Kellogg Institute Associate Director Holly Rivers, who oversees Kellogg undergraduate programs and institute strategy, was honored with the 2025 Keough School Innovation Award this week, presented to her by the Marilyn Keough Dean Mary Gallagher at a ceremony for faculty and staff of the School. The award recognizes Rivers for "generating innovative ideas that lead to new or improved processes, methods, programs, or services in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame."
The citation quoted those who nominated Rivers for the award, who said in part, "Holly exemplifies the spirit of innovation through her visionary leadership and dedication to building programs that expand opportunities for students and improve operations of the Kellogg Institute in service of the Keough School mission."
Another nominator expressed that Rivers deserved the award "for her creativity, collaborative spirit, and transformative impact on student learning and institutional effectiveness."
Rivers has 20 years of experience developing programs for undergraduates interested in research and development. She manages four experiential learning programs offering independent research and experiences in countries around the globe each summer. Since 2002, she has supported more than 700 students in pursuing research opportunities and leads programs to prepare them. Her work has earned the University of Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters Award of Appreciation (2014) and the Dockweiler Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising (2008).