“Arts-activated and informed campuses like Notre Dame are critical to strengthen the national fabric of the arts in higher education.”
- Maryrose Flanigan, a2ru Executive Director
The University of Notre Dame has joined over 40 colleges and universities driving arts research in higher education through a new institutional membership with Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru). The organization, which is affiliated with the University of Michigan, advances arts-integrative research, curricula, programs, and creative practice to articulate and expand the vital role of higher education in our global society.
“We are thrilled to welcome the University of Notre Dame to the a2ru network,” said Maryrose Flanigan, executive director of a2ru. “We look forward to sharing - and learning from - its diverse arts ecosystem, boosted by an ambitious arts initiative. Arts-activated and informed campuses like Notre Dame are critical to strengthen the national fabric of the arts in higher education. They demonstrate how the arts uniquely benefit society in practice and research, and they are well-positioned to provide students with a holistic education and rewarding careers.”
Joining a2ru was an early priority of the Arts Initiative, launched in 2024 after the arts were identified as a focus area in the University’s 2023 Strategic Framework. The Arts Initiative brings together the people and programs of the University’s extended arts community to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and define the arts as a central part of campus and community life. “In addition to our local emphasis on campus and community, the Arts Initiative’s work is part of a larger effort within higher education to advocate for the arts as integral to intellectual and public life,” explained Rebecca Struch, managing director of the Arts Initiative. “The partnership with a2ru connects Notre Dame’s efforts to a national network that amplifies our commitment to transcending conventional boundaries — between art forms and across disciplines - and provides new opportunities for faculty and student engagement.”
The Arts Initiative is already expanding excellence in the arts through faculty research and teaching grants, postdoctoral and student fellowships, visiting artists and artists-in-residence, and interdisciplinary arts convenings, including the upcoming 2027 Notre Dame Arts Biennial. With a2ru, Notre Dame affiliates now have access to new opportunities for networking and professional development in the arts, annual conference participation, travel grants, scholar awards, and additional member resources that support and amplify research in the arts.
“As an institutional member of a2ru, I look forward to the many ways Notre Dame’s arts community will both contribute and gain valuable insights on the future of cross-disciplinary collaboration in the arts,” said Arts Initiative director Michael Schreffler.
Any person with a Notre Dame email address is invited to participate in the a2ru network at no additional cost. Those interested in learning more about the benefits of a2ru may register here for the upcoming information session co-led by Maryrose Flanigan and Rebecca Struch in February.
Originally published by at arts.nd.edu on December 18, 2025.
