This exciting and unpredictable fall has given our alumni an opportunity to renew their relationship with our beloved campus, as well as reimagine their opportunities to connect, learn and grow.

I’ve previously written about the "Culture of Service" we are building with our Mendoza alumni, and there's no better opportunity than football season to connect alumni with our current students, faculty, and staff. For example, I welcomed 18 members of the Mendoza Graduate Alumni Board back to campus for the first time in two years during the home game weekend against Purdue. The alums had opportunities to hear College updates and especially to learn more about our Specialized Masters programs from students and faculty.

I'm proud to announce that we've already surpassed our alumni volunteer metrics from all of last fiscal year, and we're only getting started! My challenge to our alumni this fall is to make this season about more than just football through a renewed commitment to Notre Dame's mission of service by actively engaging with the Mendoza community. Even taking just an hour out of their weekend to network with another alumnus or a student could be transformational.

Following are several of the alumni initiatives designed to make those connections happen:

Mendoza Game Day ConnectThe goal of the Mendoza Game Day Connect website is to make the weekend memorable by providing a comprehensive listing of the Mendoza events, receptions and learning opportunities that make up our beloved home football weekends. Whether they want to reconnect with classmates, network with industry peers, or meet our current students and faculty, alums can utilize the site as a valuable resource to enrich their time on campus.

Mendoza Alumni Volunteer GroupThe Mendoza Alumni Volunteer Group is a coalition of Notre Dame friends, family and alumni who are seeking to create opportunities and advantages for Mendoza students, faculty and staff. At this volunteer hub, alumni will find opportunities to give of their time, expertise, experience and connections.

Mornings at Mendoza
Mornings at Mendoza is our new game-day lecture series where we bring some of Mendoza's most beloved faculty to campus to share their stories, ideas and research in a casual breakfast setting. More information can be found on Mendoza Game Day Connect or at Gameday.nd.edu.

Mendoza Mixers
We've already had two successful Friday afternoon mixers out on the Stayer Center patio. The mixers provide John Cardinal O'Hara Society members with the opportunity to network directly with students from specific graduate programs. We'll be moving these mixers to an online format to comply with University COVID-19 policies as the weather gets colder and look forward to expanding the mixers with food and beverages next season. 

Finally, congratulations to our 2021 Alumni Award winners:

My thanks to all of you who have been engaging with our alumni this year. Keep me in the loop and let me know how I can help.

Yours in Notre Dame,

Ryan Retartha ND '07
Director of Alumni Relations