CJ said that night. Is that a new pitch Freeman and Co. are using?
In my view, the high standing of Norte Dame academically today was largely driven by several difficult decisions made by Father Hesburgh, starting with the one to admit girls into the school. By increasing the available pool of students by fifty percent while growing the total school by a more measured amount the academics were enhanced considerably. While I am sure it caused many a difficult discussion with some powerful Chicago alums at the time, it has had broad positive ramifications that are now benefitting us fifty years later.
Secondarily but equally important was to use the financial success of the football team to drive the endowment to top ten status through contributions and ticket lottery sales, putting the school on strong financial footing relative to others. The ability to recruit outstanding professors and offer full scholarships to modest income students with outstanding academic credentials has had a profound impact on the school’s standing.
Without these two (and other measures) there is no number one undergrad business school, no Notre Dame Supreme Court appointee coming from our law faculty, and no ability to distinguish the school by outstanding student athletes in the highly competitive world of football recruiting as we know it today.
I must say, while more of a traditionalist than most, I have no problem with the slight tweak of our fight song as a gesture to the gals who have and will attend the University in gratitude for what they have helped make the school today. As I recall Notre Dame was a good but not great school from a national academic standpoint as recently as the 1960’s. Within the Catholic university subset, it was probably regarded as behind Georgetown, falling in line with numerous others. Letting in the girls has made us stronger academically and in many other ways.
In an odd sort of way, it is possible that the things that have been viewed as working against Norte Dame from a recruiting standpoint may now in fact be working in its favor, allowing potential high quality student athletes like CJ Carr to look more seriously at our school. Having visited many campuses, I can assure you athletic facilities at the top schools are all outstanding, leaving a school such as Notre Dame, in South Bend Indiana, needing something to further distinguish itself.
Whether it will be sufficient to return our football program to where we want it to be (and happily requiring a new statue outside the House That Rockne Built) will take time to know but I like where we are positioned and how the new football leadership is taking advantage of the situation. At the very least Notre Dame is now truly unique but I doubt the slogan “Ivy League Education at a Power Five School” would be used if not for some of these changes.
A lot of the top Power Five schools have unexpectedly decent grad rates.
But how many schools can boast that their prefiously ungraduated players go back after successful pro careers to get their degrees?
Link: https://thespun.com/independents/notre-dame-fighting-irish/heres-college-footballs-top-25-in-order-of-graduation-rate
Stanford’s descent has been beneficial to us as well since they were the biggest challenger for the best recruits.
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