Notre Dame Receives $25M Gift for Global Affairs Program

The University of Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs has received a $25 million gift from the benefactors after which the program is named. The family of Donald and Marilyn Keough made the gift to increase financial aid for students in the Master of Global Affairs program.

The two-year program prepares professionals for careers in government, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, who intend to work in positions addressing global challenges.

Notre Dame says the program integrates rigorous professional training with extended, global fieldwork. The money supports a newly established fellowships program.

Over the years, the Keough name has been associated with numerous philanthropic efforts on campus, including a residence hall, library collections, and multiple funded fellowships.

“Don and Mickie Keough are towering figures in Notre Dame history, by virtue of their visionary leadership, generous benefaction and commitment to the University’s mission,” said President Rev. John Jenkins. “With the creation of the Keough Family Fellowships program by their daughters and sons, the great Keough legacy continues. Notre Dame is blessed by their support, and I am deeply grateful to this family which has been so dear to me.”

Don Keough served as the president and chief operating officer of the Coca-Cola Co. from 1981 to 1993. Six of the Keough children attended the university, and many serve on advisory councils and boards.