Administration, students speak on role at a Catholic university
Doug Thompson joined Notre Dame as the inaugural Executive Director of Diversity and Engagement on July 1, 2024. Thompson’s position is a new addition to the Division of Student Affairs.
An announcement, released by the Division of Student Affairs on May 15, states that “Thompson will establish a sixth unit for Diversity and Engagement within the Division of Student Affairs to nurture belonging and inclusion among all students while further engaging underrepresented voices throughout the Notre Dame community.”
Thompson told the Rover that he is “dedicated to creating a welcoming environment where every student feels a true sense of belonging and can experience meaningful connections with God and one another.”
The five existing units within the Division of Student Affairs are Residential Life, Student Health and Wellness, Student Development, Career and Professional Development, and Campus Ministry. Each of these areas is led by an Assistant Vice President, but Thompson’s role is unique as an “Executive Director.”
The new Diversity and Engagement unit encompasses the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), in addition to Multicultural Student Programs and Services, the Gender Relations Center, and the Office of Student Enrichment. The growth of the Division of Student Affairs is part of the Strategic Framework announced last academic year. One of the plan’s objectives is to “enhance initiatives and practices that contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion at Notre Dame.”
Thompson holds his doctoral degree in leadership for the advancement of learning and service from Cardinal Stritch University. He comes to Notre Dame from his previous role as inaugural Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at Gustavus Adolphus College. Thompson’s office at Gustavus was an addition to the President’s Cabinet and “focused specifically on diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice.”
Thompson’s Notre Dame biography also includes extensive experience in administrative roles, previously serving as Associate Dean of Students at the University of St. Thomas and Assistant Dean for Equity and Diversity at the University of West Florida. While at Gustavus Adolphus, Thompson also led the Bias Response Team, which encouraged students to “Stop the Hate! Report Bias and Hate.”
Notre Dame’s current bias reporting system, known as Speak Up, is run by the Office of Community Standards and focuses on “all incidents of bias, discrimination, and/or harassment.” There is no guidance specifically concerning hate crimes, outside of usual reporting to the Notre Dame Police Department.
When asked about preserving the university’s Catholic mission, Father Gerry Olinger, C.S.C. told the Rover, “Our Catholic mission calls us to a profound sense of unity, and the addition of the Area of Diversity and Engagement—the sixth area in our Division—supports the university’s aspiration to build a more inclusive community that both recognizes and celebrates the God-given dignity of every member.”
He continued, “The work of Diversity and Engagement aligns closely with our first goal of the Division’s Strategic Plan: Faith and Formation. It celebrates the richness of our community and reflects the values that shape our Catholic and Holy Cross identity.”
Fr. Olinger’s perspective that DEI is a celebration of the faith exists alongside other Catholic perspectives on the topic. In a 2023 lecture at Notre Dame, Bishop Robert Barron directly addressed the question of DEI at a Catholic university. He explained, “My complaint with the diversity, equity, and inclusion stuff is not that those are bad things; but they’re not absolute values; they’re relative values. When you absolutize them, then trouble emerges.”
Regarding the day-to-day work of the executive director position, Thompson said, “Every day, we strive to cultivate a beloved community where students can flourish and experience meaningful transformation.”
The center recently hosted a panel on men’s mental health, entitled “Men Talking.” Thompson served on the panel alongside Daniel Jung, senior and former student body president, and Zach Imfel, Residential Life Director of Recruitment, Hiring and Retention.
Jung explained, “My role as one of the panelists was to provide an authentic witness to the role that healthy masculinity can play in the formation of young men.”
Jung also emphasized the connection between the new Diversity and Engagement center and the Catholic faith. He told the Rover that the new unit “works hand-in-hand with Notre Dame’s ‘Spirit of Inclusion.’ Through the work of this office, we can better recognize our universal call to holiness and duty to love both God and neighbor.”
Recent activity by centers within Thompson’s unit include the Gender Relations Center’s LGBTQ Welcome Back Picnic and LGBTQ History Month Trivia. Upcoming events include a discussion entitled “What We Owe Each Other: Catholic Social Thought in Practice for LGBTQ History Month.”
Catalina Scheider Galiñanes is a senior with majors in economics and political science and a minor in constitutional studies. If you are interested in discussing the synodal nature of the synod on synodality, why country music stereotypes are a social good, or tariff policy, reach out at cscheid2@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Notre Dame Student Affairs
Subscribe to the Irish Rover here.
Donate to the Irish Rover here.