University of Notre Dame
PAE-2: Strategic Plan

The University of Notre Dame completed its equivalent of a strategic plan in 2003. The plan includes the University's goal to intertwine the environmental and social issues related to sustainability with its mission as a Catholic University. A relevant excerpt includes: “We must increase Notre Dame's presence as a center of reflection in two areas: with regard to the most pressing national and international issues and in response to challenges facing the Church and its members. At the national and international levels, the number of problems of great complexity and relevance is almost endless-immigration and the movement of large population groups; the preservation and proper distribution of water, food, fuels and other natural resources; the humane use of science and technology; with the growth of cities and depopulation of rural areas, particular attention to difficult social and economic conditions; the legal protection of children, the elderly, ethnic and religious minorities and other vulnerable groups; and the creation of reliable and equitable systems of government.”

Included within the plan is the University’s goal to intertwine the environmental and social issues related to sustainability with its mission as a Catholic University. The social dimensions of sustainability are included in the same excerpt: “We must increase Notre Dame's presence as a center of reflection in two areas: with regard to the most pressing national and international issues and in response to challenges facing the Church and its members. At the national and international levels, the number of problems of great complexity and relevance is almost endless-immigration and the movement of large population groups; the preservation and proper distribution of water, food, fuels and other natural resources; the humane use of science and technology; with the growth of cities and depopulation of rural areas, particular attention to difficult social and economic conditions; the legal protection of children, the elderly, ethnic and religious minorities and other vulnerable groups; and the creation of reliable and equitable systems of government.”

The University’s plan also acknowledges a sense of stewardship to property, financial resources, and future generations. A relevant excerpt includes: “Those of us who participate in the University's life today are the beneficiaries of thoughtful and well-planned utilization of the University's resources in the past. In the face of relatively challenging economic circumstances, we must be even more focused on fundamental things. There are three dimensions to this proper stewardship: First, we must focus on exercising wise and prudent stewardship of the University's core assets. Second, as part of our fiduciary responsibility, we must balance the needs of the present day with those opportunities projected for the future. Third, we must recognize our intergenerational responsibility for land, for endowment and for program development.”