Letter from the Executive Director: January 15, 2026

Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends,

As members of the Notre Dame community, hope is the animating force behind everything we do. Hope is the reason why Notre Dame, through its strategic framework, has set ambitious goals to take on some of the world’s greatest challenges. Admittedly, those challenges seem increasingly daunting, making hope sometimes difficult. But lately, when I start to feel that pessimism creeping in, I keep coming back to a video created by our friends in University Relations, “Cultivators of Hope,” and this quote from adjunct professor Dr. Katherine Callaghan ’12:

“The moment when it seems all is lost is actually the moment when the world is being set right. The reason that that’s true is because love suffers to death—and wins. … What Notre Dame gave me is an ability to see a love that suffers to the point of death and is victorious.”

So, my new year’s resolution for 2026 is not about exercising more or getting more organized. This year my goal is simply to center love in my daily life and keep hope at the forefront—because we can’t take action to make the world a better place without it.

How will you be a cultivator of hope, in 2026 and beyond?

Dolly Duffy '84
Executive Director
Notre Dame Alumni Association