently is no treatment available in the U.S.

• 91³Ō¹Ļ astronomer David Bennett co-authored a paper describing the ā€” dark, isolated Jupiter-mass bodies floating alone in space, far from any host star. This discovery not only confirms that free-floating planets exist in space, but also indicates that they are quite common.

• Some of the worldā€™s leading scholars across a variety of relevant disciplines visited the University for a week-long , held on campus in July. 91³Ō¹Ļ faculty members Carter Snead and Phillip Sloan led the workshop and hosted the weekā€™s public events, which are part of a University-wide effort to develop a center for high-level interdisciplinary work on the various dimensions of human developmental biology.

• Former 91³Ō¹Ļ head football coach Lou Holtz is once again taking a leadership role at the University ā€“ this time in an arena outside of athletics. He and his wife, Beth, are serving as 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s first by taking a prominent role in increasing awareness of the Universityā€™s mission to pursue research that aims to heal, unify and enlighten a world deeply in need.

COMMUNITY

• The University was selected as one of 115 institutions in higher education to receive the . The classification, designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, recognizes ā€œthe collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.ā€

• The celebrated its to the Northeast Neighborhood. ā€œThe Robinson Community Learning Center has been a bright light in the community for a decade, and 91³Ō¹Ļ remains committed to the educational opportunities offered there,ā€ said , 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s president. ā€œIā€™m confident the next 10 years will continue the momentum for the centerā€™s students and their families.ā€

• Law School faculty member Michael Jenuwine received the for his research into Indianaā€™s guardianship laws. Working closely with the Indiana Adult Guardianship State Taskforce, Jenuwine helped to design and implement investigations aimed toward the ultimate goal of improving guardianship laws for the state of Indiana.

• 91³Ō¹Ļ was selected as a finalist by the as one of six institutions in higher education with an outstanding commitment to general community service. The Honor Roll is released annually by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Hundreds of institutions are listed, but 91³Ō¹Ļ is among only 17 to receive special recognition.

CAMPUS NEWS

• The University established a in memory of Declan Sullivan, the 91³Ō¹Ļ junior who died on Oct. 27, 2010 when the aerial lift on which he was videotaping football practice fell in high winds. In conjunction with the one-year anniversary of Sullivanā€™s death, Father Jenkins invited members of the 91³Ō¹Ļ family to contribute to the scholarship fund and/or to the Declan Drumm Sullivan Memorial Fund that has been established by the Sullivan family.

• In April, 91³Ō¹Ļ released a containing the findings of a nearly six-month investigation into the accident that took Sullivanā€™s life. The report included eight recommendations, all accepted by Father Jenkins, to improve the safe use of elevated scissor lifts and general safety on campus. In addition, the University installed a for the 91³Ō¹Ļ football practice fields that will eliminate the need for elevated scissor lifts in those locations, and launched a aimed at improving aerial lift safety.

• A dedication ceremony for , the new home of the Mike and Josie Harper Research Institute, a novel collaboration between 91³Ō¹Ļ and the Indiana University School of Medicine, was held in March. was dedicated in September and will house the and . October saw the opening of the , which is not only the new home for 91³Ō¹Ļ Hockey, but also serves the 91³Ō¹Ļ and South Bend community as a place for the Irish Youth Hockey League and local figure skating groups.

• 91³Ō¹Ļ became the first university without the powerful gift-giving attraction of a medical school to in a traditional seven-year capital campaign. Titled the ā€œSpirit of 91³Ō¹Ļ,ā€ the campaign raised $2.014 billion in the seven-year span that ended June 30 ā€“ 134 percent of the $1.5 billion goal. The fund-raising effort also was the largest in the history of Catholic higher education, surpassing the $1.061 billion raised in the Universityā€™s ā€œGenerationsā€ campaign that ended in December 2000.

• ā€œThe Word of Lifeā€ mural on the Hesburgh Library (known to many as ā€œTouchdown Jesusā€) underwent this summer and fall. The stones from the 134 feet high and 68 feet wide mural were washed with water and a light detergent and the elastic urethane adhesive in the stone seams was replaced.

• For the third consecutive year, 91³Ō¹Ļ received honor roll distinctions as one of the top 10 higher education workplaces in the country in the Chronicle of Higher Educationā€™s annual ā€œā€ survey.

• For the first time since 2000, the University was closed on Feb. 2 due to .

