“Generally speaking, Notre Dame alumni are, if not enthusiastic, at least quite positive regarding the matter of co-education,” Clooney said. James Cooney, Alumni secretary, prepared a statement presented to the board from the Alumni Association. The Observer concluded that the merger “is the right decision, probably the only logical choice that can be made.”įinally, in March 1971, the most official endorsement for a merger was made at a joint meeting of the Board of Trustees and Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame. It was also a pragmatic decision given the close proximity and historical cooperation between the two schools. The editorial asserted that the creation of a new coeducational institution “would be of illimitable advantage” to Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s. “Since the day the two schools began co-exchange classes they have embarked upon a path which slowly and inexorably has led them to this end.” “Co-education is fast becoming a reality,” the editorial proclaimed. 16, 1970 edition, The Observer spoke out in support of what they called “a momentous decision” to merge Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s. Mary Grace was supposedly fired for opposing the merger “I haven’t talked with anyone at Notre Dame and have never met Father Hesburgh.” “There has been no collusion over the abrupt removal of Sr.
McGrath, Sister Grace’s replacement, denied these accusations. “I believe that I was relieved as president because of the wish of the board of religious trustees that a merger with Notre Dame proceed much more rapidly,” Sister Grace said. Sister Grace said that religious superiors had expressed dissatisfaction to her with the progress of the merger, specifically implicating Notre Dame President Fr. In 1967, Saint Mary’s abruptly fired its president, Sister Mary Grace, seemingly because she did not support the merger. Perhaps unsurprisingly, debates over the merger between Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s proved contentious over the years. 16, 1970 | Ma| Kevin McGill | Researched by Leah Perila School officials react to potential merger Ultimately, beyond its potential as a curious counterfactual, the Notre Dame-Saint Mary’s merger (or lack thereof) is an integral piece in the histories of these two independent yet interconnected institutions. This week, From the Archives directly tackled the merger, beginning with the official opinions, then the student voices, and finally the reasons why the merger may have failed. It has come up in a past edition on Notre Dame’s first class of women and our most recent edition on Notre Dame admissions. However, with regard to the proposed merger between Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s in the early 1970s, one thing is certain: it would have fundamentally reshaped the tri-campus community as we know it today.įrom the Archives has previously alluded to this potentially momentous merger. Even for trained historians, it is tough to tell what would have happened if, say, Lincoln had not been assassinated or if the Allies had lost World War II.
Historical counterfactuals are always a tricky thing.
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