Editing University of Notre Dame (section)

===Early history===
The college awarded its first degrees in 1849.<ref>Hope, Arthur J. (1979) [1948]. "V". ''Notre Dame: One Hundred Years'' (2nd ed.). Notre Dame, IN: University Press. {{ISBN|0-89651-501-X}}.</ref> As it grew under the presidency of Sorin and his successors, new academic programs were offered and new buildings built to accommodate the growing student and faculty population.<ref>{{cite web |title=Notre Dame – Foundations: Conclusion |url=http://archives.nd.edu/wack/wack17.htm |work=Archives.nd.edu}}</ref><ref name="Hope, C.S.C. 1979" /> The brief presidency of Patrick Dillon (1865–1866) saw the original main building replaced with a larger one, which housed the university's administration, classrooms, and dormitories. Under [[William Corby]]'s first administration, enrollment at Notre Dame increased to over 500 students. In 1869, he opened the [[Notre Dame Law School|law school]], which offered a two-year course of study, and in 1871 he began construction of Sacred Heart Church, today the [[Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Notre Dame)|Basilica of the Sacred Heart]]. Two years later, [[Auguste Lemonnier]] started a library in the Main Building, which had 10,000 volumes by 1879.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.nd.edu/moore/moore08.htm |title=VIII: University Library and Archives |publisher=University of Notre Dame |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Main Building at the University of Notre Dame.jpg|thumb|alt=The current Main Building with a golden dome |The current [[Main Building (University of Notre Dame)|Main Building]], built after the great fire of 1879]]Fire destroyed the Main Building and the library collection in April 1879; the school closed immediately and students were sent home.<ref>"The Story of Notre Dame: Main Building". University of Notre Dame Archives. Retrieved December 31, 2007.</ref> Rebuilding began on May 17, and [[Main Building (University of Notre Dame)|the third and current Main Building]] was completed before the fall semester of 1879. The library collection was redeveloped.<ref>"The Story of Notre Dame: Lemmonier Library". University of Notre Dame Archives. Retrieved December 31, 2007.</ref>

The presidency of [[Thomas E. Walsh]] (1881–1893) focused on improving Notre Dame's scholastic reputation and standards. At the time, many students came to Notre Dame only for its business courses and did not graduate.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Greg |date=November 14, 1986 |title=A Notre Dame Procession |work=Scholastic |url=http://archives.nd.edu/Scholastic/VOL_0128/VOL_0128_ISSUE_0007B.pdf }}</ref> Walsh started a "[[Belles-lettres|Belles Lettres]]" program and invited notable lay intellectuals like writer [[Maurice Francis Egan]] to campus.<ref>{{cite book |title=Catholic higher education in the 1960s: issues of identity, issues of governance |date=2009 |publisher=[[Information Age Publishing]] |isbn=9781607523420 |page=104}}</ref> [[Washington Hall (University of Notre Dame)|Washington Hall]] was built in 1881 as a theater,<ref>"The Story of Notre Dame: Washington Hall". University of Notre Dame Archives. Retrieved December 31, 2007.</ref> and the Science Hall (today the [[LaFortune Student Center]]) was built in 1883 to house the science program (established in 1880) and multiple classrooms and science labs.<ref>"The Story of Notre Dame: Science Hall". University of Notre Dame Archives. Retrieved December 31, 2007.</ref> The construction of [[Sorin Hall]] saw the first freestanding residence hall on campus and one of the first in the country to have private rooms for students, a project championed by Sorin and John Zahm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Notre Dame – 100 Years: Chapter XV |url=http://archives.nd.edu/hope/hope15.htm |website=archives.nd.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dosen |first1=Anthony J. |title=Catholic higher education in the 1960s: issues of identity, issues of governance |date=2009 |publisher=Information Age Pub |isbn=9781607523420 |page=104}}</ref> During Walsh's tenure, Notre Dame started its [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|football program]] and awarded its first [[Laetare Medal]], one the earlist such honors bequesthed by a Catholic university in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Laetare Medal {{!}} Commonweal Magazine |url=https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/laetare-medal|website=www.commonwealmagazine.org|date=March 4, 2008 |language=en}}</ref> The Law School was reorganized under the leadership of [[William J. Hoynes]] (dean from 1883 to 1919), and when its new building was opened shortly after his death, it was renamed in his honor.{{sfn|O'Connell|2001}}