University demonstrates power of partnership at Global Partners Conference

The University demonstrated its commitment to strengthening partnerships this fall by hosting the inaugural Global Partners Conference. Organized and run by Notre Dame Global, the Global Partners Conference brought together Notre Dame’s university partners from around the world to network and share ideas. The conference provided an opportunity not only to deepen existing relationships but also to initiate and innovate new collaborations and expand the University’s global engagement.

During the four-day conference, attendees participated in panel sessions, roundtable discussions, and a variety of social and networking events. A particularly engaging and enlightening event for the attendees was the bus tour they took of the city of South Bend at the end of the week. To kick it off, they were personally welcomed to the city by the Mayor of South Bend, James Mueller. Mayor Mueller, a South Bend native and Notre Dame graduate, greeted the group and discussed the growth of the relationship between South Bend and Notre Dame through the years. He touched on the city’s revitalization efforts and how the University’s support and partnership in those efforts have been crucial.

Following his welcome, attendees loaded a bus for a tour guided by Associate Vice President for Public Affairs Tim Sexton. As they drove around the city, Sexton, also a South Bend native, provided an in-depth background on the University’s history of engagement with the city of South Bend. He shared how Fr. Ted Hesburgh, the former University president, led the push for Notre Dame to open its campus more—both to the city of South Bend and globally. Locally, this involved creating more opportunities to bring the local community onto campus as well as facilitating better pathways for students to engage with the South Bend community. Attendees were able to see firsthand the impact of the successful partnership through sites like the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, the Link Trail, Howard Park, and the South Bend Tribune building.

An important stop of the tour was Seitz Park, a riverfront park that’s home to the recently constructed hydroelectric generation facility, where attendees were greeted by Eric Horvath, the public works executive director for the City of South Bend, and Paul Kempf, assistant vice president of utilities and maintenance at the University of Notre Dame. The park’s renovation is a direct result of the strong partnership between the University and the city. It began six years ago, and included plans to build the hydroelectric power plant and improve the park with new restrooms, a vending area, and a concert space. Notre Dame offered to support this with a significant financial contribution, demonstrating the University’s commitment not only to the city but to long-term sustainability efforts. Both Horvath and Kempf emphasized that the true value of the partnership between the two entities is the relational aspect, rather than the transactional, and that their shared vision of a better South Bend fuels their work and puts the community’s needs first.

The group also visited the “Renaissance District”—the name for the former Studebaker plant that has been redeveloped into a mixed-use technology campus. Bethany Hartley, the president and CEO of the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, which is housed in the Studebaker building, led the global partner attendees on a tour of the building, which is still under construction, highlighting how the old manufacturing building has become “a hub of innovation.” Attendees even got to go out on the roof for a bird’s eye view of the city of South Bend. Hartley noted how much the horizon has changed over the past ten years—and will continue to as South Bend continues to grow and flourish.

The through-thread of the entire tour was a message of interdependence. As Sexton put it, “our futures are linked.” The University’s success means the city’s success and vice versa. The various connection points throughout the city—from Eddy Street to Seitz Park—illustrated for conference attendees the payoff of a thriving partnership, and demonstrated just how dedicated the University is to investing in its partners.