Welcomed by University President Rev. John I. Jenkins, CSC, and Keough School of Global Affairs Dean Scott Appleby, friends of the Ford Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity celebrated its first decade in a dinner on September 7.
Gathering scholars, students, project participants, and generous donors from near and far, the evening shone a spotlight on the many individuals touched by the program through its focus on rigorous, community-based research that aims to meet global challenges.
Director Rev. Robert Dowd, CSC, noted that Ford Program research now encompasses the work of 14 faculty fellows in eight countries in Africa, Europe, and, now, Latin America.
Rev. Aníbal Niño Loarte, CSC, who directs the Holy Cross Instituto de Pastoral de la Famillia (INFAM) in Lima, Peru, explained how a Ford Program evaluation will allow INFAM to better serve parish families. Then, in a new video, Faculty Fellow Laura Miller-Graff (psychology and peace studies) discussed the community context and her new Ford-funded research project that aims to reduce violence by empowering pregnant moms. (View video at kellogg.nd.edu/lima).
Corey Robinson ’17, Natalie Disher ’21, and Ellie Buerk '20 spoke of the importance to students of a program that allows them to make a tangible difference in the world.
Faculty Fellow Clemens Sedmak (global affairs), who will serve as acting director in the spring, closed out the evening by underling the value of the solidarity fundamental to the Ford Program’s work.