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John I. Jenkins

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The Reverend
John I. Jenkins
CSC
Jenkins at Notre Dame Stadium in 2014
17th President of the University of Notre Dame
In office
July 1, 2005 – June 1, 2024
Preceded byEdward Malloy
Succeeded byRobert A. Dowd
Personal details
Born
John Ignatius Jenkins

(1953-12-17) December 17, 1953 (age 70)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (BA, MA)
University of Oxford (BPhil, DPhil)
Jesuit School of Theology (MDiv, STL)

Rev. John Ignatius Jenkins, C.S.C. (born December 17, 1953) is an American Catholic priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He is best known for his service as the 17th president of the University of Notre Dame from 2005 to 2024. He previously served as its vice-president and associate provost.[1] He replaced Edward Malloy as president.

He was chosen as president-elect by the Notre Dame board of trustees on April 29, 2004; his tenure began on July 1, 2005. On October 11, 2019, Jenkins was elected to a fourth consecutive five-year term as president.[2] In October 2023, he announced he would step down as President at the end of the 2023–2024 academic year.[3]

Early life and career

Jenkins was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and attended Creighton Preparatory School. In high school, he was captain of the swim team and prom king.[4] Jenkins earned bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in 1976 and 1978, respectively, and was ordained a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus in 1983. While earning master's and doctoral degrees in philosophy from Oxford University in 1987 and 1989, respectively, he also taught in Notre Dame's London Undergraduate Program. He earned a master of divinity degree and licentiate in sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in 1988.[4]

Jenkins has been a member of the Notre Dame philosophy faculty since 1990; he received a Lilly Teaching Fellowship in 1991–1992. He served as director of the Old College program for Holy Cross seminarians from 1991 to 1993 and as religious superior of the Holy Cross priests and brothers at Notre Dame from 1997 to 2000. He is the author of scholarly articles published in The Journal of Philosophy,[5] Journal of Nietzsche Studies,[6] Medieval Philosophy and Theology,[7] and of the book Knowledge and Faith in Thomas Aquinas.[8][9]

Jenkins is a member of the Board of Directors for the Commission on Presidential Debates.[10]

Notre Dame presidency

At Jenkins’ inauguration on September 23, 2005, Jenkins described his goals of making the university a leader in research that recognizes ethics and builds the connection between faith and studies. During his tenure, Notre Dame has increased its endowment, enlarged its student body, and undergone many construction projects on campus, including Compton Family Ice Arena, a new architecture hall, additional residence halls, the Jenkins-Nanovic Hall, and Campus Crossroads, a $400 million enhancement and expansion of Notre Dame Stadium.[11][12]

Early in his tenure at Notre Dame, Jenkins was criticized for other decisions such as allowing performances of The Vagina Monologues and showings of gay films on campus.[13]

Jenkins with Senator Richard Lugar in 2005

Jenkins' decision to include an invitation to President Barack Obama to deliver the 2009 commencement address at Notre Dame and to receive an honorary degree was controversial. Inviting the sitting president of the United States to speak at commencement is, however, a custom at the University of Notre Dame.[14] A number of Catholic bishops, including John Michael D'Arcy, the bishop of Fort Wayne–South Bend, as well as anti-abortion groups, criticized the invitation because of Obama's stance on abortion.[15]

Jenkins (center) with former Speaker John Boehner and then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2016

In 2016, Kevin C. Rhoades, the bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, said that he disagreed with Notre Dame's decision to honor Vice President Joe Biden and John Boehner, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, with the university's Laetare Medal; Rhoades said he would have preferred the university to invite Biden and Boehner to speak "rather than bestow an honor that can provoke scandal."[16]

On October 13, 2023, Jenkins announced his decision to step down from the presidency at the end of the 2023–24 academic year.[17] On December 4, Robert A. Dowd was announced to succeed Jenkins as the 18th university president, beginning on June 1, 2024.[18]

Salary

As a member of the Holy Cross order, Jenkins is bound by a vow of poverty. There is, however, still a presidential salary paid to Jenkins, according to an Internal Revenue Service Form 990, which is filled out by most non-profits such as private universities.[19] In 2014, this salary was $830,119, making Jenkins officially the highest paid university president in the state of Indiana.[19] However, most of this money goes to the Congregation of Holy Cross, and not Jenkins himself.[20]

COVID-19

Main articles: White House COVID-19 outbreak and COVID-19 at the University of Notre Dame

