As I was preparing this newsletter message as a reflection on my tenure as the vice president for research at Notre Dame, the University received the fabulous news that it has been
selected to join the Association of American Universities (AAU). I will try to address both items in this, my final, column.
First, let me say that my 16-year
tenure as vice president for research at Notre Dame has been a true personal blessing. This position was exactly fitted to my personality and informed by my prior life experiences, including Catholic elementary schools, my industrial experience as an engineer, and my three different roles at Purdue. In my various farewell speeches (too many!) I have discussed how this role was a personal calling for which all of my gifts and experiences came together. I am very grateful to President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the provost who hired me, Tom Burish, and the Board of Trustees for their confidence in me and for their support of my efforts.
As I reflect, I am grateful to be given generous resources in order to build research programs and that I received such a high level of cooperation from University leadership, faculty, and staff. This effort was very much a momentum-building effort and our aspirations were quite ambitious. Getting the flywheel moving took hard work by many and many successes large and small. But that momentum built over time and the University adapted its aspirations accordingly. In our area of investments, Notre Dame now competes with the best. I want to particularly mention my appreciation for the faculty who did the hard work to make all of this success happen, often in the face of significant challenges and at great personal sacrifice.
The growth in Notre Dame’s research programs is frequently described by our growth in research expenditures and awards. But there were many other indicators of growth in maturity and success that I observed, including an overall increase in ambition and confidence, a much-reduced level of risk and increased capacity for adaptation, and a much more mature capacity to handle complicated projects. Our successes are also measured in the quality of the people we are able to attract and retain. None of this has been easy, but I would say that I am gratified that it also felt like the wind was at our backs.
A reflection of our growth is our recent election to the AAU. From the beginning of my tenure, largely at the urging of Tom Burish, we have measured our programs against those of the AAU universities. This approach seemed audacious in the beginning. But as time passed, we continued to make progress, on both quantitative and qualitative metrics. The election to the AAU has been a validation of both the strategy and the effort. As I’ve done before at various times, I will add one additional note. I am confident to say that the AAU will be increasingly pleased to have Notre Dame as a member as time goes by. Notre Dame delivers. We are not yet fully mature and my successor,
Jeff Rhoads, is ready to take us to the next level. Notre Dame will add a distinctive and complementary voice within the AAU that I am certain the other members will value.
Let me close by saying that as certain as I was during my tenure that this role was my personal calling, I am just as certain that it is now time for me to step aside. New leadership with new energy and clear vision are standing ready to take over. But that does not mean that my aspirations for Notre Dame have been accomplished. As Provost John McGreevy and Jeff Rhoads have heard me passionately say, I have high aspirations for the Notre Dame of the future. Notre Dame’s distinctive Catholic mission makes it a very important voice on the most challenging and controversial issues humanity will face in the future. Notre Dame must be a factor, it must be relevant, it must have the scope to have an impact and a coherent vision and strategy. I can see the potential and I will be watching the outcomes with high expectations.
And I close with a final thank you to all who have helped in this grand opportunity.
Yours in Notre Dame,
Bob Bernhard
Vice President for Research
