Work begins on Notre Dame women’s residence hall
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The University of Notre Dame broke ground last week on a new women’s residence hall on the south side of campus. The project is being funded with a “significant” leadership gift from the family of Notre Dame alum Thomas Grojean Sr. in honor of his late wife.
Therese Mary Grojean Hall will replace Pangborn Hall, which was decommissioned at the end of the last academic year. The amount of the gift supporting the project was not disclosed.
“We could not be more grateful to the Grojean family for their extraordinary generosity,” Notre Dame President Rev. Robert Dowd said in a news release. “We are delighted that this new residence hall for women will bear the name of Terri Grojean, a beloved member of the Notre Dame community who embodied compassion, kindness and faith. Residential life is central to the education we offer, and it is most fitting that generations of students will call Therese Mary Grojean Hall their campus home.”
Tom Grojean graduated from Notre Dame in 1961 and married Terri shortly after graduation, the university said. He would go on to become chief financial officer for Southern Airways, as well as CFO, chief operating officer and president of Tiger International before launching Grojean Transportation.
The Grojeans had four children who graduated from Notre Dame, as well as two grandsons who are also alumni.
Notre Dame Vice President for Student Affairs Rev. Gerard Olinger said the construction of the newest residence hall is another example of the Grojean family’s ongoing commitment to student life at Notre Dame.
“In 2018, the family generously contributed to the creation of the Thomas and Therese Grojean Family Loft inside the Duncan Student Center, where our students often come together to share their thoughts, ideas and insights,” Olinger said. “To further this connection among our students inside the residence halls is inspiring, and I’m grateful to Tom for choosing to uphold Terri’s legacy in such a meaningful way.”
The Grojean family has also provided financial support for the university in other ways, including various scholarships, the Grojean Family Fellowship in the Mendoza College of Business and a professorship in accountancy and finance.
The university plans to have the first students move into Grojean Hall in the fall of 2026.
The women’s residence hall project is one of two projects announced in October 2023. The university has also decommissioned Fisher Hall to make way for Graham Family Hall a new men’s residence hall, which is being named for Tracy and Kerie Graham of South Bend and slated to open ahead of the upcoming academic year.