Notre Dame Does So Much Good, but Sometimes Branding Misses the Mark

In recent years, Notre Dame has done so well with its efforts to better recognize that it is part of the larger community surrounding it, South Bend. 

In October 2024, they opened the Link Trail. This $11 million investment is a real pedestrian connection between South Bend and Notre Dame, and without Notre Dame’s funds, it could never have come to fruition in quite this manner. Yet, the organization that helped market the Link Trail missed a real opportunity.

The two-way arrow should have been between SB and ND more like SB ↔︎ ND, but the designer only utilized that arrow to showcase distance, not a real connection. Using SB “TO” ND makes Notre Dame the destination, missing the opportunity to be a two-way connector. While this isn’t a ‘big’ deal per se, it is another example of a Notre Dame-centric universe that belies the support, labor, and love provided to campus from South Bend and, for that matter, Mishawaka, Niles, Elkhart, and other towns big and small all around the area. This isn’t the fault of ND, but of all those involved, even on Soutbendin.gov, they note that ‘The Link Trail’ connects South Bend “To” Notre Dame (see that story here). Someone in James Mueller’s office should have objected to that language and helped everyone involved understand the true nature of the relationship.

To that point, roughly half of the poster-hanging poles now advertise “Celebrating 25 Years of Community” with the Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization. The poster features the old No. 7 Co. Victorian Firehouse, which stands as an icon in the neighborhood. An icon constructed in 1904 to serve the neighborhood. 

Less than 500 feet to the south of the old firehouse stands Olivet African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, founded in 1870. About 600 feet to the east stands the First AME Zion Church, founded in 1907. Just down the street is the 1889 Maurice Egan House, a beautiful home built in 1889 and on the National Register of Historic Places (read more about this home here). These are not the only historic properties in the neighborhood. While the signage is technically celebrating the Northeast Neighborhood Revitalization Organization, it appears to celebrate the neighborhood and community, and all that has been done there in the last 25 years, without acknowledging that there was a real and vibrant community in the very neighborhood where the beautiful new homes now stand. The neighborhood, in fact, was diverse, with working-class residents from many backgrounds prior to the big build that began 25 years ago, and now both the architecture and the median income in that neighborhood have changed significantly.

It’s not that Notre Dame isn’t good for our community and even our world. It’s the advertising of victories and connections that frankly, ND doesn’t need. Celebrating 125 years of community in the near campus neighborhood and ALL of the people, old and new, would seem so much more appropriate, and it would provide recognition of the foundations laid by hard-working people, so that a new era of hard-working people can now also enjoy the area. Similarly, getting rid of “to” and showcasing the two-way connection that has been the true relationship between South Bend and Notre Dame would seem much more appropriate, would have been an easy advertising ‘win’ for everyone, and would make so much more sense.  

We are now in an era when South Bend may truly need Notre Dame; however, we cannot forget that without South Bend, its infrastructure, and its citizens, Notre Dame could very well have gone the way of other small Catholic colleges.

Good relationships are partnerships and reciprocal without being ‘a trade.’ They are born out of love, familiarity, kindness, and trust. I choose to trust that whoever is marketing these Notre Dame Avenue banners (and perhaps other marketing) just hasn’t thought enough about the long-term relationships between Notre Dame and its nearby cities. 

© 2026 Brian S Collier. All opinions are those of the author. The author reserves all Rights and copyrights. To request permission to reprint any or all of this article, contact info@redresssouthbend.com. 
Reprinted with permission of the author by Redress South Bend.
All opinions and views in this piece are attributed to the author and are not necessarily the thoughts or opinions of Redress South Bend. 

Brian S. Collier, Ph.D.

Columnist

Born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, Collier is a graduate of South Bend public schools. Collier taught high school for four years before earning a Ph.D., then taught college in Arizona, Michigan, and Indiana. He is now again teaching high school locally.

Collier signed on to serve on the editorial board and as an occasional contributor to Redress, hoping to help provide a liberal perspective on issues in his hometown and the region. While local 'liberals' may not feel heard, Collier feels like both parties are so far from where they were when he was a child that they wouldn't possibly recognize their modern iterations.

Collier feels strongly that South Bend lacks actual leadership, shows cowardice, and prioritizes conveniences and business interests over citizen needs, and is a proxy for petty vendettas and a lack of real, sustainable policy. Collier fears for the future of St. Joseph County, Michiana, and America, and the very real chance that the American experiment ends during his lifetime due to partisan nonsense and the public's inability to even see other perspectives.