The University of Notre Dame du Lac (or simply Notre Dame /ˌnoʊtərˈdeɪm/ noh-tər-daym) is a Catholic research university located adjacent to South Bend, Indiana, in the United States. In French, Notre Dame du Lac means "Our Lady of the Lake" and refers to the university's patron saint, the Virgin Mary. The main campus covers 1,250 acres (5,100,000 m2) in a suburban setting and it contains a number of recognizable landmarks, such as the Golden Dome, the "Word of Life" mural (commonly known as Touchdown Jesus), and the Basilica. The school was founded on November 26, 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, CSC, who was also its first president, as an all-male institution on land donated by the Bishop of Vincennes (Indiana). Today, many Holy Cross priests continue to work for the university, including the president of the university.
Notre Dame is a large, four-year, highly residential research university. It is consistently ranked among the top twenty universities in the United States and as a major global university and is highly regarded for its undergraduate education. Notre Dame is also ranked as one of the top research universities and it has one of the largest endowments in the nation with over $10 billion. Undergraduate students are organized into four colleges (Arts and Letters, Science, Engineering, Business), and the Architecture School. The latter is known for teaching New Classical Architecture and for awarding the globally renowned annual Driehaus Architecture Prize.
The university offers over 50 foreign study abroad yearlong programs and over 15 summer programs. Notre Dame's graduate program has more than 50 master, doctoral and professional degree programs offered by the five schools, with the addition of the Notre Dame Law School and a MD-PhD program offered in combination with IU medical School. It maintains a system of libraries, cultural venues, artistic and scientific museums, including the Hesburgh Library and the Snite Museum of Art. The university boasts one of the largest Navy ROTC programs in the nation. Over 80% of the university's 8,000 undergraduates live on campus in one of 29 single-sex residence halls, each with its own traditions, legacies, events, and intramural sports teams. The university counts approximately 120,000 alumni, considered among the strongest alumni networks among U.S. colleges.
Notre Dame rose to national prominence in the early 1900s for its Fighting Irish football team under the guidance of legendary coach Knute Rockne. The university's athletic teams are members of the NCAA Division I and are known collectively as the Fighting Irish. The football team, an Independent with no conference affiliation, has accumulated eleven consensus national championships, seven Heisman Trophy winners, 62 members in the College Football Hall of Fame, 13 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is one of the most famed and successful college football teams in history. Other ND sport teams, chiefly in the Atlantic Coast Conference, have accumulated 16 national championships. The Notre Dame Victory March is often regarded as the most famous and recognizable collegiate fight song.
Started as a small all-male institution in 1842 and charter in 1844, Notre Dame reached international fame at the beginning of the 20th century. Major improvements to the university occurred during the administration of the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh between 1952 and 1987 as Hesburgh's administration greatly increased the university's resources, academic programs, and reputation and first enrolled women undergraduates in 1972. Ever since, the University has seen steady growth, and under the leadership of the next two presidents, Rev. Malloy and Rev. Jenkins, many infrastructure and research expansions have been completed.