Communitas

This fall the University of Dallas will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the permanent home for our Rome Program. The Eugene Constantin Campus, also known as Due Santi, is foundational to the undergraduate experience and is where the Core Curriculum comes alive.

The storied site has been the perfect place for our students to immerse themselves in the history of Western civilization and the Christian faith. The ancient city below the campus is where the body of Caesar Augustus lay in state; the nearby Appian Way, “queen of the long roads,” was once grimly galleried by the crucified army of Spartacus; the name of the place, Due Santi, comes from the tradition that Peter and Paul both traveled through the area on their way to Rome. It has its place in modern history as well. The university received the villa from a family with such a love for America that they preserved the damage left by Allied bombers in World War II as a memorial to valor and victory.

Although the villa became a campus, the family atmosphere remains. The Due Santi campus provides dedicated classrooms and recreational spaces, a chapel, an outdoor theater and much more. It creates traditions like the Greek Olympics, sows lifelong friendships at the Cap Bar and forno, presents opportunities to participate in Italian culture through such experiences as the vineyard harvest, and transforms the spiritual lives of our students. Campus leaders Robert Galecke, Retired Executive Vice President and former Interim President, and Randy Irlbeck, BS ’86, Due Santi Campus Director and Construction Coordinator, reminisce on the foundational beginnings of the campus in the first of four videos celebrating A Legacy of Memories for Future Generations.

 

Make plans to join us as we celebrate this milestone during Alumni & Family Weekend, Sept. 27-29. Former Director and Dean of the Rome Program Wayne Ambler, PhD, will return to campus for a Rome-focused lecture: “Rome: A Tale of Three Cities and their Eternal Questions.” Anthony Nussmeier, PhD, associate professor of Italian, and Jon Paul Heyne, PhD, BA ’10, assistant professor of history, will lock horns in this year’s Alumni & Family Weekend debate: “Which is the better Italian City: Florence or Venice?” Stay tuned for more Rome-focused activities during this week for alumni and families to reconnect.

The Eugene Constantin Campus is not just a facility. It is a living museum, a treasure and a home. Thanks to the courage of past leaders who paved the way, our students can explore the cradle of Western civilization firsthand, form lifelong friendships and follow in the footsteps of Peter and Paul. We are thankful for the commitment of our supporters who made this transformational education possible for tens of thousands of students and many more to come.

With Gratitude, 

 

University of Dallas biology students have an experience unlike most undergraduates at peer institutions: They conduct significant research. This August, students will see equipment updates and a major lab renovation that will only add to their post-graduation success.

Following its long-time support of UD’s chemistry department and student research programs, the Welch Foundation awarded a grant to purchase a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). This new instrument will add quantitative and qualitative analysis to the existing instrumentation suite and will broaden the scope of the student experience.

Thanks to several key donors, biology lab room 108 is also undergoing a state-of-the-art, high-quality renovation that will equip the facility for virtual simulation, augmented reality and 3D imaging. The newly designed lab will position students to apply academic knowledge to real-world scenarios, better preparing future healthcare professionals for careers in medicine, nursing and allied health professions. The lab will feature glass walls to provide real-time observation opportunities that will bolster student interest in the sciences and allow future UD students to see the potential of a UD degree.  

Please join us during Alumni & Family Weekend (Sept. 27 - 29) and see firsthand how this new space and equipment will transform lives and the future medical community.

With Gratitude, 

 

 

The month of May is one of transition and progression. The academic year ends, graduates become alumni, students return home or to summer plans, faculty prepare to research and rejuvenate, and the campus prepares for students to return in August. 

The Class of 2024 share a special bond, having started college life in the middle of the pandemic. At Convocation, where departments confer awards, the senior class also selects one faculty member to give an address. Beloved Professor of Physics Richard Olenick, PhD, advised the class to “Look Up” and reminded them that UD is a place where minds meet and make beautiful things happen. 

On Sunday, May 12, the Toyota Music Factory was full of proud families, faculty members and students to celebrate the 65th Commencement ceremony. Nancy Cain Marcus Robertson, MA ’00 PhD ’03, painted a beautiful literary picture of UD’s founding, building and expansion, and of the graduate’s ultimate educational inheritance. 

Meanwhile, the university is initiating several exciting projects this summer to enhance and beautify our campus. In June, UD will start an overhaul of retail dining on the first floor of Haggar University Center. This will include some modest upgrades to the infrastructure of the Cap Bar — but don't worry; the location, aesthetic and prices will not change — and a more substantial renovation of the former bookstore and UDPD site to support expanded community and dining opportunities. A few new retail dining and grab/go stations will be set up, in addition to expanded seating around the Cap Bar, and a private dining room for events will be created.

