Notre Dame de Namur University
Encyclopedia
Notre Dame de Namur University — formerly the College of Notre Dame — is a private
, Catholic University
located in Belmont, California
in the San Francisco Bay Area
. Notre Dame de Namur University is an accredited university in San Mateo County
, and the fifth-oldest university in California. In addition to offering the traditional undergraduate
liberal arts
programs, NDNU also offers computer information systems
and business administration programs capitalizing on its location in the San Francisco Bay Area
between Silicon Valley
and San Francisco. Its graduate programs includes Master's degree
s, teacher credentials
, and certificate programs in education
, psychology
, art therapy
, marriage and family therapy
, management
, public administration
, business administration (MBA
), music, and English. In addition to traditional undergraduate daytime programs, the school offers undergraduate evening degree completion programs for working adults.
There are three schools: College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Management, School of Education and Leadership. Fall 2010 enrollment: 1000 undergraduate and 790 graduate students.
in San Mateo County
.
Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
in 1851, NDNU is a private, independent, Catholic
, co-educational institution. The 50 acres (202,343 m²) campus is located in the city of Belmont on the San Francisco Peninsula
. The University combines a residential and commuter undergraduate
program with evening programs for working adults at both undergraduate and graduate levels
. NDNU currently enrolls 1790 students from 22 states and 24 foreign countries.
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur came to the San Francisco Bay Area
from their mission schools in Oregon
. While visiting the Bay Area they established an institute of higher learning, College of Notre Dame, in the city of San Jose
. The school was chartered in 1868 as the first college in the state of California
authorized to grant the baccalaureate
degree to women.
The Sisters soon outgrew their facility in the South Bay
and moved the campus to Belmont in 1923. They purchased Ralston Hall
, the country estate of William Chapman Ralston
, San Francisco financier and founder of the Bank of California
. The Hall became the center of the campus and in recent years has been designated as a California Historical Landmark
.
Notre Dame de Namur University is celebrating its 159th year of service to the community. The University has grown into a co-educational, fully accredited institution that offers degrees in 21 undergraduate majors. Fifth-year credential programs in education and master’s degrees in business, teacher education, psychology, English, and music are also available.
Founded upon the values of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and rooted in the Catholic tradition, Notre Dame de Namur University serves its students and the community by providing excellent professional and liberal arts programs in which community engagement and the values of social justice and global peace are integral to the learning experience. NDNU is a diverse and inclusive learning community that challenges each member to consciously apply values and ethics in his or her personal, professional, and public life.
Vision Statement:
Notre Dame de Namur University will be recognized in the San Francisco Bay Area as a leader in integrating community engagement into high quality academic programs. NDNU’s programs will be widely known for their innovative synthesis of liberal arts learning, professionally oriented learning, and core values.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art, Art and Graphic Design, Communication, English, History, Liberal Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Theatre Arts, The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art, Art and Graphic Design, and Musical Performance,
The Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry
, Biology, Business Administration, Computer Science, Human Services, and Kinesiology
.
The University offers the following graduate degrees, credentials and certificates:
Art Therapy (MA), Marriage and Family Therapy (Art Therapy Psychology) (MA). Clinical Psychology (MS), Business Administration (MBA), Management (MSM), Public Administration (MPA), Clinical Psychology: Marriage and Family Therapy (MS), English (MA), Musical Performance (MFA), Education (MA)
School Administration (MA), Special Education (MA).
Teaching Credentials: Education Specialist Level I, Preliminary Multiple Subject Credential, Preliminary Single Subject Credential, Preliminary Administrative Services Credential.
Certificates: Gerontology Certificate, Performance Certificate (Music), Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Certificate.
Accreditations:
Notre Dame de Namur University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
, Senior College Commission
Accredited and Approved Programs at NDNU:
Education credential programs are accredited by the California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing.
Master's programs in the Art Therapy Psychology Department are approved by the
American Art Therapy Association
.
The Master of Arts in [Marriage and Family Therapy] meets established guidelines of the
California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
The Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology/MFT meets established guidelines of the
[California Board of Behavioral Sciences].