SUSTAINABILITY

• Two new buildings on the 91³Ō¹Ļ campus were by the United States Green Building Council. Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center received LEED Gold certification and Innovation Park at 91³Ō¹Ļ achieved LEED Silver certification.

• The University received a from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. STARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, is a new program that measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.

• Entrepreneur magazine ranked the 91³Ō¹Ļ MBA program as one of the best in the country for MBA students seeking careers in ā€œgreenā€ industries. The for its sustainability courses focused on topics such as ā€œgreeningā€ the supply chain and improving environmental accounting.

• In December, Father Jenkins signed the , making 91³Ō¹Ļ a partner in a national movement to respond to Pope Benedictā€™s and the U.S. Catholic Bishopsā€™ call for faithful action on climate change.

• The Hesburgh Library is shining a little more brightly these days thanks to installed in May to illuminate the ā€œWord of Lifeā€ mural on the south side of the building. The lights replaced the old mercury vapor fixtures that previously illuminated the 134-foot tall mural.

ADMINISTRATION

• Father Jenkins received a number of honors and appointments in 2011, including being named to a that will examine how to bolster teaching and research in the humanities and social sciences, and election to the board of directors of the , the non-partisan, non-profit organization that has sponsored and produced all U.S. presidential and vice presidential debates since 1988.

• 91³Ō¹Ļ vice president and chief investment officer Scott C. Malpass was named by Institutional Investor magazine. The award recognizes U.S. institutional advisors whose ā€œinnovative strategies and fiduciary savvy resulted in impressive returnsā€ over the past year.

• Carolyn Y. Woo, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business, announced in June she will at the start of 2012 to serve as president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services. During her tenure as dean, the college has received top rankings for its undergraduate business, MBA, EMBA and Master of Science in Accountancy programs, as well as business ethics and accountancy.

ATHLETICS

• Eighteen of 22 91³Ō¹Ļ athletics programs compiled of 100 percent, and none were below 93 percent, according to the seventh year of Graduation Success Rate measurements developed by the NCAA and released in October. In addition, five 91³Ō¹Ļ student-athletes received Capital One/CoSIDA during the 2010-11 academic year, helping the Irish stay among the leaders in the nation in honorees.

• The 91³Ō¹Ļ made it to the NCAA Divison I championship game, falling to Texas A&M in a 76-70 thriller. Head coach Muffett McGraw was inducted into the during a gala ceremony in Knoxville, Tenn., in June.

• The 91³Ō¹Ļ claimed its eighth NCAA National Championship in March.

• Irish Hockey made its second trip to the in April, ending a stellar season with a 4-3 defeat against Minnesota-Duluth.

• 91³Ō¹Ļ once again took the football weekend experience on the road, traveling to for a home-away-from-home game against Maryland in FedEx Stadium. The Irish football team ended the season with a 8-4 record and earned an invitation to the Dec. 29 Champs Sports Bowl against Florida State.

• The 91³Ō¹Ļ Band was presented with the ā€” considered the Heisman trophy of college bands ā€” at halftime of the 91³Ō¹Ļ vs. Air Force game on Oct. 8 in 91³Ō¹Ļ Stadium.

FAITH & SERVICE

• The 91³Ō¹Ļ community gathered in prayer to observe the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks. A for the victims was held on Sept. 11 on the Hesburgh Library Mall.

• On July 1, an historic union officially took effect when the former Eastern Province of Priests and Brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross to form the new United States Province of Priests and Brothers. The merger was approved at the Congregation of Holy Crossā€™ general chapter meeting in Rome in the summer of 2010. The Congregation of Holy Cross is 91³Ō¹Ļā€™s founding order.

• 91³Ō¹Ļ welcomed a number of high-ranking Church leaders to campus, including , archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, who spent a month at the University to discuss the reform of the nationā€™s immigration policy; and of New York, who inaugurated the Universityā€™s Project on Human Dignity in November with a lecture entitled ā€œModern Questions, Ancient Answers: Defining and Defending Human Dignity in Our Time."

• 91³Ō¹Ļ alumni volunteers to the Peace Corps were in campus events commemorating the organizationā€™s 50th Anniversary during an October weekend. For the 11th year in a row, the University also was medium-sized universities (those with undergraduate enrollments between 5,000 and 15,000) producing Peace Corps volunteers.