Big change starts small.
That, in part, is the hope behind Notre Dame's Together Irish program, which has served as a redefinition of the athletics department's commitment to social change via education, engagement and enrichment. The Irish hope that what occurs through the initiative on their campus and the community of South Bend, Indiana, can create ripples of positive change across the world.
"The Together Irish initiative has been wonderful for our student-athletes to engage, to learn and to really enrich their experience here on campus and of course in our local communities to become better people and really be a catalyst for change," said Alison Silverio, Notre Dame women's tennis head coach.
Through Together Irish, Notre Dame has focused its efforts on embracing and embodying inclusive excellence for the following areas: race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, spirituality, citizenship and ability. The initiative directly led to more than 30 campuswide activations during the 2022-23 academic year alone and featured participation by each of the school's 26 varsity sports. In addition to student-athletes, Together Irish engaged staff, coaches, campus and industry partners, philanthropic and corporate partners, the local community and alumni.
"I think the whole area of diversity and inclusion is central to the university," said the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president. "It's central to who we are, to be a community where everyone feels respected, where everyone, simply by being who they are, feels part of the community, everyone feels uplifted by it and contributes to it."
As a result of the initiative and its impact, Notre Dame has earned the 2024 NCAA and Minority Opportunities Athletic Association Award for Diversity and Inclusion, and will be honored Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the NCAA Convention Welcome and Awards Presentation in Phoenix. The NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion recognizes the initiatives, policies and practices of schools and conference offices that embrace diversity and inclusion across intercollegiate athletics. This can be achieved through community service, professional development, hiring practices or programming activities that enhance opportunities for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experiences.
"We are thrilled to recognize Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick and the leadership at the University of Notre Dame for their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the entire athletic department. I use the phrase often: 'Diversity is counting the numbers, but inclusion is making the numbers count.' Notre Dame has been intentional in making the numbers count," said Renae Myles Payne, director of athletics at Fort Valley State and president of the MOAA. "JP Abercrumbie, the executive associate athletic director for culture and engagement at Notre Dame, is a rock star and has helped usher in an inclusive culture that staff, coaches and student-athletes from all backgrounds and faiths feel welcome at Notre Dame. That's what this award is all about, recognizing those athletic departments that go above and beyond the minimum expectation of making people feel like they belong."
Building off the school's staNDtogether campaign from 2020-22, Together Irish launched prior to the 2022-23 academic year. Its areas of impact have been wide ranging, including athletics events dedicated to a specific purpose, campuswide initiatives, community partnerships, holiday celebrations and additional staffing support.
While Abercrumbie has spearheaded Together Irish, she said the commitment from those across the athletics department, university and community have made it successful. Notably, she added, having the full support of Jenkins and Swarbrick was key.
"Their belief that we can make a better Notre Dame, we can contribute to a better country and a better world is something that's not lost on me," Abercrumbie said. "To be able to be trusted with that here and to steward not only the culture that we think is needed but the opportunities for the world to become a better place and fulfill what we believe is a great opportunity for everyone else involved is something that couldn't be done without their leadership and support."
One of Together Irish's most notable activations involved Notre Dame's home football game against Tennessee State last fall. Dubbed "TSUND," the game was Notre Dame's first against a historically Black college or university. The two schools partnered to host more than 15 featured events over the weekend. These included academic exhibits, student career exploration activities, cultural exchanges and social gatherings, special in-game elements, and the launch of a ticket initiative that engaged more than 30 nonprofit organizations and community partners working to address critical needs for vulnerable populations.
"While folks may have grown up 5, 10 miles away from our campus, many of them have never had the opportunity to come to an athletic event, let alone step foot on our campus," Abercrumbie said. "So for that weekend, part of making it about more than just the game was about exposing local youth and others to not only a college environment and the programming there but that moment in history. So celebrating not only what our institution contributes to higher education but also what HBCUs overall contribute to the landscape of higher education."
Other Together Irish activations include the following:
- Blue-Gold Community Commitment:Through its corporate partner Allstate, Notre Dame welcomed the entire St. Adalbert Catholic School student body, along with parents/family members, teachers and staff, to the football team's spring game in April 2023. For many of the students, it was their first Notre Dame athletics experience.
- Citi Shamrock Classic:A Notre Dame women's basketball game dedicated to elevating, educating and spotlighting women, the first Citi Shamrock Classic was against California in November 2022 and marked the first live broadcast of a women's basketball game on NBC and Peacock. The game featured an all-woman production crew, all-Black female referee and broadcast teams, and two Black women's head coaches from St. Louis, where the game took place. Additional educational programming and community service opportunities also were highlighted. Notre Dame played the second City Shamrock Classic last November against Illinois in Washington, D.C.
- Together Irish Town Hall:As part of Celebrate Diversity Month, student-athletes, coaches and staff were invited to an engaging conversation featuring international student-athletes from different countries and sports.
- Juneteenth:For the 2022 Juneteenth community event, Notre Dame partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of South Bend and the diversity and inclusion staff of the school's Office of Human Resources. This community event featured an opportunity to engage with members of the greater South Bend community, including hundreds of youth and several local nonprofits.
- Walk the Walk Week:As part of the university's annual weeklong series of events that focus on improving inclusion, more than 250 student-athletes, coaches and staff representing 20 athletics programs joined together across nine sites throughout South Bend for a day of community service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
While events like these are important, Swarbrick said part of what has made Together Irish successful is how engrained it is in the culture at Notre Dame. It's what gives him confidence the initiative's impact will continue to grow.
"I think the staff understands how much it's made us better. So it's not like you have to be so intentional about reinforcing the priority. I think the priority is part of the culture now," he said. "But I also think it's an understanding that we have to reflect the best values of our student-athletes, and they're always trying to get better. They're always trying to take the next step. We have to do that in what we do also, and this area is no exception."
The attitude of improvement, Abercrumbie said, is intentionally built into the program.
"While this award is a humbling honor, something that we talk about with our Together Irish framework often is: We've made a lot of great progress, and we still have a long way to go," she said. "So one of the tag lines of our Together Irish work is, 'Our progress must persist.' While we've made great strides over the last several years, there's still more work for us to do."