Construction is underway to build a new home for the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) and elements of the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) at the University of Notre Dame.
The new building, to be called Carole Sandner Hall, will connect to the historic Institute for Educational Initiatives building, which was designed by University founder Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C. The historic structure, undergoing its own extensive renovation, will be joined to Carole Sandner Hall at the heart of campus adjacent to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the Grotto and the Main Building.
This project is made possible by the generosity of two families who are long-time supporters of Notre Dame: Mary Ann and Jack Remick and their children from Rochester, Minn., and Carole and Jack Sandner and their children from Chicago.
Both families have deep connections to Notre Dame with Jack Remick being a member of Notre Dame’s Class of 1959 and Jack Sandner graduating from Notre Dame Law School in 1968 and serving on the Board of Trustees. Mary Ann Remick also is a member of the ACE Advisory Board. Mary Ann Remick and Carole Sandner both have been champions of Catholic schools and the ACE program during its rise to become the premier provider of Catholic school teachers and leaders in the United States.
The ACE program has grown in 17 years from one part-time employee and 40 ACE teachers to 60 full-time faculty and staff and nearly 300 full time graduate students in its various academic programs annually. In addition to its core strength of forming teachers and leaders for Catholic schools, ACE now offers a suite of professional and consulting services to these schools while also leading academic research on issues confronting Catholic education. With international programs in Chile and Ireland as well as future programs in Haiti, ACE is working to meet the needs of Catholic schools in the U.S. and abroad.
ACE forms part of the IEI, which is dedicated to interdisciplinary, problem-solving teaching, research and outreach to improve elementary and secondary education, particularly for the disadvantaged, with a special call to serve Catholic schools. Rev. Timothy Scully, C.S.C., professor of political science and founder of the ACE program, serves as director of the Institute. More details are available at http://iei.nd.edu.
A groundbreaking celebration for the new building, which will house faculty and staff affiliated with the growing number of ACE and IEI programs, took place in April. The building is scheduled to open in May 2011, just in time for the busy summer when many young people, selected from outstanding applicants nationwide, attend the numerous graduate and other formation programs that prepare them to support the mission of Catholic schools. Learn more about the multiple ACE programs at http://ace.nd.edu.
During the renovation, an addition to the original building from the late 1800s will be removed. The building will be expanded to the north with offices, meeting rooms and flexible spaces encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. The historic portion of the IEI, once used as the chapel and convent for the Sisters of the Holy Cross who have contributed so much to sustaining Catholic teaching, will be restored. The renovated chapel will become Remick Commons, a spacious area welcoming all parts of the Notre Dame community in a setting that celebrates education of the heart and mind.
Contact: Bill Schmitt, IEI communications/media specialist, 574-631-3893, Schmitt.27@nd.edu