From the Dean's Desk

Building on Success

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 25 November 2019

Over the last year, we have introduced many changes in the College in order to leverage the strengths of our people and programs to support our Catholic mission and commitments to academic excellence and human flourishing. Today’s higher education landscape is characterized by disruption. It is imperative that we continue to innovate within our programs in order to be distinctive and prepare our students for the changing nature of business.

We are starting to see some positive results from the integration of the Marketing and Graduate Enrollment Department and a new approach to our marketing and admissions, including a notable increase in inquiries and applications, operational efficiencies from shared practices and increased opportunities for collaboration. We want to build on those successes by continuing to identify opportunities to elevate, cooperate and integrate toward our goal of providing best-in-class service to our students across their entire journey at Mendoza. This includes:

  • Elevating our graduate programs through continuing innovation in order to be distinctive and competitive in the b-school market.
  • Cooperating through strong communication and working relationships both across graduate programs as well as across the functions within a program (Marketing, Admissions, Student Services, Career Service and Alumni Relations).
  • Integrating business analytics and experiential learning.

I recognize the importance of seeking input from those closest to the programs, i.e., all of you who work with students day in and day out. In the coming weeks, we will be holding feedback sessions with our graduate programs directors and staff, as well as the associate deans and chairs. Kara Palmer will lead the discussions, collect feedback and share input with me and the associate deans.

I am confident that our strategic vision will position the College to excel in this challenging B-school market. I also understand the strain that change and disruption can put on individuals as well as departments. As always, your input is valuable. Even if you are not directly involved in these feedback sessions, I encourage you to send your ideas and comments about ongoing opportunities across the College to me, Kara or the associate deans.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I also send my appreciation to the Mendoza family for the service you provide to the College and Our Lady’s University. I am very thankful to all of you for your daily contributions to our work here and your patience with me! May the holiday be a blessed time of peace, rest and togetherness.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

Team Irish!

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 18 November 2019
In 2016, Notre Dame partnered with Balkh University in Afghanistan to create one of that country’s first master’s programs in finance and accounting. Led by our Executive Education team, the team of ND faculty and staff designed, trained, delivered and assessed a new master’s degree with the goal of improving career prospects, especially for women, and helping to put the country on a path toward peace.

I am pleased to announce that the University is recognizing the team with a Team Irish Award, which will be given to them during halftime of the Boston College football game on Saturday.

The two-year program required tremendous investment of time and effort, as faculty and staff traveled to Beijing, China and Mumbai, India, to meet face to face with their Balkh counterparts for four residencies. They had to overcome considerable language and tech barriers as well, as they conducted numerous virtual sessions. The first cohort of 27 Master’s of Finance and Accounting (MFA) students graduated in 2018, including eight women.

The Balkh program is a great example of the three Cs — contribute, cooperate, compete — enacted in real life. There are many people to thank from Mendoza, ND International, the ND Initiative for Global Development, the Kaneb Center and others.

Please join me in congratulating all the participants (see below) on receiving the Team Irish Award.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn
Mendoza College of Business:
Robin Kistler, Cleo Thanos, Kalynda Hamilton, Nick Farmer, Scott Nestler, Tom Stober, Joe Holt, Jim Leady, Walt Clements, Eric Zimmer, Michael Favorite, Paul Slaggert, Gianna Bern, Amanda McKendree, Kristen Collett-Schmitt, Jeff Bergrstand, Jerry Langley, John Halloran
 
ND Department of Economics:
Ethan Lieber
 
Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning:
Alex Ambrose
 
ND Initiative for Global Development:
Melissa Paulsen, Ashley Boccuzzi, Michael Sweikar 
 
ND International:
Joya Helmuth, Colleen Wilcox, Reagen Li, Dhiraj Mehra (a Mendoza grad)
 
Office of Human Resources
Eric Love
 
Office of the Provost
Pamela Nolan Young
 
Kellogg Institute for International Studies
Ryne Clos

BAC Week

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 11 November 2019
This week, we will be welcoming 46 members of our Business Advisory Council to the College for our annual meeting. The members are important supporters of the College. Many are senior executive leaders with extensive professional experience, and they are also alums, parents of students and friends of Mendoza who support our mission through serving as ambassadors, recruiters, benefactors and advisors who care deeply about the College.
On Friday, I will be presenting a College update as well discussing my vision for the future, particularly in three areas:
  • Elevate: What are the areas of excellence or distinction within Mendoza that we can advance further?
  • Cooperate: How can we work with other colleges, schools and departments at ND to better serve all Notre Dame students?
  • Integrate: How are the programs and departments at Mendoza working in an interdisciplinary way to expand business education across the disciplines?
We also will host the Thomas H. Quinn Lecture featuring author Dan Coyle from 3:30-5 p.m. on Friday in the Jordan Auditorium. Dan will present “The Culture Code: Unlocking the New Science of Successful Groups.” I hope you can attend.
I’m thankful to the many people who put so much hard work into planning and helping with the meeting, especially Jean Meade, who each year handles every last detail, from inviting the members to planning the dinner to assembling the programs. I'm also grateful to Natalie Sargent for her work organizing the breakout sessions, Fred Nwanganga and Alice Obermiller for preparing presentations, John Chao (MBA ’20) for serving as the dinner master of ceremonies and Father Ollie Williams for presiding at the council Mass on Saturday morning, as well as to those leading breakout sessions: Ken Kelley, Kristen Collett-Schmitt, Mike Mannor, Jim Leady, Walt Clements and Tim Bohling.
In Notre Dame,
 
