Timothy Bradley
Graduation Year: 2016; 2020
Rover Roles: Writer, Politics & Economics Editor, Executive Editor, Editor-in-Chief
Favorite Article: What Is This Costing You? (2013) & Is A University Education Worth It? (2013)
Current Job: Associate at Jones Day
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Irish Rover: You were a “Double Domer” here as an undergraduate and law student—how did Notre Dame shape your decisions about your career?
Timothy Bradley: My time at Notre Dame—especially the ubiquitous opportunities to participate in the sacraments on campus and the many excellent classes I was fortunate to take with mission-aligned faculty—helped me to start thinking about career decisions in terms of personal vocation: the unique role that God calls each of us to play in building up His Kingdom.
I was drawn to law school and to the practice of law both because I felt that I had an aptitude for it, and because the law plays an important role in helping people pursue various authentic human goods and flourish in community together. As any practicing attorney can tell you, the grind of day-to-day legal practice sometimes obscures that higher purpose of law. But my time at Notre Dame helps me to keep that vision in mind in my day-to-day work. All kinds of work can be sanctified—even that of a lawyer!
More specifically, how did your time at the Rover prepare you for a career in law?
Working for the Rover helped me become a better writer. As a staff writer, more experienced editors worked through every article I wrote and gave me feedback. As I took on more editing responsibilities over time, I did the same for others. This kind of back-and-forth, in-depth process was invaluable. Having your work critiqued by others is the best path to improving as a writer (a never-ending process.) And lawyers write—a lot. It’s no exaggeration to say that my experience working for the Rover has made me a much better lawyer today because it made me a better writer.
What do you think makes the Rover unique here at Notre Dame?
I think it’s right there in the Rover’s mission statement: One of the paper’s core objectives is to “defend the Faith and honorable traditions of this great university.” That objective shouldn’t make the Rover unique. But in this day and age, it at least makes the paper stand out.
Many people at the university seem to be keenly interested in seeing Notre Dame qua business interest and degree-granting factory measure up to its Ivy League “peer” institutions. Far too few seem to be as interested in ensuring that Notre Dame qua Catholic institution of higher learning consecrates itself “without reserve to the cause of truth” and fulfills its special role in forming the minds and hearts of its students so that they may, as John Paul II wrote in Ex corde Ecclesiae, “act rightly” and “serve humanity better.”
The Rover is a watchdog devoted to preserving the Catholic identity of Notre Dame. That makes the paper unique.
Do you have a favorite article that you wrote or edited?
First is a two-part series I wrote on the rising cost of attendance at Notre Dame (and other elite universities) and how high tuition rates influence the approach students take to their education as they attempt to earn an adequate “return on investment.” It was interesting to learn that the cost of attending Notre Dame began to skyrocket (and far outstrip inflation) after it first described itself as a “national Catholic research university” in 1978 and to examine the perennial question facing students who pay high sticker prices—and often take on considerable debt—to attend an elite college: “Is this worth it?”
Second is a “Who’s Who at Notre Dame” feature I wrote on the late Notre Dame music instructor Billy “Stix” Nicks in 2015. “Who’s Who” columns tended to profile “under the radar” campus figures—off-the-beaten path instructors, staff members, housekeepers, food service employees, etc. These people work hard (and sometimes without much notice from students) to make Notre Dame the wonderful place that it is. I met Mr. Nicks when he visited my “Intro to Jazz” class to play percussion as part of a jazz trio, and I remain thankful that I later had the opportunity to interview him and learn about his remarkable life.
Off campus, how do lawyers or other professionals in your field view Notre Dame?
I suspect that many attorneys sense that Notre Dame remains a Catholic institution. I say that for two reasons. First, the law school has done a better job than many other departments of adhering to the university’s Catholic mission, especially when it comes to mission hiring. Dean Marcus Cole and the law school faculty believe in the Catholic mission. And they take seriously their role as educators of a “different kind of lawyer.” In this regard, the law school provides a sign of hope for Notre Dame: It is possible to value and adhere to the university’s Catholic mission while also equipping students for success in the “real world.”
Second, having a longtime faculty member elevated to the Supreme Court certainly doesn’t hurt. Justice Barrett is one of the most visible members of the legal profession in America today, and her connection to Notre Dame is well known. I suspect that many lawyers have gathered at least some understanding of Notre Dame Law School as a committed Catholic institution through learning more about Justice Barrett.
Has your own view of Notre Dame changed now that you are an alumnus?
I love Notre Dame just as much as I did when I was a student. For me, Notre Dame is and always will be home. I grew up a couple miles away from campus. It’s where I met my wife. It’s where we got engaged. That fondness is what motivated me to work for the Rover as an undergraduate. We all can see the good at Notre Dame, and we want to preserve it.
But there are other forces at work as well. As I observe Notre Dame from a distance today, I think about it more from the point of view of a parent. Would I encourage my own children to attend Notre Dame in the future? At what cost? I know that it is possible to receive a rich, authentic Catholic education at Notre Dame even today, if one knows where to look. But we can’t just assume that will always be the case. That is why I am encouraged by the work of student groups like the Rover and of so many good Catholic and mission-aligned faculty members at the university. I can only hope that work will bear great fruit.
Haley Garecht is a senior studying political science, constitutional studies, and Irish studies. She enjoys being political, constitutional, and especially, Irish. For more information on politics, the constitution, or Ireland, please email hgarecht@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: University of Notre Dame Law School
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