Division II-level in the Pacific West Conference
, Men's lacrosse plays as an independent member of Division II. The school recently returned to the PacWest in 2006, it was DII until 1998. Previously Notre Dame competed it the NAIA
as a member of the California Pacific Conference
.
NDNU's mascot is the Argonaut
, and the school colors are blue, gold, and white. The mascot is named for the Argonauts who, in Greek mythology, sailed with Jason on the Argo in search of the golden fleece.
The university offers the following athletic programs:
Men: soccer, cross country
, golf
, basketball
, lacrosse
Women: soccer, cross country
, volleyball
, basketball
, softball
, tennis
, and musical theatre
), theatre
, and dance
. The Department of Music and Vocal Arts and the Department of Theatre and Dance present a variety of performances throughout the academic year.
Department of Music and Vocal Arts
Students can earn a Bachelor's or Master's of Fine Arts in Musical Performance, as well as a minor, and have the opportunity to perform in a number of performances throughout the academic year. On average, the Department produces two operas, a fully staged musical, and a musical-in-concert each year, as well as weekly concerts in the Herzo Recital Hall, choir concerts, student ensemble performances, student recitals, and performances by guest artists and faculty members as part of the Ralston Performers Series.
Recent productions include Francis Poulenc
's Dialogues of the Carmelites
, Cole Porter
's Anything Goes
, Giacomo Puccini
's Suor Angelica
, Stephen Schwartz
's Children of Eden
, and Jacques Offenbach
's Orpheus in the Underworld
.
Pocket Opera at Notre Dame (POND) is a partnership with Donald Pippin's Pocket Opera
, a professional opera company based in San Francisco. This partnership allows undergraduate and graduate students participating in opera to learn in a professional setting from the example of professional singers.
The Department also offers a Music Theatre Conservatory each summer, in partnership with Broadway by the Bay
, a professional musical theatre company based in San Francisco. The six-week intensive program prepares performers with a well-rounded curriculum in dance, singing, and acting provided by professionals in "the business".
Department of Theatre and Dance
Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts, a minor in Theatre, or a minor in Dance, and have the opportunity to perform in a number of performances throughout the year, as well as to work with stage craft and backstage. On average, the Department produces two straight plays a year, as well as two dance concerts, a fall theatre festival, and performances of student-directed one-act plays.
Recent productions include "Misalliance" by George Bernard Shaw Frank Galati
's The Grapes of Wrath
(based on the Steinbeck novel), Georges Feydeau
and Maurice Desavallieres' Hotel Paradiso, and George S. Kaufman
and Moss Hart
's You Can't Take It With You
.
The Department is well-known throughout the Bay Area for its annual production of A Christmas Carol
, a tradition that has been carried on for more than 20 years. Performances are given free of admission as a gift to the community, and canned food and toy donations are collected for local shelters and soup kitchens. The Department began to use a new score in 2006: Alan Menken
's A Christmas Carol.
. These courses involve partnerships within the community, and work for an outcome of affecting positive social change. Many of the academic programs at NDNU offer CBL courses, including psychology
, sociology
, theatre
, communications, Spanish
, natural science
, and music
.
, who was murdered in Brazil
due to her efforts to aid the poor farmers and the environment in that country. The Center works to increase awareness around the issues of social
and environmental justice
, as well as encourage dialogue and activism in these areas. Members of the NDNU and the larger community can work with the DSC to create positive social change, and come to a greater understanding of the issues that affect the community.
Programs offered by the DSC include:
Student Programs:
Bonner leaders: a program in conjunction with the Bonner Foundation
that provides scholarships for students who complete a set amount of community service
School of the Americas watch: students working for the closure of the School of the Americas
Alternative Spring Break: an opportunity for students to spend their spring break giving service to others
Faculty programs:
Dorothy Stang Scholars Program: educators informed about and focused on community based learning
Environmental Justice Minor
: an academic program formed around environmental justice and sustainability
Community Programs:
Dorothy Stang Center Speaker's Series
Sustained outreach to and relationship building with community partners
Staff of the DSC are Stuart "Eli" Latimerlo, M.A., Director, Cheryl Joseph, Ph.D., Director, and Gretchen Wehrle, Ph.D., Associate Director.
