The Search for an Inspiring Life - How to Measure What Matters Most

The Search for an Inspiring Life - How to Measure What Matters Most

College students are typically of an age in which they actively recalibrate their compass, whether morally, vocationally, or otherwise. They shift from relying on external authorities to relying on a developing, inner authority. Over the course of a lifetime, however, various external authorities can come back to predominate our mindset as the principal measure of life. In U.S. culture, success in terms of wealth and status are perhaps foremost among these external authorities. How might we challenge ourselves to measure life on the basis of something more enduring, such as the inspiration we receive and the inspiration we provide? Join us in this ThinkND session as we explore ways to understand and measure life as inspired. The session is designed especially for people who are thinking about how to take stock of life, whether or not they have retirement or a second career in sight, and who want to understand the value of interpreting life as a good, inspiring story.

Meet the Faculty: Fr. Kevin Sandberg, C.S.C. '88, Ph.D. '04

Father Kevin Sandberg, C.S.C. ‘88, Ph.D. ‘04 brings theological, religious, and spiritual perspectives to bear on educational practices, questions, and concerns. As an assistant teaching professor at Notre Dame, he has taught the theology of the common good, the theology of discipleship, and the theology of the Mandalorian. At present he co-teaches the Heart’s Desire in the Inspired Leadership Initiative and with Father Dan Groody to undergraduates. In the Spring 2023 semester he will teach Religion, Education, and Democracy: Generational Responsibility for the American Proposition. Father Kevin has taught the Moreau First Year Experience course and previously directed Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns.

Prior to joining the Congregation of Holy Cross, Father Kevin was a trust officer with Northern Trust in Chicago and a financial economist with the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. He currently serves as chairman of the board of Ave Maria Press and as a board member of the Bethany Land Institute in Uganda. He was past treasurer and board member of the Religious Education Association, an association of professors, practitioners, and researchers in religious education.

Father Kevin earned his B.A. in economics and an M.Div. from Notre Dame, an M.A. in theology from the Graduate Theological Union/Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, and his Ph.D. from Fordham University.

Meet the Speaker: Margaret Higgins, Ph.D.

August 26, 2021; Margaret Higgins, ILI (Photo by Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame)

Margaret Higgins, Ph.D.
Director of Mission Integration, Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, Santa Clara University
Inspired Leadership Initiative Alum (Cohort 3, 2021-2022)

Margaret Higgins currently serves as the inaugural Director of Mission Integration in the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education at Santa Clara University. Her post is a vocational surprise animated by her participation in Notre Dame’s Inspired Leadership Initiative. 

Ms. Higgins’ career has spanned three decades of c-suite and senior leadership in Catholic secondary and higher education, with over fifteen years in Jesuit education. She has served in executive positions in student affairs, administration, and development, including as President/CEO of Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School. In each role, Margaret has worked with members of the educational community and external stakeholders to ensure that mission, student success, and sustainability are all equally achieved. Placing a particular emphasis on first generation students and their families, she has inspired a commitment to the holistic development of graduates and future leaders.

Ms. Higgins earned her B.S. in communication disorders from the College of Saint Rose, a M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from Springfield College, and a Ph.D. in educational administration and policy from The Catholic University of America. Her dissertation researched the transformational behaviors of Catholic university presidents in the development of vision. 

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Featured Speakers: 

  • Fr. Kevin Sandberg, C.S.C., Ph.D, Director of Spiritual and Curricular Enrichment, Inspired Leadership Initiative, University of Notre Dame
  • Margaret Higgins, Ph.D., Director of Mission Integration, Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education, Santa Clara University and Inspired Leadership Initiative Alum (Cohort 3, 2021-2022)

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