Letter from the Executive Director: June 11, 2026

Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends,

Just last week, the Alumni Association welcomed more than 3,600 alumni and their families back to campus for another incredible Reunion celebration. It’s always a special weekend at Our Lady’s University, but if you’re part of this community, you know that a Notre Dame reunion can often happen in the most unlikely places.

For my son, Kieran Fangman ’23, his own reunion began last fall aboard an amphibious assault ship, where he’s stationed as a surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy. He began his first overseas duty station in Japan that summer, just as his fellow Notre Dame ROTC graduates began to scatter around the globe. After a few months he learned that his best friend and Fisher Hall roommate, Henry Cella ’23, a U.S. Marine, got word he would also be making his way to Japan. It wasn’t until later that they learned the amphibious assault ship Henry was bound for was actually Kieran’s.

Talk about Notre Dame providence. Now deployed in the Middle East, Kieran and Henry have something not many in their position have—the steady, daily presence of their best friend. In one message, Kieran told me that their commanding officer had noticed them together and commented that “there can’t be that much to talk about.” We chuckled at that. They’re Notre Dame roommates; there’s always plenty to talk about.

So, as we wrap up another Reunion, I’m also thinking about Kieran, Henry, and all of those who couldn’t join us. I hope they, like my son, continue to experience those small moments of Notre Dame connection wherever they are, tiding them over until we can all be together again.