As we look to the new year, we reflect and celebrate the top five most-read stories from the College of Arts & Letters in 2025.
#5: Holy Cross postulant Lane Poche ’25 finds his calling to be ‘a better person who loves’
When thinking about his future, Lane Poche turns to the teachings of Pope Francis.
Dilexit nos, the late Holy Father’s fourth encyclical, describes the challenges the modern person faces in finding their path in life. There are many forces, he writes, that push someone away from who they’re meant to be — and actually following one’s heart takes work and contemplation
“What does my heart actually desire?” Poche, an Arts & Letters graduate who majored in philosophy and theology, often asks himself. “What actually fulfills me? What actually brings me life?”
His answer? Taking the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to become a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross.
“It’s where my desires and the Lord’s desires for me overlap,” he said.
#4: Studying Survivor : How two Notre Dame courses apply reality TV to philosophy, psychology, and math
A soundtrack of high-tension music and drums plays in a dark room lit only by a crackling fire. Two rows of seats are filled by people wearing their best poker faces, ready to commit any betrayal necessary for victory.
One by one, each person takes a long walk out the door to a separate location where they can cast their vote — the name of who they want to permanently remove from those two rows.
What’s on the line? It might as well be life and death: extra credit.
The ritual is a regular Tuesday morning for students in the class Outwit, Outplay, Outlast: The Dynamics of Survivor. The psychology and math course uses the reality TV show Survivor as a tool to understand decision-making, and it turns students into the decision-makers.
Meanwhile, in a philosophy course called The Working Life: Work, Meaning, and Happiness, students watch a season of Survivor in their pursuit of a personal philosophy of work. They focus on the social strategies in the show that can transfer into professional life, as well as the ways contestants separate their personal selves from their actions in the game.
“Let’s talk about power dynamics. Let’s talk about gender in Survivor. Let’s talk about the role that loyalty and trust play,” said Paul Blaschko, an assistant professor of philosophy and director of the Sheedy Family Program in Economy, Enterprise, and Society. “We could easily do a yearlong course on different seasons of Survivor and different concepts that come up.”
#3: Kenneth Scheve appointed dean of the College of Arts & Letters
Kenneth Scheve, the Dean Acheson Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs and the dean of social science at Yale University, has been appointed the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the College of Arts and Letters by University of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C.
Scheve, who also now holds a tenured faculty position in the Department of Political Science, began a five-year term as dean on July 1.
“For many, attending Notre Dame is a transformative experience, and it certainly was for me — it helped shape my values, deepened my curiosity about the world, and instilled invaluable habits of mind,” Scheve said. “I have a deep appreciation for what a Catholic liberal arts education can mean in someone’s life. I’m truly honored to return in a role where I can contribute to that in a meaningful way and support the outstanding work of the college’s departments and faculty.
“The moment I saw this opportunity, I felt a real spark. It brings together everything I’ve worked on — as a teacher, scholar, and administrator — and brings it to bear on a mission that I’m really passionate about.”
#2: English department chair Joyelle McSweeney becomes Jeopardy champion
Notre Dame’s Joyelle McSweeney, the William P. and Hazel B. White Professor of English, fulfilled her mother’s lifelong dream by competing on Jeopardy. And with a final score of $17,700 — over $13,000 more than the second-place finisher — she won.
Her mother, a retired school teacher living in Pennsylvania, has always hoped one of her four children would appear on Jeopardy, so when McSweeney was invited to Sony Pictures Studios in California, she knew she had to say yes.
“I consulted with my siblings, and they were like, ‘It’s now or never,’” she said.
When she tried out for Jeopardy, McSweeney didn’t expect to actually make it to the show, and she definitely didn’t expect to win. Unlike many of the fellow contestants she met backstage, McSweeney didn’t cram in a study session or come up with a betting strategy before the competition.
But when she got behind her podium with a thumb on her buzzer, she was totally focused.
“I was one with the Jeopardy cosmos,” she said.
#1: Department of Economics adds 11 leading scholars to its faculty, including two endowed chairs
The Department of Economics in the College of Arts & Letters added 11 new economists to its faculty, including two endowed chairs and two full professors.
The significant expansion for the department includes leaders in economic subfields such as family, poverty, policy, development, health, and macroeconomics.
“Our new colleagues represent a mix of established senior scholars and junior faculty fresh out of graduate school. Taken together, they have research interests that span virtually all the subfields of economics,” said Eric Sims, professor and department chair. “These new colleagues will help propel our department to new heights.”