On May 18, Father John Jenkins sent a letter to faculty that put the wheels in motion for students to return to campus following the comprehensive shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter was a bold proclamation about the University’s future amid so much uncertainty. Father John’s view about the importance of on-campus classes received wide publicity, including a New York Times op-ed and a Today Show interview. Included in his announcement was a reminder of the three principles arising from Notre Dame’s core values: to safeguard health; to educate the mind, body and spirit; and to advance human understanding through programs that heal, unify and enlighten. I have found it valuable to re-read his letter because it serves as a guiding light for the actions we take and the goals for which we strive.

So there we have it: The tremendous commitment by Father John on behalf of the University, its faculty and staff, to best serve our students by resuming live classroom instruction, safely, and with virtual access for all students.

The faculty and staff who serve students in our Executive Education programs will be among the first to welcome students back to the main Notre Dame campus. By Aug. 8, all of our Executive Education programs will have returned to live instruction before the thousands of undergraduate students begin classes on Aug. 10 and Mendoza’s residential MBA and specialized master’s programs arrive on Aug. 17. These programs include:

In speaking for the faculty, staff and students who will be first at Notre Dame to hold live classroom instruction, I describe our current feelings as nervous, excited and confident!

I have been humbled to witness the tremendous dedication and hard work by so many people to prepare for students’ return to campus. Because Mendoza’s graduate degree programs start earlier than the wider University, our staff and faculty are pioneers in a way, ensuring that the appropriate measures are in place for the safe return to live classroom instruction. In fact, Mendoza teams developed detailed and comprehensive “playbooks” for reopening (maybe Coach Kelly could use their help!) for approval by the University and St. Joe County.

The leadership of Dean Cremers and the associate deans, department chairs, program and academic directors, and the Dean’s Office leaders has been invaluable to our efforts as we approach the start date. Their stewardship and representation of Mendoza in the various University efforts have been stellar. In fact, Mendoza’s Emergency Response Committee (MERC) has been a critical vehicle to first move to virtual instruction in the middle of the spring 2020 term, and now to resume live classroom instruction.

Staff members who have been especially notable in our efforts to resume live classroom instruction starting July 24 include:

Special thanks to Morgan, Tracy, Christine and their teams that support all graduate business programs, and of course to our outstanding faculty, Mendoza IT, the facilities team and many others. Together, they are the ones who have done the heavy lifting for Mendoza’s early restart. They are the ones who have created the “playbooks.” (And who could show Brian Kelly a thing or two.) They are the ones getting us ready to resume live classroom instruction later this week.

No one knows for certain what the next year will bring to Notre Dame, our country or the world. But it's been inspiring to see so many of you pull together as a team. To reiterate the University's message, "Here for each other. Here for the world. Here come the Irish!"

In Notre Dame,

Walt Clements
Associate Dean, Executive Education
Teaching Professor, Finance