Notre Dame's new provost

My own University of Notre Dame has a new provost, Dr. Thomas Burish, formerly president of Washington & Lee University and provost at Vanderbilt.  I was particularly -- and favorably -- struck by Dr. Burish's letter to his soon-to-be-former colleagues at W & L:

Notre Dame is my alma mater. It aspires to be both a great academic institution and a great Catholic institution. This latter attribute, being a Catholic institution, is why I went there as an undergraduate, and is a major reason I am now drawn back to it. The challenge of wrapping together this faith-based heritage while further strengthening its academic excellence is a rare opportunity and, for me, a special dream. I did not anticipate this opportunity or seek it, but am excited by it and am grateful for it.

That Dr. Burish has these views -- and is willing to share them with his W & L colleagues -- strikes me as great news for Notre Dame, and perhaps also, more generally, for Catholic education.  God bless him.

Rick