Thanks to generous support during the 2024 Cor Challenge, UD will also add a large Italian pizza oven to the Rathskeller patio, similar to what you would see in a Roman trattoria. The Due Santi and Irving campuses will now have another connection insofar as students on both campuses will be able to rent out the forno and enjoy homemade pizza together. Lastly, we are upgrading some of the grounds around the Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, including adding some trees and shrubs to create a more secluded spot for prayer, beautifying the flowers and landscaping, and adding a low wall around Our Lady.

In spring, we see growth of all kinds, from plants, to ideas, to adventures, to dreams. To echo a quote from Dr. Robertson’s commencement address taken from John 18:37: “Whoever seeks the truth, hears my voice.” May we be reminded of this as we enter this new season.

With Gratitude, 

 

Research opens our eyes to possibilities. It stretches us, encourages us to learn, experience, test and hope for improvements for mankind. 

On Monday, April 8, 2024, more than 2,000 attendees — including alumni, students, faculty, staff and their families — shared a once in a generation experience together on our Irving campus. Led by Professor of Physics Richard Olenick, UD’s Eclipse Celebration: Out of the Darkness and Into the Light brought the campus together to enjoy the eclipse and even gave attendees the chance to observe it through specialized telescopes.
 
Our esteemed faculty, sometimes employing the help of students, made the eclipse a true intellectual experience. Neighboring high school students visited campus and measured UVA and UVB levels leading up to totality. Professors from several departments gave presentations that approached the eclipse from their various disciplines, with topics that included indigenous American experiences of eclipses, the science and superstition of eclipses in the ancient classical world, and plant behavior during eclipses, to name a few. Visiting physicists Dr. Michele Montgomery and Dr. Robert Haaser, BS ’95, shared their research to allow guests to best understand the significance of the day. A longtime retired member of the Braniff library described the day as a “majestic, celestial phenomenon of a lifetime.”

Soon, University of Dallas undergraduates will share their own research and scholarly investigations at the fourth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 19, 2024. This interdisciplinary showcase is an example of the fruitful and personal relationship that our students and faculty share. Opportunities like this lead to exceptional placement success in postgraduate programs. As of today, 35 oral and poster presentations are planned, spanning the role of mathematics in human intellectual life to coral restoration methods. More than 15 alumni judges have agreed to lend their expertise and time. 

Thank you for joining us as we endeavor to analyze, explore, inquire and investigate what it means to renew culture. 

With Gratitude, 

 

 

"The University of Dallas is the university of no compromises."

So stated Dr. Jonathan J. Sanford during an interview with Catholic Answers this past January, and I couldn’t agree more. You can also listen to similar interviews with JSerra Catholic High School and The Heights School from this past month. Dr. Sanford is sharing with a larger audience what we all know about our beloved school: UD is a place that doesn’t compromise on its Catholic identity, the rigor of its Core Curriculum, or the excellence it pursues and demands of itself. 

This university is a place where you don’t have to choose between an excellent education and a nurturing, faithful environment. You don’t need to put your highest ideals aside to get ahead in class or be accepted among friends. In fact, you don’t even have to compromise between pursuing a major you love and one that will “get you a job.” Prospective employers personally contact the university to ask for majors of all disciplines to intern for them. They want to hire people who can think clearly and creatively, write persuasively and explain complex concepts to others. UD does not only give students tools for their next step, but also helps them pursue a life of excellence unweakened by compromise. 

The university’s upcoming Cor Challenge fundraiser, March 19 - 23, is a great opportunity to be involved in our striving to never compromise. As alumni and friends give to the campaign throughout the week, there will be various goals along the way that will unlock sponsorships for much-needed campus improvement projects. We are very excited to provide this feature that doesn’t restrict our donors to choose between multiple needs but instead allows them to support the university with even greater impact. There will even be a challenge for 68 alumni to commit to a monthly gift of $50 or more in honor of UD’s 68 years of teaching. I encourage you to be on the lookout for our emails inviting you to take part in the Cor Challenge, and I thank you in advance for supporting our call to magnanimity. 

At the “university of no compromises”, students can become the person God meant them to be: well-formed, well-educated and ready to lean into the challenge of renewing our culture. Our church and our country need more of what UD offers. The wisdom, truth and virtue of UD need to reach and teach more people. Thank you for helping us spread the word.

With Gratitude,