Notre Dame de Namur University Honors Kris Crowe Zavoli with the 2025 Indefatigable Award
Belmont, CA, June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) is delighted to honor alumna Kris Crowe Zavoli ('68, '73) with this year's Indefatigable Award. The annual award, named for the vessel that carried six Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur from Belgium to the United States in 1844, is given to an individual whose body of work exemplifies the Sisters' 'unflagging, inexhaustible determination to make the world a better place.'
This year's award will be presented to Kris Zavoli at a private event on the Notre Dame de Namur University Belmont campus.
'We are delighted to present this award to Kris—she is truly a force for change,' said NDNU President Beth Martin, Ph.D. 'In the spirit of the Sisters of Notre Dame, Kris embodies leadership, courage, and an unwavering passion for education—qualities that both inspire others and drive meaningful action. As a former Director of Admissions, she connected hundreds of students to NDNU, and through her work with the College Board and beyond, she has been a steadfast champion for equity and access in education.'
'We are so appreciative of Kris' past service on the NDNU Board of Trustees, her current participation on the Alumni Advisory Council, and as a Trustee Emerita,' Martin continued.
Zavoli's deep connection to NDNU goes back to the mid-sixties during her undergraduate days at the then all-women's school known as College of Notre Dame (CND). Said Zavoli, who served as CND student body president in '67 and '68, 'Being president at that time of great cultural and geo-political change was pivotal. I developed leadership skills and got to know a lot of student leaders from different universities, many of whom had diverse and divergent views about what was happening in the world. These early experiences helped shape my priorities of promoting diversity and accessibility.'
During her 15 years of full-time admissions work at NDNU, she was able to earn two teaching credentials and a master's degree in teaching English at night tuition-free.
Zavoli's also worked in a variety of leadership positions at the College Board for 28 years. Her experiences provided a platform to educate teachers, district administrators, and legislators to the staggering differences in academic preparation. During her tenure with the College Board, Kris fought strongly to implement advanced placement courses into low-income schools.
Kris currently volunteers teaching English as a Second Language to adult learners participating in Sequoia District Adult Education, while giving time to other educational associations committed to access to higher education.
'I would like to think I inspired change,' said Zavoli. 'That is why I do what I do.'
Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) is a Catholic, not-for-profit, coeducational institution serving adult learners from diverse backgrounds. Established in 1851 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, NDNU is the third-oldest college in California and the first authorized to grant women a baccalaureate degree. The university is WSCUC accredited and offers master's degree programs in business, education, and psychology, as well as teacher credentials and degree completion programs. NDNU maintains a strong commitment to academic excellence, social justice, and community engagement. For more information, visit www.ndnu.edu.
CONTACT: Aric Agresti, Vice President for Advancement Notre Dame de Namur University (650) 508-3652 aagresti@ndnu.edu
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a day ago
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Raising school fees torments many Africans. Some expect the Catholic Church to do more to help
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The effects of a private education system The World Bank reported in 2023 that 54% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa rank the issue of paying school fees higher than medical bills and other expenses. That's partly because education is largely in private hands, with the most desirable schools controlled by profit-seeking owners. Schools run by the Catholic Church are not usually registered as profit-making entities, but those who run those schools say they wouldn't be competitive if they were run merely as charities. They say they face the same maintenance costs as others in the field and offer scholarships to exceptional students. Regulating tuition is not easy, said Ronald Reagan Okello, a priest who oversees education at the Catholic Secretariat in Kampala. He urges parents to send their children to schools they can afford. 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But a legacy of inclusion is under pressure in the southern African nation due to fee increases at boarding schools and efforts by Catholic leaders to fully privatize some schools. Many boarding schools already charge tuition fees between $600 and $800, prohibitive for the working class in a country where most civil servants make less than a $300 per month. Privatization will raise tuition fees even higher, warned Peter Muzawazi, a prominent educator in Zimbabwe. Muzawazi, who attended Catholic schools, once was the headmaster of Marist Brothers, a top Catholic school for boys in Zimbabwe. That school in Nyanga is among those earmarked for privatization. 'I know in the Catholic Church there is a lot of space for reasonable fees for day scholars, but for boarders there is need to be watching because the possibility that they would be out of reach for the vulnerable is there,' he said. The church needs to be actively engaged, he said. 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