Martijn

Welcome, new First Year advisers!

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 4 November 2019
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I’m pleased to introduce the four First Year advisers from the Center for Undergraduate Advising who are now embedded in the Mendoza Undergraduate Studies Office. They joined our team this semester in the wake of the dissolution of the College of First Year Studies, which was part of the University’s broader undergraduate core curriculum changes. 
Ardea Russo joined Notre Dame in 1999 as a graduate student in theology. Ardea has taught at ND since 2011, served as an advisor for the past three years, and is now the University's Faculty Honor Code Officer. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Go Badgers!) and an M.T.S. and Ph.D. at Notre Dame. Originally from Baltimore, she now lives in Granger with her husband, Nick, and two teenage boys, Justin and Jack. She loves traveling to Italy but not flying, as well as attempting to conquer the NY Times Sunday crossword.
Samantha Cloon previously was an adviser and retention coordinator in the undergraduate advising center at the University of Kansas, where she also earned her M.S.E. in higher education administration. She earned her B.A. from Notre Dame in psychology with a supplementary major in Italian in 2013. Samantha is originally from Strongsville, Ohio, but is excited to come back to her home under the Dome. Outside of work, she enjoys baking, reading, watching British television shows and cheering on the Irish with her husband, Reid (ND '13).
Drew Espeseth joined Notre Dame and the first year advising team in September 2019. He previously served as the honors program coordinator at the University of South Dakota, an academic adviser/lecturer at North Dakota State University and an assistant director in the Academic Support Center at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Originally from the small town (population 125) of Portal, North Dakota, Drew earned his B.S. in journalism and public relations and his M.Ed. in educational leadership from North Dakota State University in Fargo (Go Bison!). Outside of work, Drew enjoys live music and traveling – Norway is next on his bucket list. 
Sarah Priebe also joined the First Year Advising team in September 2019. Prior to this position, Sarah was a care and wellness consultant at Notre Dame for more than three years, providing support and resources to FYS and Graduate School students. She also previously served as an academic advisor for IUSB’s College of Health Sciences. Sarah earned a master’s in counseling and human services and a B.A. from the University of Dayton in 2004 (Go Flyers!). As a South Bend native, many of Sarah’s childhood memories include tailgating and attending Notre Dame football games with her father (JD ’71), a tradition she now shares. 
Their offices are located in the Undergraduate Studies suite (Mendoza 101).
Please welcome Ardea, Samantha, Drew and Sarah to the College!
In Notre Dame,
 
Martijn

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 28 October 2019

During the recent Notre Dame Town Hall fall sessions, Father Jenkins suggested three key questions:

  • Automate: Are there systems or processes that will automate certain jobs or tasks to enhance efficiency?
  • Integrate: Can we improve efficiency and effectiveness by identifying areas where people are doing similar jobs and looking for ways to integrate operations?
  • Prioritize: What activities can we stop doing in order to take on those that have a higher strategic
    priority?

A part of being good stewards of our resources is a continual evaluation of the way we’ve been doing things and asking ourselves what we should stop doing — which activities or projects no longer support our priorities. It’s also an opportunity for innovation, finding different ways to do our jobs to be more effective and efficient. A number of Mendoza teams are already reimagining their jobs and find new and innovative ways to gain efficiencies through automation, integration and prioritization.

One great example is the partnership of Executive Education and Mendoza IT with OIT to select a robust campus-wide event registration tool. The benefits of the new tool include a better experience for users and operational efficiencies. The project also is a collaborative effort with Venue ND, ND Athletics, University Relations, IDEA Center, Office of the Controller, Procurement and Auxiliary Operations. The tentative campus rollout is spring 2020.

I’m very grateful for this and other efforts and the many faculty and staff members who contributed their thoughts, time and expertise toward enacting changes. I’ve also heard many good ideas from individuals for ways we can continue to improve our culture and operations during the recent one-on-one meetings with staff.

As always, I value your input. I encourage you to continue to bring up ideas and concerns with me, the associate deans, directors and chairs.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

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