It’s incredible to think how quickly the fall has come and gone and the countdown to Christmas is officially on! 

As the senior director of Administration & Program Management, I’m highly committed to staff engagement and culture across the College. In spring 2022, staff participated in the University’s eighth ND Voice Survey, which measures engagement around topics such as communication, diversity and inclusion, leadership effectiveness and trust. Following the survey, the Dean’s Cabinet reviewed the results and identified three priorities with the themes of Community, Climate and Communication. (Not to be confused with Martijn’s 3 Cs for the Purpose of Business, of course!)

During the past few months, these priorities have been a top focus for me and I’m excited to provide an update on just a few initiatives of the many we have recently rolled out in an effort toward progress and to also share what’s ahead!

The desire for more flexibility was the No. 1 topic in the ND Voice comments (and also a common theme in previous pulse surveys and even in the surveys we conducted with staff as part of the strategic planning process). In response, the College introduced a pilot presenting new options for flexible work for staff and incorporated it as a key objective for the year in our strategic plan. The feedback we have received thus far has been very positive and, as evidenced by so many accomplishments across all of our programs over the past few months, our productivity has not slowed down!

What’s Ahead? In our ongoing commitment to be transparent and communicative about work locations, in the coming weeks, all staff members will be receiving a Mendoza branded sign for their cubicle/office spaces which will help to communicate to others their work location. A very special thank you to Candice Cleveland, Brian Connelly, Katie Price, Kalynda Hamilton, Chis Grenert and Lucas Eggers for their creativity and coordination to make this happen! In addition, Martijn and I will be hosting an On the Menu with Martijn meeting in December with a diverse group of staff across the College to solicit input and feedback on this important initiative.

In September, we launched Business Encounters as a series of optional one-hour monthly meetings in an effort to improve two-way communication across the College and to provide staff with a greater opportunity to discuss key College strategic priorities with members of our leadership. The goal of this conversational forum is to help staff better understand key strategic initiatives and progress being made toward College objectives, and to have the opportunity to ask questions and provide insight.

In the first session, we learned about the high-level strategic plan from the dean, Rob Kelly and myself. In the second, we heard about the current landscape and potential direction of our graduate programs with Craig Crossland, Katherine Spiess and Joe Sweeney. On November 30, Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate dean for Innovation and Inclusion, will discuss the Inclusive Campus Survey. These sessions have been well attended and have sparked some great conversations during the session and beyond.

What’s Ahead? Our next set of topics will be a deeper dive into each of the six goals of the strategic plan: Research, Teaching and Learning, Graduate Programs, Undergraduate Programs, and Talent and Culture. Leadership will discuss the key results identified under each goal and objective, our progress and the metrics we have identified to measure success. We will also have a very special session in the spring to present next year’s Dean’s Excellence Awards. (A call for nominations will be coming in the new year!)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
In late September, Kristen Collett-Schmitt provided an update in a guest column on her efforts toward inclusive excellence as the associate dean for Innovation and Inclusion. I am incredibly grateful for her partnership along with the close collaboration with the staff DE&I Council, to identify College-wide opportunities for engagement across our community and to coordinate DE&I-related events that connect faculty, staff and students, both internally and with other colleges on campus. I’m particularly proud of Mendoza’s first Show Some Skin event earlier this month when we featured a sampling of 11 years’ worth of Notre Dame Show Some Skin performances.

What’s Ahead? The following initiatives are currently in the works for the new year:

While we always encourage open dialogue, we understand that not everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas publicly from time to time. In order to ensure that we don’t miss out on great ideas, we will be installing suggestion boxes across the College in January. The purpose is for members of our community to provide feedback on what we're doing well in the College, to share ideas for improvement as well as any other suggestions or generalized feedback. The boxes will be located in the Mendoza Faculty and Staff Lounge, the Faculty Support Center and the Stayer Staff Lounge (Room 310). To learn more, visit one of the suggestion box locations and scan the QR code or click here.

I’m grateful to Dean Cremers along with Rob Kelly, Craig Crossland, Kristen Collett Schmitt and Ken Kelley for their leadership and championship in their commitment to making staff engagement an important priority for the College. 

As I reflect on the work that has been accomplished and read the Mendoza Exchange newsletter each week, I’m reminded this is only a small sliver of all of the incredible work that is being done by so many across the College. I’m so grateful for the commitment and dedication to our students, to each other, to the College and to Our Lady’s University! As we move into the holiday season, I do pray that things begin to slow down a bit for all and, in the coming weeks, every one of you may find time for respite, reflection and rejuvenation.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season,

Kara

Kara J. Palmer
Senior Director of Administration & Program Management