University of Notre Dame puts 'Catholic Mission' at top of staff values after earlier revision

(OSV News) -- The University of Notre Dame has updated its recently "refreshed" staff values, not just restoring a direct reference to the institution's Catholic mission, but making it more prominent than before.

Weeks earlier, the reference had been removed from the list and described instead as an overarching value governing the others.

In a Nov. 21 statement posted to the university's online hub for staff and faculty communications, Holy Cross Father Robert A. Dowd, the university president, introduced the latest version of the staff values, which largely apply to some 4,500 non-faculty support staff at the university.

The list is now topped by "Catholic Mission," which calls on staff to "be a force for good and help to advance Notre Dame's mission to be the leading global Catholic research university."

Father Dowd said in his message that the change was sparked by "some constructive feedback we received."

In late October, a new set of staff values was unveiled at two staff town halls held Oct. 29 and 30.

Heather Christophersen, Notre Dame's vice president for human resources, said at the town halls that the values were an expression of Notre Dame's Catholic mission and identity.

The new list consisted of community, collaboration, excellence and innovation. Each value was further specified, with the list as a whole emphasizing dignity, respect, honesty, kindness, humility, truth, service, creativity and dedication.

Those replaced the five former values, which were accountability, teamwork, integrity, leadership in excellence and leadership in mission.

The last value specifically stated, "Understands, accepts and supports the Catholic mission of the university and fosters values consistent with that mission," according to The Observer, an editorially independent student newspaper serving Notre Dame, St. Mary's College and Holy Cross College.

Christophersen further clarified to The Observer that the new values "might not say specific mission-related words, but I think trying to weave them throughout was our goal."

But in his Nov. 21 message Father Dowd said, "Thanks to some constructive feedback we received, we now realize that placement is causing confusion, and that some could interpret that not as elevating our mission as we intended, but as a sign of diminishing commitment.

"To avoid any further confusion, we have now included the language on Catholic mission as the first of our five core Values," he wrote.

"I hope this change makes clear what I believe we all understand: Our Catholic mission guides and informs all that we do and how we work together," Father Dowd continued. "I invite each of us to reflect more deeply on how we can be a force for good in the context of ND’s mission to be the leading global Catholic research university."

He added, "Our Catholic mission has animated our common work from the University’s founding, and it will always be our guiding force."