Notre Dame Mission Statement

The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic University located in South Bend, Indiana. The school attracts dedicated students and puts great emphasis on values. The school is a Catholic university, so it is no surprise that their motto is “God, Country, Notre Dame”. The university wants its community to revolve around religion, loving America, and taking pride in Notre Dame. Debates over the exclusivity of “God, Country, Notre Dame” have led some to question whether or not the motto is outdated and discouraging for prospective students.The motto “God, Country, Notre Dame” is appropriate for the modern Notre Dame student because the school is founded upon the very values listed in the motto and the longevity of it only adds to the community
The motto, “God, Country, Notre Dame” puts words to the feelings that the community holds. Notre Dame is a tight-knit family environment that feels like home to many students. The motto is what truly makes the school special. According to Jon Hunn, “it is a testament to the passion that the Notre Dame family feels for the University, its education, its athletics, and for one another” (Source C). “God, Country, Notre Dame” keeps the priorities centralized and the school unified. Students are constantly reminded of what they should be focused on. Since the school is a private Catholic university, God is the number one focus of the school, followed by patriotism, due to the school’s military affiliation. The last priority is Notre Dame because of the pride people take in being part of such a family-oriented community. “God, Country, Notre Dame” is appropriate for the school because it combines the most important aspects of the Notre Dame student into a mantra to live by. Lou Somogyi explains, “It weaves together the school's spiritual and patriotic elements while enjoining its loyal sons and daughters who are, as the Victory March states, ‘strong of heart and true to Her name’” (Source B). Notre Dame’s three common themes truly give the student body a sense of connection and support. Even though there are a wide variety of students that attend the university, each one of them knows that they all
People claim that “God, Country, Notre Dame” has religious affiliation and deters non-Catholic students. The slogan may also seem exclusive of students who are not from America, and therefore feel less patriotic about the country. The motto is however, just that, a motto. No student at Notre Dame is required to be Catholic or have an extreme sense of American pride. The motto exists for students who can relate to it. Though the priorities of the school are aimed at a specific type of student, they are not exclusionary of everyone else who does not follow it. The admissions website makes known that 80% of students are Catholic (Source D). Therefore 80% of the students there feel that the motto accurately summarizes their priorities as students. For the 20% of the student body who do not practice the majority religion, it is evident that the motto did not detract from them recognizing that the school has other things to offer than its religious and patriotic affiliations. Students who do not agree with Catholicism can still feel the same sense of community is the students who do follow the motto “God, Country, Notre