University Libraries renamed in Father Hesburgh’s honor

By:	Julie Hail Flory and William G. Schmitt
Date:	April 29, 2008

The University Libraries of Notre Dame have been renamed the Hesburgh Libraries, in honor of Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., president emeritus of the University.

“Renaming the entire University Libraries system after Father Ted is an appropriate way to honor the depth and breadth of his vision for interdisciplinary excellence at Notre Dame,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the University’s president. “Now, the ‘Hesburgh Libraries’ include not only the monument to learning called the Hesburgh Library, but also the various subject-specific libraries that bring world-class resources and expertise to faculty and students all around campus.”

The University’s principal, 14-story library was designed and constructed under Father Hesburgh’s leadership in the 1960s and has borne his name since his retirement in 1987. His name now also will apply to the other 10 libraries within the campus system, which, along with the main facility, contain a total of nearly 3 million volumes, more than 5,850 electronic titles, more than 3 million microform units and 25,200 audio-visual items. The libraries subscribe to approximately 12,100 serials and are managed by a faculty of 50 and a staff of 145.

Of the new Hesburgh Libraries, Father Jenkins also said: “They, like Hesburgh the priest, will help us to educate minds and hearts with a great sense of community that bridges past, present and future.”

Considered one of the most influential figures in higher education in the 20th century, Father Hesburgh, now 90 years old, led the University from 1952 to 1987. Among his many honors, his public service career was recognized in 2000 when he became the first person from higher education to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. He also received the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Greenhouses and “green” computing

By: William Gilroy
Date: April 22, 2008

On the surface, high performance computing and greenhouses appear to have little in common. But the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Research Computing and the City of South Bend have wedded them in a marriage that is environmentally friendly, economically beneficial and worthy of celebration on Earth Day.

The center, established in 2005, supports the research agenda of the University by making available managed computing assets and staff with expertise in the application of these resources to multidisciplinary research interests.

South Bend’s Potowatomi Greenhouses have provided area residents with year-round access to flowers and plants since the 1920s. In 1973, the Arizona Desert Dome was built at the greenhouses to serve as the home of a botanical collection donated by Rev. Joseph Sarto McGrath, C.S.C. The late Father McGrath was a Notre Dame chemist, summer school dean and rector at Fisher Hall, whose hobby was visiting Arizona to obtain many different types of cacti.

More

ND professor answers nanotechnology questions

South Bend Tribune April 14, 2008
Staff writer Margaret Fosmoe

University lead partner in new Midwest Academy for Nanoelectronics and Architectures.

Business, government and educational leaders in late March announced big news: establishment of the Midwest Academy for Nanoelectronics and Architectures (MANA).

It's a new research consortium and the University of Notre Dame, which is already involved in extensive nanotechnology research, is the lead partner. The group's mission is to discover and develop the next nanoscale logic device, the basic building block of smaller, faster computers of the future.

The partnership is expected to bring more federal money to Midwestern universities and potentially bring well-paying, high-technology jobs to South Bend and the region.

more