Notre Dame Schools President Michael Bates has been selected 50 Years/50 Faces, an online celebration of the relationship between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States in honor of the UAE’s 50th anniversary...
Dr. Bates Profiled on UAE 50th Anniversary Website
Notre Dame Schools President Michael Bates has been selected 50 Years/50 Faces, an online celebration of the relationship between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States in honor of the UAE’s 50th anniversary.
Dr. Bates joins President George W. Bush, Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, entertainer Steve Harvey and other notable U.S. and Emirati citizens who share their personal stories and global connections through the 50 Years/50 Faces website.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2019, Dr. Bates connected with His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the United States, to explore how Notre Dame Schools could respond to the pope’s call for all people of goodwill to work together for interreligious dialogue and world peace.
The initial conversation led to a visit of embassy officials to NDCL, a trip to the UAE by Dr. Bates and Principal Joseph A. Waler, and another trip to the UAE by Dr. Bates, students and parents for the global conference on human fraternity in 2020. The UAE Embassy also helped fund NDCL’s classroom renovation project.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has limited additional connections and programming, Notre Dame Schools look forward to continuing the pursuit of fraternity and solidarity with its friends in the UAE in the months and years ahead.
