Don Keough: Putting the Irish into Notre Dame

South Bend, Indiana -- Notre Dame is about much more than a football team. That can be hard to understand on a glorious fall weekend when this beautiful campus is garbed in autumn shades, and tens of thousands of fans as well as national television are on hand for the annual smackdown with USC.

Yet another big story of this past fabled weekend was almost buried. That was the re-election of Father John Jenkins as president of the college for another five years after a unanimous vote of the trustees.

Jenkins took incoming fire when he elected to invite President Obama to give the commencement speech to the graduating class this year. It was a courageous decision, but strongly opposed by many alumni.

Jenkins stuck to his guns, however, and was rewarded with overwhelming student support and now by the board. By showing his faith in tolerance and respect in the best Catholic tradition, Jenkins proved himself a true leader.

In that respect he became the first Notre Dame leader to move out of the giant shadow cast by Father Ted Hesburgh, an extraordinary leader in civil rights and education who is still hale and hearty and living on campus.

There was much more to this wonderful weekend than that even. Ryan Hall, a wonderful new residence building for female students was officially dedicated and opened.

On hand were the extended Ryan family headed by Pat Ryan and his wife Shirley from Chicago. Pat recently headed up Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics, a bid that was never allowed to get off the ground because of internal International Olympic Committee politics.

It is doubtful that Pat would have got as much satisfaction if Chicago had succeeded as he did from Friday night’s events dedicating the Ryan Hall.

Over 60 of his family from all over were on hand, and it was a joyous occasion. Their son, Corbett, who has physical challenges, gave a wonderful speech about what the new residence meant to him and his family.

Family is a word you hear a lot of at Notre Dame, but unlike elsewhere it is not an empty term full of political significance for one side or the other.

Notre Dame simply does family better than any college anywhere. Partly it is the location, a Shangri la campus tucked away in the Indiana countryside far from major centers of habitation.

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Nster.com