Academic Programs

The academic programs are organized into four schools, each headed by an academic dea under the direction of the provost: 

• School of Arts and Humanities
• School of Business and Management
• School of Education and Leadership
• School of Sciences

The Academic Affairs Division also includes all the resources of the University that support students throughout their careers here: admissions, financial aid, and registrar, in addition to services listed below. All these administrative offices work collaboratively to offer students the appropriate support to achieve a high standard of academic excellence within the classroom.

Faculty

The strength of the academic programs at Notre Dame de Namur University is the faculty who teach and support students in their learning.  NDNU focuses primarily on the teaching-learning mission of the University.  Faculty continually challenge themselves to engage students in learning.  Outstanding teaching is recognized through an award named in honor of Trustee and former Board Chair George M. Keller.  Recipients of the Keller Teaching Excellence Award receive a cash prize and are recognized at the annual Commencement ceremony.The 2008 recipient was Professor Hélène Laroche-Davis.

Hélène Laroche-Davis , Professor and Chair of Department of Modern Languages and Culture

Born in Lyon, France, Hélène Laroch- Davis received a B.A from the University of Lyon, a M.A from the University of Paris Sorbonne. She came to Stanford as a Fullbright scholar and received a PhD from Stanford University. She published a book in Paris on a Surrealist poet Robert Desnos. Numerous articles on French literature and cinema written by her were published in reviews, magazines and newspapers in the United States. After working with famous French film director François Truffaut for several years, she published a book on his work focussing on his film SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, at Rutgers University Press. In 1974, she founded The French Ciné-Club of Palo Alto which she still directs with success. It is a cultural meeting place for francophiles and film fans. Hélène Laroche Davis introduced film courses at College of Notre Dame in the early 80’s. She now teaches French courses as well as culture and film courses. She travels to France every year and attends film festivals.

Sister Catharine Julie Cunningham Chair for Visiting Scholars
NDNU also introduces students to outstanding scholars from beyond the bounds of the University through an endowment established to honor a former President. The Sister Catharine Julie Cunningham Chair for Visiting Scholars was established in 1980. The funds are used to bring distinguished visiting faculty to the campus. Normally the visiting scholar teaches a semester length course at the graduate or undergraduate level and gives a public lecture open to members of the local community.

Emeriti Faculty
NDNU frequently honors long-serving faculty members who retire from the University after ten or more years of distinguished service to the University with the rank of Professor Emeritus or Professor Emerita. Emeriti faculty continue to participate in the life of the University.

Honorary Degree Holders
Notre Dame de Namur University awards honorary degrees as a way of acknowledging those members of the larger community whose distinctive leadership, scholarship, service, or careers reflect congruence with the institution’s mission. Through its association with such individuals, the stature of the University is itself enhanced. (Faculty Handbook)

This yearBusinessman Lorry Lokey and alumnus Gordon Loughlin were awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa.

Academic Services

Academic Advising
Each student is assigned an academic advisor who is a faculty member within the student's major field of study. Close interaction with a faculty advisor is a central feature of the NDNU experience. Academic advisors help students with program planning, direct students to University and external resources as needed, and often serve as academic and/or professional mentors.

Academic Success Center
The Academic Success Center provides learning and support services for day, evening, accelerated, undergraduate, and graduate students to reach their academic goals while attending NDNU. The Academic Success Center uses the resources of the NDNU community of students, faculty, and staff to encourage the development of the whole person. Services include accessible, user-friendly, positive learning environments, individualized assessment of learning strengths, and individualized learning strategies based on learning strengths. There are highly trained faculty, staff, and tutors to assist students in their learning, along with study skills workshops and courses in areas like time management and goal-setting strategies, critical thinking fundamentals, test-taking and note-taking skills, and textbook reading.  PASS (Program for Academic Support and Success) supports students with documented disabilities.  If you have need for services, such as accommodations/modifications, please contact the Academic Success Center at 508-3670.

Career Services
Designed to empower students and alumni to prepare for lifelong career success, Career Services provides individual career counseling, part-time and full-time job listings, job search assistance (including resume writing, networking, and interview preparation), and a career resource library.  Throughout the academic year, Career Services offers classes that provide students with the opportunity to explore values and interests, assess their skills, develop and execute effective job search strategies, create career portfolios and integrate classroom instruction with practical work experience through internships.  Career Services also sponsors numerous events including the Fall Internship Fair, Spring Job Fair, Kaplan Graduate School practice tests, Career Week, and an Etiquette Lunch.

Community-Based Learning
In support of the University's mission to educate for social justice and global peace, the Center for Spirituality and Social Change at NDNU offers students opportunities to develop and to participate in mutually beneficial partnerships between the University and organizations in the surrounding communities. Community-based learning is a method of integrating community involvement activities into academic courses and student leadership programs. Faculty, staff, and students work in partnership with local communities so that students can reach learning objectives while participating in meaningful community activity. Guided by a committee of faculty, staff, and students, and an Advisory Board of community representatives, the Center promotes the education of students as both present and future community leaders.

International Student Assistance
Academic Affairs staff assist international students with their academic, cultural, and social transition and development.

Library Services
The Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Library of Notre Dame de Namur University provides materials and services that support and enhance the University's undergraduate and graduate academic programs. Access to the library is open to all faculty members, students, staff, and alumni of NDNU. Librarians are available throughout the day and evening to assist with reference services.

The library owns approximately 100,000 printed volumes of books and periodicals, music scores, and sound and video recordings. In addition, approximately 10,000 periodicals are available electronically through the library's database subscriptions[see below]. Books are cataloged and shelved according to the Library of Congress classification scheme. Current and bound volumes of printed journals are located on the main floor and are shelved alphabetically by title. All of the books and recordings can be located through the library's online catalog on its web site. A listing of printed and electronic journals can also be found at this site.

The Gellert Library subscribes to a number of online databases through several library consortia. Many of these databases contain the full text of journal articles. Some of these databases can be accessed remotely from home while others can be used only on campus. Please ask a reference librarian for assistance and for a list of current passwords. A complete list of databases is available on the library's web site. All of the computers in the library that are available to students are linked to the Internet.

Office of Mission and Diversity
The Office of Mission and Diversity is responsible for working with all constituencies of NDNU to strengthen and deepen the University's commitment to diversity, social justice, and global peace.  The Director works collaboratively with the Academic Success Center, Campus Life, and faculty on projects that help link the University's mission to curricular and co-curricular projects.  Under the guidance of the Provost, the Office also conducts regular campus climate surveys.  These surveys are part of a longitudinal study that measures how well the University's personnel, programs, and activities support racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.  The Office is located on the Quad, adjacent to the Academic Success Center.

Tutorial Center
As a place to study and find help, the Tutorial Center meets students' needs ranging from building basic study skills to preparing for admission to graduate schools. With the goal of helping students become independent and effective learners, the center provides friendly and free learning support services to all NDNU students. The Center is a part of the Academic Success Center, located on the Quad in Campus Center.

Writing Center
Offered both as a course and as a drop-in resource, the Writing Center helps students to develop as writers, focusing on the writing process: brainstorming, clustering, outlining, freewriting, editing, and revising. The Center offers individual tutoring in grammar, research, and essay organization. The Writing Center also addresses the specific needs of international students, emphasizing revision of essays and individualized instruction in idiom, mechanics, and grammar.