Notre Dame University has its beginnings from as early as 1842. It was then on November 26, that a French priest, Rev. Edward Sorin, and several friends took possession of 524 acres in Indiana. It was given to them by the Bishop of Vincennes. Father Sorin named the school in honor of Our Lady and thus became known as Notre Dame. It was officially recognized by Indiana state legislature on January 15, 1844, and is located about 90 miles east of Chicago.

Father Sorin was the first president of the well known Catholic University and had to tend to one of the biggest situations there on campus when a fire broke out. In 1879, the main building, which housed nearly the entire university, caught fire, and was completely destroyed. Father Sorin was quoted as saying "I came here as a young man and dreamed of building a great university in honor of Our Lady, but I built it too small, and she had to burn it to the ground to make the point. So tomorrow, as soon as the bricks cool, we will rebuild it, bigger and better than ever."

The Catholic university has continued to grow never looking back, and became known as the Fighting Irish in the 1920's. "Bigger and better than ever" are the same words used by the current president in his inaugural address. The University now encompasses over 1000 acres, contains 2 lakes and over 100 buildings. It was rated at 18th nationally and its library in the top 100 in the country. There are over 30 masters programs and 25 doctoral programs.