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, Catholic University
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
located in Belmont, California
Belmont, California
Belmont is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, located half-way down the San Francisco Peninsula between San Mateo and San Carlos. It was originally part of the Rancho de las Pulgas, for which one of its main roads, the Alameda de las Pulgas,...
in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Notre Dame de Namur University is an accredited university in San Mateo County
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, and the fifth-oldest university in California. In addition to offering the traditional undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
programs, NDNU also offers computer information systems
Management information system
A management information system provides information needed to manage organizations efficiently and effectively. Management information systems involve three primary resources: people, technology, and information. Management information systems are distinct from other information systems in that...
and business administration programs capitalizing on its location in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
between Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
and San Francisco. Its graduate programs includes Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s, teacher credentials
Credential
A credential is an attestation of qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or de facto authority or assumed competence to do so....
, and certificate programs in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, art therapy
Art therapy
Because of its dual origins in art and psychotherapy, art therapy definitions vary. They commonly either lean more toward the ART art-making process as therapeutic in and of itself, "art as therapy," or focus on the psychotherapeutic transference process between the therapist and the client who...
, marriage and family therapy
Family therapy
Family therapy, also referred to as couple and family therapy, family systems therapy, and family counseling, is a branch of psychotherapy that works with families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of...
, management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
, business administration (MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
), music, and English. In addition to traditional undergraduate daytime programs, the school offers undergraduate evening degree completion programs for working adults.
There are three schools: College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Management, School of Education and Leadership. Fall 2010 enrollment: 1000 undergraduate and 790 graduate students.
History
Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) is the only four-year accredited universityUniversity
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in San Mateo County
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
.
Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
in 1851, NDNU is a private, independent, Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, co-educational institution. The 50 acres (202,343 m²) campus is located in the city of Belmont on the San Francisco Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...
. The University combines a residential and commuter undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...
program with evening programs for working adults at both undergraduate and graduate levels
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
. NDNU currently enrolls 1790 students from 22 states and 24 foreign countries.
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur came to the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
from their mission schools in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. While visiting the Bay Area they established an institute of higher learning, College of Notre Dame, in the city of San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. The school was chartered in 1868 as the first college in the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
authorized to grant the baccalaureate
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
degree to women.
The Sisters soon outgrew their facility in the South Bay
South Bay
South Bay may refer to:In the USA:* South Bay , subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area* South Bay, Los Angeles, region of Los Angeles County* South Bay, former name of Fields Landing, California...
and moved the campus to Belmont in 1923. They purchased Ralston Hall
Ralston Hall
Ralston Hall Mansion located in Belmont, California, was the country house of William Chapman Ralston, a San Francisco businessman, founder of the Bank of California, and financier of the Comstock Lode. It is an opulent Italianate Villa, modified with touches of Steamboat Gothic and Victorian...
, the country estate of William Chapman Ralston
William Chapman Ralston
William "Billy" Chapman Ralston was a San Francisco, California businessman and financier, and was the founder of the Bank of California.-Biography:...
, San Francisco financier and founder of the Bank of California
Bank of California
The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, the second-richest bank in the nation, and considered instrumental in developing the American Old West.-History:The ancestor of...
. The Hall became the center of the campus and in recent years has been designated as a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
.
Notre Dame de Namur University is celebrating its 159th year of service to the community. The University has grown into a co-educational, fully accredited institution that offers degrees in 21 undergraduate majors. Fifth-year credential programs in education and master’s degrees in business, teacher education, psychology, English, and music are also available.
Mission and Vision
Mission Statement:Founded upon the values of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and rooted in the Catholic tradition, Notre Dame de Namur University serves its students and the community by providing excellent professional and liberal arts programs in which community engagement and the values of social justice and global peace are integral to the learning experience. NDNU is a diverse and inclusive learning community that challenges each member to consciously apply values and ethics in his or her personal, professional, and public life.
Vision Statement:
Notre Dame de Namur University will be recognized in the San Francisco Bay Area as a leader in integrating community engagement into high quality academic programs. NDNU’s programs will be widely known for their innovative synthesis of liberal arts learning, professionally oriented learning, and core values.