On September 26, 2020, Jenkins attended the White House Supreme Court nomination ceremony for Notre Dame professor judge Amy Coney Barrett. Pictures showed him not wearing a mask and in close physical proximity, even hugging other attendees. On October 2, 2020, Jenkins tested positive for COVID-19, joining Trump, Melania Trump, U.S. senators Mike Lee and Thom Tillis, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Kellyanne Conway, all who attended the ceremony maskless. Days before the diagnosis, after photos were published, Jenkins publicly apologized for not wearing a mask nor adhering to social distancing guidelines.[21]

On October 8, 2020, a faculty senate motion to consider a vote of no confidence was postponed by a 21 to 20 vote and after a raucous debate so that more feedback could be gathered.[22] Jenkins was also criticized by the faculty for not following the strict health policy he imposed on campus while in Washington, for traveling while he has forbidden them and students to, and for opening Notre Dame's reputation to political exploitation.[22][23]

A student-authored petition that called upon Jenkins to resign gathered 213 signatures—a number equal to approximately 2.5% of the size of Notre Dame's undergraduate student body.[24] On October 1, 2020, one month after Jenkins tested positive for COVID-19, the majority of Notre Dame's undergraduate student senate voted in opposition to the petition,[24] arguing that the motion was too extreme and that only a very small fraction of Notre Dame's undergraduate students had actually signed the petition calling for Jenkins' resignation.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.: President". University of Notre Dame. 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015. ... became the University's 17th president on July 1, 2005
  2. ^ Brown, Dennis (October 11, 2019). "Father Jenkins elected to fourth five-year term as Notre Dame's president". Notre Dame News. University of Notre Dame. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., to step down at end of 2023-24 academic year; Board elects John Veihmeyer to succeed Jack Brennan as Board chair". Notre Dame News. October 13, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Dame, Marketing Communications: Web | University of Notre. "Genuine John Jenkins | Stories | Notre Dame Magazine | University of Notre Dame". Notre Dame Magazine. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Jenkins, John (November 1, 1991). "Aquinas on the Veracity of the Intellect". The Journal of Philosophy. 88 (11): 623–632. doi:10.5840/jphil199188118.
  6. ^ Jenkins, John I. (1993). "Good and the Object of Natural Inclinations in St. Thomas Aquinas". philpapers.org. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Jenkins, John I. (1993). "Good and the Object of Natural Inclinations in St. Thomas Aquinas". philpapers.org. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Jenkins, John I. (1997). "Knowledge and Faith in Thomas Aquinas". philpapers.org. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Dame, University Communications | University of Notre. "Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C." University of Notre Dame. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  10. ^ "CPD: Commission Leadership". www.debates.org. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  11. ^ Campus Crossroads Project. http://crossroads.nd.edu/ Archived March 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  12. ^ "Construction concludes on Campus Crossroads, Jenkins and Nanovic Halls // The Observer". The Observer. August 18, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  13. ^ Neela Banerjee (April 6, 2006). "Notre Dame's President Allows 'Monologues' and Gay Films". New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  14. ^ CNA. "Biden will not address Notre Dame commencement, was invited by the university". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  15. ^ Beckie Supiano (March 23, 2009). "Despite Disagreements, Obama to Deliver Commencement Speech at Notre Dame". Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  16. ^ "Bishop Rhoades' Statements: Concerning the decision of Notre Dame to honor Vice-President Biden and former Speaker Boehner with the Laetare Medal". Bishop Rhoades' Statements. March 14, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  17. ^ "University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., to step down at end of 2023-24 academic year; Board elects John Veihmeyer to succeed Jack Brennan as Board chair". Notre Dame News. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  18. ^ "Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., elected 18th president of the University of Notre Dame". Notre Dame News. University of Notre Dame. December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Report, South Bend Tribune. "Notre Dame's Jenkins highest paid private college president in Indiana". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  20. ^ “Jenkins’ Pay Remitted to Holy Cross // the Observer.” The Observer, November 30, 1BC. https://ndsmcobserver.com/2006/12/jenkins-pay-remitted-to-holy-cross/.
  21. ^ Romero, Simon (October 2, 2020). "The president of Notre Dame tests positive, less than a week after a White House visit". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Gray, Kathleen; Hubler, Shawn (October 7, 2020). "Notre Dame's President Faces an Angry Campus After Getting the Coronavirus". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  23. ^ Hamburger, Tom; Swaine, Jon. "Notre Dame faculty who attended White House event await test results amid concern on campus of exposure". Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  24. ^ a b c Eastland, Maggie (October 2, 2020). "Senate discusses student union investment in forced labor, rejects proposal on petition for Jenkins' resignation". The Observer (Notre Dame).
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