I'm a ND grad studying at Georgetown then moving to New York for med school, and I cannot agree with you more. Since ND does not have a med school its undergraduate research rankings and reputation are solely based on its "large endowment, strong alumni support, a highly selective undergraduate body and good faculty salaries." But in order to attract the best faculty and make strides in the area consistent with the university's mission, we need to get NIH or other government funding to support these professors and hire new ones. The university is ripe for a strategic move into these relatively untapped resources.
Jenkins goal of being spoken of in the same breath as Harvard, Yale, and MIT rather than just USC, Michigan, or Ohio State speaks of his commitment to both academic and athletic excellence, and that is truly what any domer would desire. Since I've been looking at many institutions during my search for the best graduate school and medical school, I've discovered that research funding is what builds an institution's academic growth. I love what ND stands for today and wouldn't trade the education for anything, but in order for it to be the best that it could be in terms of its mission, it should look at schools that have been successful in the area of academics (MIT, Stanford) as well as those successful in athletics (USC). As Jenkins say "You always have to strive to move beyond where you are. If you're satisfied with where you are, you're probably going to get worse." It is a tall order I know, but this is Notre Dame, we strive for excellence, and we should have no excuses.