Academics and Accreditation
The University offers the following baccalaureate degrees:The Bachelor of Arts degree in Art, Art and Graphic Design, Communication, English, History, Liberal Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Theatre Arts, The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art, Art and Graphic Design, and Musical Performance,
The Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, Biology, Business Administration, Computer Science, Human Services, and Kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
.
The University offers the following graduate degrees, credentials and certificates:
Art Therapy (MA), Marriage and Family Therapy (Art Therapy Psychology) (MA). Clinical Psychology (MS), Business Administration (MBA), Management (MSM), Public Administration (MPA), Clinical Psychology: Marriage and Family Therapy (MS), English (MA), Musical Performance (MFA), Education (MA)
School Administration (MA), Special Education (MA).
Teaching Credentials: Education Specialist Level I, Preliminary Multiple Subject Credential, Preliminary Single Subject Credential, Preliminary Administrative Services Credential.
Certificates: Gerontology Certificate, Performance Certificate (Music), Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Certificate.
Accreditations:
Notre Dame de Namur University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
, Senior College Commission
Accredited and Approved Programs at NDNU:
Education credential programs are accredited by the California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing.
Master's programs in the Art Therapy Psychology Department are approved by the
American Art Therapy Association
American Art Therapy Association
The American Art Therapy Association is a U.S. national professional association of over 5,000 practicing art therapists, students, educators, and related practitioners in the field of art therapy, with both U.S. and international members...
.
The Master of Arts in [Marriage and Family Therapy] meets established guidelines of the
California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
The Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology/MFT meets established guidelines of the
[California Board of Behavioral Sciences].
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur College Exchange Program
Notre Dame de Namur University maintains a student exchange program with Emmanuel College, Boston, MA, also founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Students at Notre Dame de Namur University may study off-campus for a semester or year at its sister college. Students participating in this programs can transfer credits and financial aid.Athletics
NDNU competes at the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II-level in the Pacific West Conference
Pacific West Conference
The Pacific West Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division II...
, Men's lacrosse plays as an independent member of Division II. The school recently returned to the PacWest in 2006, it was DII until 1998. Previously Notre Dame competed it the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
as a member of the California Pacific Conference
California Pacific Conference
The California Pacific Conference is a college athletics conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics . The conference commissioner is Don Ott. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The conference president is Themy Adachi of Mills College. The...
.
NDNU's mascot is the Argonaut
Argonauts
The Argonauts ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means...
, and the school colors are blue, gold, and white. The mascot is named for the Argonauts who, in Greek mythology, sailed with Jason on the Argo in search of the golden fleece.
The university offers the following athletic programs:
Men: soccer, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
Women: soccer, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Performing arts
NDNU offers degree programs in music (instrumental, operaOpera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
), theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. The Department of Music and Vocal Arts and the Department of Theatre and Dance present a variety of performances throughout the academic year.
Department of Music and Vocal Arts
Students can earn a Bachelor's or Master's of Fine Arts in Musical Performance, as well as a minor, and have the opportunity to perform in a number of performances throughout the academic year. On average, the Department produces two operas, a fully staged musical, and a musical-in-concert each year, as well as weekly concerts in the Herzo Recital Hall, choir concerts, student ensemble performances, student recitals, and performances by guest artists and faculty members as part of the Ralston Performers Series.
Recent productions include Francis Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
's Dialogues of the Carmelites
Dialogues of the Carmelites
Dialogues of the Carmelites , is an opera in three acts by Francis Poulenc. In 1953, M. Valcarenghi approached Poulenc to commission a ballet for La Scala in Milan; when Poulenc found the proposed subject uninspiring, Valcarenghi suggested instead a screenplay by Georges Bernanos, based on the...
, Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
, Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's Suor Angelica
Suor Angelica
Suor Angelica is an opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an original Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is the second opera of the trio of operas known as Il trittico...
, Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
's Children of Eden
Children of Eden
Children of Eden is a two-act musical play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis. Act I tells the story of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel, and Act II deals with Noah and the Flood...
