Take a close look. The following faces belong to those people that you, as a Notre Dame student, should know.

 

JENKINS: In April 2004, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. was elected the 17th president of Notre Dame by the board of trustees. He is the university’s third president since 1952.

Jenkins is a 1976 graduate of Notre Dame. He received a master’s degree from the university in 1978, and he also holds two degrees in philosophy from Oxford University.

Jenkins was ordained a Holy Cross priest in 1983. He joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1990 as a professor in the department of philosophy. From 1997 to 2000, Jenkins served as the religious superior for the Holy Cross priests and brothers at Notre Dame. In 2000, he was named Vice President and Associate Provost of the university.

In 2019, Jenkins attended “The Energy Transition and Care for Our Common Home,” a conference in Rome co-sponsored by the university and the Vatican. Father Jenkins spoke alongside Pope Francis and Cardinal Peter Turkson, encouraging executives from the world’s leading energy producers and investors to sign statements in support of carbon pricing and disclosures on climate change risk.

 

FREEMAN: Marcus Freeman is Notre Dame’s head football coach and just finished his first full season leading the Fighting Irish. A former college football standout on the field, Freeman has been coaching for over a decade but had his first experience as head coach of the Irish in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Freeman first rose to national prominence as a linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2004-2008, garnering two second team All-Big Ten honors and an Academic All-Big Ten recognition during his time in Columbus. After concluding his college career, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft but entered coaching soon after due to a medical condition.

After spending time on the coaching staffs of several midwestern college football programs, Freeman became a major figure in coaching during his tenure as the Cincinnati Bearcats’ Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach under his close friend and former coach Luke Fickell. During his time in Cincinnati, the Bearcats’ defense routinely ranked among the top units in the country, helping the program win 11 games in their 2018 and 2019 seasons and laying the foundation for its run to the College Football Playoff in 2021. Freeman was awarded the Defensive Coordinator of the Year Award in 2020 by 247 Sports for his leadership of the Bearcats’ strong defense.

After gaining national acclaim for his work in Cincinnati, Freeman was hired as Notre Dame’s Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach for the 2021 season. The Irish’s defense placed as one of the nation’s most effective in 2021, including a stretch of three consecutive games where the defense did not allow a single touchdown.

Freeman’s consistent performance as a defensive leader and his high regard among the student-athletes that he works with led to him to be named Notre Dame’s head football coach. While the Irish suffered consecutive losses at the start of the 2022-2023 season, Freeman eventually led the Irish to achieve a record of 9-4 (including a win against No. 5 Clemson) and an overall rank of 18.

 

OLINGER: Gerard “Gerry” J. Olinger, C.S.C., is Notre Dame’s Vice President for Student Affairs. He assumed the role in June 2021 after his predecessor stepped down from a nearly nine-year-long tenure.

Olinger is a Triple Domer. He graduated from Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in history and government, then returned for a Juris Doctor (completed 2004) and a master’s in divinity (completed 2009). Olinger’s many years at Notre Dame have given him extensive firsthand experience of the university’s unique dorm life. As an undergraduate student, Olinger was a resident of Morrissey Hall, where he served as a resident assistant his senior year. In law school, Olinger returned to Morrissey Hall as an assistant rector. Now, he lives in Alumni Hall, where he ministers to the Alumni Dawgs as a priest-in-residence.

Before assuming his current role, Olinger served for almost two years as the university’s Vice President for Mission Engagement and Church Affairs. In that role, Olinger represented and pushed forward the university’s Catholic mission; he was Notre Dame’s liaison to the Congregation of Holy Cross, U.S. bishops and the Holy See. Olinger has also worked on a different Holy Cross campus: the University of Portland, Notre Dame’s sister institution across the country. He served in many different roles at Portland, the most recent being Vice President for University Relations. Olinger also tried his hand at teaching on Portland’s campus. As an assistant professor of political science, he taught courses on character ethics and the U.S. judicial system.

 

IVEY: Niele Ivey completed her first season as the women’s basketball head coach in 2020, succeeding Hall of Fame coach Muffet McGraw. No stranger to the Fighting Irish, Ivey graduated from Notre Dame in 2000, having played for McGraw on the women’s basketball team.

During her playing days, the Irish reached the Sweet 16 three times and brought home the program’s first national title in 2001; the Irish won their second title in 2018 with Ivey serving as one of McGraw’s assistants. After playing five seasons in the WNBA and serving as an administrative stint at Xavier University, Ivey returned to Notre Dame in 2007, where she joined the women’s basketball coaching staff.

She quickly advanced, adding the title of recruiting coordinator in 2012 and becoming associate head coach in 2015. In nine of her last 10 years at Notre Dame, Ivey has helped attract top-12 incoming recruiting classes. Ivey served 12 total seasons under McGraw and spent the 2019-2020 season as an assistant coach to the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies before returning to the Irish. Ivey was named the ACC Coach of the Year for the 2022-2023 season, after leading the Irish to a 15-3 conference record.

 

MALLOY: Rev. Edward “Monk” Malloy, C.S.C., (ND ‘63, ‘67, ‘69) served as president of Notre Dame for 17 years before stepping down in 2005. He has also served as a professor of theology since 1974. Malloy was remarkably accessible as university president; he now conducts a freshman seminar each semester and lives within the Sorin community. Before a knee injury several years ago, Malloy even played an occasional game of basketball with students. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from Notre Dame, a second master’s in theology while studying for the priesthood, a doctorate in Christian ethics from Vanderbilt University and 22 honorary degrees.

 

FR. PETE: Rev. Peter McCormick, C.S.C.—better known as Father Pete—is Notre Dame’s Assistant Vice President of Campus Ministry. While presiding over a staff of religious and lay ministers, Father Pete works with the Division of Student Affairs on matters of faith formation and the spiritual lives of undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Notre Dame.

After graduating from Grand Valley State University in 2000, Father Pete entered the Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame. Father Pete earned a master’s in divinity from Notre Dame in 2006. A year later, he was ordained a Holy Cross priest. He served as Keough Hall’s rector from 2007-2013. In 2015, Father Pete completed his Executive M.B.A. at Mendoza.

Basketball has a special place in Father Pete’s heart, having both played and coached it himself. He currently serves as the chaplain to the Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team.

Owing to Father Pete’s incredible energy, humor and relatability, it is no surprise that the student body erupts in cheers each time he is featured on the jumbotron during football games.

 

SHREWSBERRY: Micah Shrewsberry is the new head coach for the Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team. Shrewsberry is an Indiana native, born and raised in Indianapolis. He received a bachelor’s degree from Hanover College in 1999 and a master’s degree in sports management from Indiana State in 2003.

Following his own collegiate playing career, Shrewsberry joined the coaching staff at Wabash College, DePauw University and Marshall University, respectively. He then served as the head coach at Indiana University South Bend from 2005-2007. Shrewsberry also worked on the coaching staff of Purdue University on two separate occasions, helping the Boston Celtics gain five playoff appearances in between the two Purdue stints.

Just prior to his new role with the Fighting Irish, Shrewsberry led Penn State University in achieving its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.