Professor of English and American Studies at Notre Dame from 1961 until his promotion to emeritus status in 1999. He served on many committees including the Deans Committee on Curricular Development, Appointments and Promotions, Undergraduate Studies, and Search Committees. Professor Costello participated in the Foreign Studies Program in Innsbruck, Austria from 1973-1975. In addition to his classroom responsibilities he published a number of books, including Fellini's Road (University of Notre Dame Press, 1983) and The Serpent's Eye: Shaw and the Cinema (University of Notre Dame Press, 1965), and articles predominantly concerning cinema, especially Fellini.