, and Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's Orpheus in the Underworld
Orpheus in the Underworld
Orphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
.
Pocket Opera at Notre Dame (POND) is a partnership with Donald Pippin's Pocket Opera
Pocket Opera
Pocket Opera is an opera company based in San Francisco, California which has been presenting operas in English since 1978. The company was founded by Donald Pippin, whose musical career has spanned over six decades...
, a professional opera company based in San Francisco. This partnership allows undergraduate and graduate students participating in opera to learn in a professional setting from the example of professional singers.
The Department also offers a Music Theatre Conservatory each summer, in partnership with Broadway by the Bay
Broadway by the Bay
Broadway by the Bay, also known as the San Mateo Civic Light Opera, is a theatre company in San Francisco, California, United States. It began as the San Mateo Community Theatre, a community group established by the San Mateo Recreation Department, with Dr...
, a professional musical theatre company based in San Francisco. The six-week intensive program prepares performers with a well-rounded curriculum in dance, singing, and acting provided by professionals in "the business".
Department of Theatre and Dance
Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts, a minor in Theatre, or a minor in Dance, and have the opportunity to perform in a number of performances throughout the year, as well as to work with stage craft and backstage. On average, the Department produces two straight plays a year, as well as two dance concerts, a fall theatre festival, and performances of student-directed one-act plays.
Recent productions include "Misalliance" by George Bernard Shaw Frank Galati
Frank Galati
Frank Galati is an American director, writer and actor. He is a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, an associate director at Goodman Theatre, and a professor of performance at Northwestern University. In 2004, Galati was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame...
's The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath (play)
The Grapes of Wrath is a 1988 play adapted by Frank Galati from the classic John Steinbeck novel of the same name, with incidental music by Michael Smith. The play debuted at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, followed by a May 1989 production at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and a June 1989...
(based on the Steinbeck novel), Georges Feydeau
Georges Feydeau
Georges Feydeau was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his many lively farces.-Biography:Georges Feydeau was born in Paris, the son of novelist Ernest-Aimé Feydeau and Léocadie Bogaslawa Zalewska. At the age of twenty, Feydeau wrote his first comic...
and Maurice Desavallieres' Hotel Paradiso, and George S. Kaufman
George S. Kaufman
George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theatre director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals, notably for the Marx Brothers...
and Moss Hart
Moss Hart
Moss Hart was an American playwright and theatre director, best known for his interpretations of musical theater on Broadway.-Early years:...
's You Can't Take It With You
You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
.
The Department is well-known throughout the Bay Area for its annual production of A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
, a tradition that has been carried on for more than 20 years. Performances are given free of admission as a gift to the community, and canned food and toy donations are collected for local shelters and soup kitchens. The Department began to use a new score in 2006: Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
's A Christmas Carol.
Community Based Learning
As part of the university's mission of social justice, and the goal of equipping students with "what they need to know for life", NDNU offers close to 20 community based learning (CBL) courses, designed to promote learning through community engagementCommunity engagement
Community engagement refers to the process by which community benefit organizations and individuals build ongoing, permanent relationships for the purpose of applying a collective vision for the benefit of a community...
. These courses involve partnerships within the community, and work for an outcome of affecting positive social change. Many of the academic programs at NDNU offer CBL courses, including psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, communications, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
, and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
Dorothy Stang Center
The Dorothy Stang Center for Social Justice and Community Engagement (DSC) was established on the NDNU campus in honor of the work of Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeNDorothy Stang
Sister Dorothy Mae Stang, S.N.D., was an American-born, Brazilian member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She was murdered in Anapu, a city in the state of Pará, in the Amazon Basin of Brazil...
, who was murdered in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
due to her efforts to aid the poor farmers and the environment in that country. The Center works to increase awareness around the issues of social
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and environmental justice
Environmental justice
Environmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...
, as well as encourage dialogue and activism in these areas. Members of the NDNU and the larger community can work with the DSC to create positive social change, and come to a greater understanding of the issues that affect the community.
