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2026 Fall Seminar Series :

A headshot of Judith Fox, a woman with short, light brown hair, wearing a dark, pinstriped v-neck top and small earrings, smiles gently against a gray background.

"Housing Discrimination: Then and Now"

Tuesday, September 29, 3:30-5:30,  Holy Cross Village, Geenan Hall

Judith Fox, Clinical Professor Emerita, Law School

This talk will tell the story of housing discrimination through the experiences in South Bend, ending with a discussion of the current federal administration's actions and how they are likely to create, not prevent, continued racial discrimination.

Judith Fox retired from Notre Dame Law School in 2022 after 25 years as a Clinical Professor and Director of the Economic Justice Clinic, focusing primarily on housing justice. Since retiring, she continues to advocate for low-income communities through her research and advocacy, including participating in regular free legal advice housing clinics. Throughout her career, she served on several boards and committees, including the Consumer Advisory Board of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Indiana Supreme Court’s Coalition for Access to Justice, the Indiana Commission on Equity and Access, and, most recently, the City of South Bend’s Reparatory Justice Commission. She has assisted in the drafting of laws for Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and, most recently, for the Uniform Code Commission. Professor Fox has received numerous awards for her advocacy, including the Drum Major Award for Social Justice, the Granville Clark Award for Peace and Justice, the St. Joseph County Jobs for Justice Community Service Award, and the Sgt. Shriver Lifetime Achievement Award.

A headshot of Ronald Hellenthal, a light-skinned man with gray hair and wire-framed glasses, is shown. He is wearing a black shirt and holding a framed shadowbox displaying a butterfly collection.

“Bugs" and People: The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly

Wednesday, October 28, 3:30-5:30, Holy Cross Village, Geenan Hall

Ronald Hellenthall, Emeritus Professor and Director, Notre Dame Museum of Biodiversity

Synopsis:  Arthropods, including insects, spiders, and ticks, have played an enormous role in human history and culture. They are essential for our existence on Earth, but they have also been responsible for death and human misery throughout our recorded history, as well as today. Old and emerging diseases caused and transmitted by “bugs” continue to threaten our health and well-being and are likely to do so for the foreseeable future, but they could also be our salvation.

Ron Hellenthal received a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Minnesota and has been a member of the Notre Dame Biological Sciences faculty for nearly 50 years. His research focused on both aquatic insects as indicators of water quality and on parasitic lice. Since becoming emeritus in 2012, he has continued to teach undergraduate and graduate courses on insect biology and the role of insects and other arthropods in human disease. For the past 31 years, he served on the Indiana board that regulates pesticides, including the last 16 years as its chair. He also serves on the St. Joseph County Health Department advisory boards on Water Resources and On-Site Wastewater (septic) systems, which he currently chairs, and on an advisory board to the St. Joseph County Drainage Board on Juday Creek. This small cold water stream flows through the University’s Warren Golf Course. 

Smiling, bald man with grey beard and glasses, wearing a blue shirt and a dark tie with literary text.

"The beginnings of Shakespeare on film"

Thursday, November 12, 3:30-5:30, Holy Cross Village, Geenan Hall

Peter Holland, Professor Emeritus, Film, Television & Theater

Topic: How did filming Shakespeare plays begin? How do Shakespeare films begin? And why did/do they begin like that?

Peter Holland was educated at Cambridge and, when he left in 1997, was Judith E. Wilson Reader in Drama and Theatre in the Faculty of English. He then served as Director of the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-upon-Avon and Professor in Shakespeare Studies at the University of Birmingham before coming to Notre Dame in 2002 as the first holder of the McMeel Family Chair in Shakespeare Studies, probably the only named chair in Shakespeare anywhere in the world that is not in an English or Literature department. He was editor of Shakespeare Survey, the UK’s leading academic Shakespeare journal for 19 years, co-General Editor, with Stanley Wells and Lena Orlin, of Oxford Shakespeare Topics (Oxford University Press, over 30 volumes to date); with Adrian Poole, of the 18-volume series Great Shakespeareans (Bloomsbury Academic, 2009-13; with Farah Karim-Cooper and Stephen Purcell of a monograph series, Shakespeare in the Theatre (Bloomsbury Academic, 15 volumes to date); and, with Zachary Leader and Tiffany Stern, of the Arden Shakespeare 4th series. He has also edited many Shakespeare plays.

A headshot of James Alleman, a light-skinned man with dimples, salt-and-pepper hair, and wire-framed black glasses, smiles broadly against a blurred background of greenery.

"The History of Our Basilica's Bells"

Wednesday, December 9, 11:30 at the luncheon for retired faculty members.

James Alleman, Emeritus MEng Director

This will be an engaging presentation by James Alleman on the 170-year history of the Basilica’s iconic bells, purchased in 1856. Discover the rich stories behind them, including their craftsmanship and significance to the campus.

Jim Alleman joined Notre Dame in August 2019 as the inaugural director for the College of Engineering’s first Master of Engineering program. He continued to lead this program until he retired in May 2024. Jim’s retirement plans will include wrapping up a book about campus bell towers (prominently featuring ND’s first-in-the-nation status), swimming, and learning Greek.