ChatGPT_S_ND.txt

In 1842, the bishop of Vincennes, , offered land to  of the , on the condition that he build a college in two years. , the first priest ordained in the United States, who had come to the area invited by  chief  to minister to his tribe, had bought these 524 acres (212 ha) of land in 1830. Sorin arrived on the site with eight Holy Cross brothers from France and Ireland on November 26, 1842, and began the school using Badin's old . After enrolling two students, Sorin soon erected more buildings, including the , the first church, and the first main building. Notre Dame began as a primary and secondary school; in 1844 it received its official college charter from the , under the name the University of Notre Dame du Lac (University of Our Lady of the Lake). Because the university was originally all-male, the  founded the female-only  near Notre Dame in 1844.

, founder of the university, photographed in 1890
Early history[]
The college awarded its first degrees in 1849. 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. 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 's first administration, enrollment at Notre Dame increased to over 500 students. In 1869, he opened the , which offered a two-year course of study, and in 1871 he began construction of Sacred Heart Church, today the . Two years later,  started a library in the Main Building, which had 10,000 volumes by 1879.

The current , 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. Sorin (then provincial Superior) and President Corby immediately planned for the rebuilding of the structure that had housed virtually the entire university. Construction began on May 17, and by the incredible zeal of administrators and workers,  was completed before the fall semester of 1879. The library collection was rebuilt and housed in the new Main Building.