Programs offered by the DSC include:
Student Programs:
Bonner leaders: a program in conjunction with the Bonner Foundation
Bonner Foundation
In 1990 Corella and Bertram F. Bonner founded the Bonner Scholars Organization. The program provides financial support for those in high need at one of the member colleges in exchange for service. Currently the program supports some 1500 students at 27 campuses....
that provides scholarships for students who complete a set amount of community service
School of the Americas watch: students working for the closure of the School of the Americas
Alternative Spring Break: an opportunity for students to spend their spring break giving service to others
Faculty programs:
Dorothy Stang Scholars Program: educators informed about and focused on community based learning
Environmental Justice Minor
Academic minor
An academic minor is a college or university student's declared secondary field of study or specialization during his or her undergraduate studies. As with an academic major, the college or university in question lays out a framework of required classes or class types a student must complete to...
: an academic program formed around environmental justice and sustainability
Community Programs:
Dorothy Stang Center Speaker's Series
Sustained outreach to and relationship building with community partners
Staff of the DSC are Stuart "Eli" Latimerlo, M.A., Director, Cheryl Joseph, Ph.D., Director, and Gretchen Wehrle, Ph.D., Associate Director.
Gen 1 Program
Notre Dame de Namur University (CA) recevied a CIC/Walmart College Success Award to inaugurate the Gen I Program. All participants will live on campus and become members of a living/learning community. Students in the community will be offered sessions on time management, financial literacy, stress management, and other similar skills needed to succeed in college as well as recreational and social activities. All participating Gen I students will work regularly with a staff member during the first two weeks of the academic year to gain a better understanding of their academic skill levels. Gen I students will receive guidance in course selection based on the assessment. A peer mentor program also will be put in place. Students who successfully complete the Gen I Program will receive a scholarship toward tuition for their sophomore year.Administration
- Judith Maxwell Greig, Ph.D, President
- Diana Demetrulias, Ph.D., Provost
- Hernan Bucheli, Vice President for Enrollment Management
- Michael J. Romo, Vice President for Advancement
- Henry Roth, Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Barbara Caulley, JD, Dean of the School of Business and Management
- Joanne Rossi, Ed.D., Dean of the School of Education and Leadership
- Lisa Bjerknes, MD, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Associated Students Notre Dame de Namur University
- Stephanie Biehl, Student Body President
- Joshua Matos, Student Body Vice President
- Jana Gibbs, Student Body Secretary
- Paula Morehead, Student Body Treasurer
Past presidents
- Dr. John B. Oblak (2000–2007)
- Dr. Margaret A. Huber (1994–2000)
- Sr. Veronica Skillin (1980–1994)
- Sr. Catherine Julie Cunningham (1956–1980)
- Sr. Teresa Augustine (1955–1956)
- Sr. Mary Loretto (1953–1955)
- Sr. Helen Madeline (1951–1953)
- Sr. Marie Frederica (1949–1951)
- Sr. Helen Bernadine (1936–1949)
- Sr. Julia of the Passion (1927–1936)
- Sr. Julia (1922–1927)
- Sr. Berchmans Joseph (1921–1922)
- Sr. Mary Veronica (1913–1921)
- Sr. Mary Bernadine (1892–1913)
- Sr. Amelia of St. Joseph (1889–1892)
- Sr. Marie de St. Denis (1888–1889)
- Sr. Mary Cornelia (1868–1888)
See also
- Dorothy StangDorothy StangSister Dorothy Mae Stang, S.N.D., was an American-born, Brazilian member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She was murdered in Anapu, a city in the state of Pará, in the Amazon Basin of Brazil...
- Sisters of Notre Dame de NamurSisters of Notre Dame de NamurThe Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
- NDNU Panel Discussion with six California Catholic University Presidents on the Future of Catholic Higher Education
- NDNU Case Study, Noel Levitz
External links
- NDNU Official Website
- NDNU Online Programs
- NDNU Facebook
- NDNU President's Letter
- Fall 2010 NDNU enrollment story
- NDNU on Marketplace
- San Francisco Chronicle Transfer Story
- NDNU Linkedin
- NDNU CIC/Walmart College Success Award
- NDNU to offer 100% online graduate programs
- NDNU President Judith Maxwell Greig on Pen-TV