Changing with the times: The new NDNU

Located in Belmont, on the San Francisco Peninsula, NDNU is surrounded by the entrepreneurial spirit and talented people who have some to define Silicon Valley. There is no better place in which to reinvent oneself.

What has changed and what has stayed the same?

The Bay Area community has an abundance of opportunities for high school graduates seeking a bachelor’s degree. Demand for professionally prepared employees has skyrocketed. NDNU made the decision in early 2021 to concentrate on educating adult learners to better align with today’s job market. While the traditional, undergraduate residential programs have closed, the university continues to offer its flagship graduate programs in business, clinical psychology and education and is launching bachelor’s degree completion programs in partnership with local community colleges.

As difficult as living through the COVID-19 pandemic has been for all universities, it provided the impetus to deliver degrees more flexibly. Notre Dame de Namur University now delivers in-person, hybrid and fully online programs and is poised to continue to develop new programs as demand arises.

Making these changes necessitated an initial downsizing, something that, understandably, had an emotional impact on a tightly-knit community like NDNU. We are now organizing for growth and meeting community needs with course delivery models that provide convenience for working adults.

Without residential undergraduate students, NDNU’s footprint is necessarily smaller, allowing us to monetize our campus land to secure our near-term future. The option-to-purchase agreement signed with Stanford University in September of 2021 provides NDNU with flexibility it previously did not possess. In addition to developing programs for local community needs, we are now able to reach out to communities at a distance, such as international students and tribal communities, in ways we could not do before. These are exciting times.

NDNU continues to lease buildings to our community for academic use and social events. Our renowned chapel and overall campus beauty provide the opportunity to lease space for weddings and other special occasions. With a negotiated lease agreement with Stanford, NDNU aims to remain in place for many years to come. If the time does come for NDNU to reevaluate our physical presence at our current campus, our intent is to remain local and continue to serve the Belmont and surrounding communities. Next year, 2023, will mark the 100th anniversary of Notre Dame in Belmont. We hope that the community will continue to celebrate NDNU’s contributions to the life and lives of the community for another 100 years to come.

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur left Namur, Belgium, on their journey to California via a long and arduous journey on l’Infatigable. This vessel, The Indefatigable in English, describes the spirit and grit of this congregation to this day. The faculty, staff and administration of NDNU maintain this spirit of unflagging, inexhaustible determination and continue to advance the mission of education for justice and peace in our world.

Beth Martin is the recently-appointed 19th president of Notre Dame de Namur University. Visit NDNU.edu for more information.