From the Dean's Desk

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

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 21 October 2019
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Please note: Due to the changes in the University's medical plan offerings, open enrollment is “active” this year. This means you must go online and select your benefits. Your current benefit elections will not roll forward. You must enroll before Nov. 1 to receive Notre Dame benefits in 2020.

If you haven't done so already, please take time today to complete this important task.

You can find more information and the link to enroll here.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

100th anniversary

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 14 October 2019

In his book, “O’Hara’s Heirs: Business Education at Notre Dame 1921-1991,” Notre Dame Magazine editor Kerry Temple wrote about Mendoza:

The college has navigated … various currents by being far-sighted, flexible and adaptive, and also by being steadfast in its mission, true to its most fundamental goals. Through the decades, this has meant preparing individuals and engaging in a scholarship that applied professional acumen and an ethical perspective to local, national and international concerns. Or, to put it more bluntly: business making life better for all those affected by its reach.

The words are especially meaningful as we approach the College’s 100th anniversary in 2021. The occasion provides us with a great opportunity to both reaffirm Mendoza’s commitment to its legacy and to set forth a renewed vision for its future.

I’ve appointed an anniversary planning committee led by Kristen Collett-Schmitt, Kara Palmer and Carol Elliott, who will be reaching out to faculty and staff members to invite them to be part of the committee.

Please contact one of them if you would like to be involved or to contribute any ideas you have.

I look forward to a busy Centennial celebration in 2021!

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

The value of collaboration

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 7 October 2019
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Previously, we briefly mentioned (in the Sept. 30 edition of Mendoza Exchange) Executive Education’s recent three-day Growth Leaders Forum with LPL Financial, a retail investment advisory firm and independent broker-dealer based in Charlotte, NC. The program was a great success. The participants even got to run around on the football field. The program illustrates an important point in real terms – the value of collaboration.

When LPL first contacted them, the Stayer team quickly realized the significance of the opportunity not just their department, but the College, University and wider community. They involved faculty members Chris Adkins, Viva Bartkus and Peter Kelly in planning the program. The cross-functional team meeting before the event included 26 people from six different departments. All told, the economic impact of this one conference was estimated at more than $500,000, which doesn’t include any dollars spent at the local restaurants, the bookstore and other area businesses.

There is a larger impact here as well. Programs such as this or our academic conferences are excellent opportunities to introduce people to Notre Dame who have never been here and share with them our commitment to contributing to human flourishing, cooperating with solidarity and competing with excellence. In LPL’s case, the program also was an opportunity to help develop a sense of ethics and social responsibility in some of the top financial advisers in the country, who have the potential for tremendous economic impact.

I’m thankful to the Stayer team, who embody the mission of service to our visitors and our broader community in their programs: Robin Kistler, Sue Callaghan, Cleo Thanos, Ryan Retartha, Pasha Luber, Kalynda Hamilton and Sabrina Brown, as well as Chris Adkins, Viva Bartkus and Peter Kelly.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

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