Even though we are not together on a daily basis, there is still a lot of activity going on at Mendoza. I’ve heard so many encouraging stories about our students, faculty, staff and alums stepping up to help others, I thought I’d share a few:
Jim Spencer is part of a University cross collaborative team using 3D printers to produce plastic face shields, which have been in critically short supply for medical personnel on the COVID-19 frontlines. Jim is working with the other members of the local makerspace to produce as many parts as they can. The Mendoza Ed Tech team is also running its 3D printer to produce face shield parts. Once we began working remotely, Jim added Mendoza's printer to the printer farm at his house and is now running three printers nearly 24 hours a day. In his spare time, he’s also building more printers out of parts he’s accumulated over the years.
The EMBA-Chicago Class of 2021 raised $5,545 to donate to the Greater Chicago Food Depository to support feeding kids who normally would get many of their meals from school. This translates into 16,650 meals The cohort was less than three months into the program when we transitioned to online teaching. But they wanted to find a way to stay connected and give back. “It’s a weird time in the world, but at the same time, we all feel immense gratitude to be part of a community that we weren’t part of just months before — the Notre Dame community,” said student Kendall Raymond.
Two companies led or founded by Mendoza alums have converted their operations to produce hand sanitizer. Kem Krest CEO Amish Shah (EMBA ‘05) is working to create the chemical packaging company’s own sanitizer for public use during the current shortage. South Bend-based Indiana Whiskey, led by Charles Florance (MBA ’13) and Matt Logston (MBA ’20), shifted from producing its award-winning small-batch whiskeys to bottling the all but impossible-to-find commodity.
Ugandan priest and MBA student Father Arthur Joseph Ssembajja (MBA ’21) celebrates daily Mass in the Mendoza chapel alone as his contribution to battling the coronavirus: “I pray for God’s intervention, mercy and healing. I pray for the Church to remain an icon of hope and presence of God in the world. I pray for civil leaders to make decisions that will benefit the whole of humanity. I pray for the University of Notre Dame – administrators, staff, faculty and students that the Lord keeps us and our families safe. That a day will dawn when we get to see each other face to face again. I pray for my family in Uganda. Lastly, I pray for those on the frontline and all those suffering with the coronavirus.”
At a time when we’ve seen so much heartache and struggle on a daily basis, these stories remind me of a quote from Pope Francis’ encyclical, "Laudato Si’”: "Yet all is not lost. Human beings, while capable of the worst, are also capable of rising above themselves, choosing again what is good, and making a new start."
I’m thankful for all of you who again and again have shown yourself capable of rising above and who are already making a new start in our changed world.
In Notre Dame,
Martijn