College of Arts and Letters. College of Science. Mendoza College of Business. College of Engineering. School of Architecture. The First Year of Studies. 5 colleges, 1 school, one campus, one university.
These have been the only colleges and school for nearly a century, but now, Notre Dame is ready to finally open a new school here on campus.
The Donald R. Keough School of Global Affairs is set to open in August 2017 in a new hall named Jenkins Hall. The building will be named in honor of Father Jenkins, who has made internationalization a priority at the university.
The School of Global Affairs will prepare students for “effective and ethically grounded professional leadership in government, the private sector and global civil society, engaging them in the worldwide effort to address the greatest challenges of our century: threats to security and human dignity that come in the form of crushing poverty and underdevelopment; failed governance and corruption; resource wars; civil wars; and other forms of political violence and human rights violations,” (news.nd.edu).
Research will be done on issues of international development, human rights, peace, and governance. There will also be a master’s degree in global affairs along with a dual-degree and undergraduate programs to prepare students for leadership in an interconnected world.
The opening of this school will be a great opportunity for new incoming students to take advantage of pursuing an education in global affairs. With a degree in global affairs, students will be able to get jobs internationally in places such as the United Nations or U.S. Embassies. They will also be able to spread the Notre Dame mission of service wherever their jobs may take them around the world.
I am personally a big fan of this new school and wish that I could take advantage of everything it has to offer. There are so many possibilities that the degree has to offer students. For example, you can enter into government and work as a National Service Agent or a Foreign Service Officer. You can enter into education and become a teacher or historian. You can enter into journalism and be a foreign corespondent, or you can enter into business and be an international trade specialist. The range of fields that you can enter into is huge; I think that is what appeals to me as a student.
I also appreciate the University's increased emphasis on getting an education with a global perspective. Our world is always changing and growing; I think that having an understanding about how other countries work is going to be extremely helpful for our generation. This school will open so many new doors for students, and I would highly recommend future Notre Dame students to seriously consider majoring in global affairs.
The new school will be located on Notre Dame Avenue south of the Hesburgh Center for International Studies near the entrance to the campus.
The Keough’s have donated $50 million to the construction of this building and have also generously donated to other buildings on campus such as Keough Hall, a men’s dorm, and the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies.