In his homily for the 2021 Opening of the Academic Year Mass, Father John encouraged us not to put aside the challenges of the past year too quickly. For in the midst of trial and tragedy, we can find the grace see the needs of others more clearly, the call to use our gifts to comfort others and open ourselves more to the help of God and others, and the blessedness of participating in the profound mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. This message of service and faith has always been at the heart of our mission at Mendoza.
We have much to look forward to in the year ahead. (Check out the Mendoza “Fast Facts” info sheet for an overview of the enrollments this fall.) Here are just a few highlights:
Mendoza Centennial: We will continue to celebrate the legacy of the College through 2021-2022. If you haven’t already, please consider submitting an essay to the “Century Mark: Make Your Mark” project and be sure to pick up your special Centennial t-shirt from Faculty Support.
Please save the dates for future Centennial events, include a special Centennial Mass presided over by Father John and the blessing of a new icon for the Stayer chapel on September 30 in the Basilica; the Mendoza Centennial Deans Panel on November 19 featuring Carolyn Woo, Roger Huang and myself, which will be moderated by Brett Beasley, who authored the new edition of “O’Hara’s Heirs.” (Faculty and staff will receive copies.) We also are planning a Mendoza tailgate on October 23 (USC game). Details on these events will follow.
CARE Conference 2021: Accounting for Sustainability and Responsible Investing: The CARE Conference, held online September 22 and September 29, will focus on the critical topic of climate change. The conference will feature more than 70 industry and academic experts including accountants, finance professionals, law professionals, policymakers, economists, investors, climate scientists and scholars. (See full agenda.)
Tom Mendoza Presents: The highly successful online series returns this fall with a conversation between Tom and Jeff Smith, the CIO for World Fuel Services (WFS) who has been called “one of the most experienced chief information officers in the world.” The event will take place at 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST on Sept. 17.
Undergraduate Honors Program: In January, we announced the creation of a new Business Honors Program, which is designed to challenge the most gifted undergraduate Mendoza College of Business students with a rigorous, specialized course of study and programming. The inaugural class of Business Honors students is underway with 57 undergraduate members chosen from a large number of applicants.
Marketing and Graduate Enrollment: The MGE team delivered an exceptional recruiting season performance—accomplishing the enrollment journey “quint-fecta,” or five-for-five on the following year-over-year performance metrics:
- Applications submitted increased.
- Selectivity increased.
- Matriculated students increased.
- Number of women enrolled increased.
- Academic quality increased (average GMAT and GRE scores, average undergraduate GPA, and average work experience all improved).
Master of Science in Business Analytics-Residential: This Specialized Master’s Programs (MSBA-R) has two cohorts this year with 77 total students (including MBA/MSBA dual-degree students), and has two new academic co-directors, Sharif Nijim and Seth Berry, who are focused on building a strong community among the students. They kicked things off with a team building exercise at Cultivate last week during orientation (see photo to the right).
Master of Science in Accountancy: With enrollment hitting 87 students, MSA is marking its first full year as a STEM-designed program for the analytics concentration.
Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration: EMNA currently has 112 new and returning students. The program had a successful summer term that offered a hybrid learning arrangement to support the nonprofit working professionals during the pandemic.
Master of Nonprofit Administration-Residential: MNA has its largest class ever with 44 students. The program added two credit hours to degree requirements with a fall interterm on leadership development and spring interterm on board relations.
Master of Science in Management: The program is offering two cohorts for a second year, with a combined enrollment of 84 students. It also is launching a new leadership portfolio course and concentrations in finance and marketing.
Master of Science in Finance-Residential: This is the first year for the MSF-R program, which is led by academic director Katherine Spiess. The program started in the summer semester with an enrollment of 22 students and their performance was quite impressive.
Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program: The Frontlines team recently hosted visits with two Frontlines in America partners, Homeboy Industries and Coalfield Development (see photo of BOTFL students and partners). Next week, their third project partner, the Gary Comer Youth Center in Chicago, will be on campus.
Frontlines also is launching two new courses for MBA students this fall: Frontline Engagements will continue the work of Frontlines, serving existing partners and exploring new opportunities in Latin America. Ways of Rebuilding Community (WORC) will bring the approach of Business on the Frontlines home to our local community, serving partners that are within driving distance of campus. Both courses will include discussions around core themes such as the dignity of work and barriers to employment while also working on live projects with locally based partners seeking to create jobs and set the conditions for economic growth.
These are just a few examples of many activities going on in the College during the 2021-2022 academic year. They all represent a lot of hard work, creative thinking, perseverance and commitment on the part of so many faculty and staff members. I have been so encouraged by how everyone has greeted this academic “new year” with renewed dedication, continued grace and patience toward one another, lifted spirits and inspired vision for the many ways we can use our gifts to serve others.
I want to add my thanks to the Mendoza Staff Social Events Committee for the fun outing at Potawatomi Park Zoo yesterday, and to Beth and Tim Smith for taking on the important job of handing out ice cream!
In Notre Dame,
Martijn