I want to recognize four Mendoza faculty members who are retiring as of the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. Together, they represent more than 100 years of dedication and service to Notre Dame as teachers, researchers, administrators and many other roles.
Jeff Bergstrand, Professor of Finance. Jeff has been a professor at Mendoza for more than 30 years, a fellow of Notre Dame’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies and a research associate of CESifo, an international network of researchers based in Europe. His research on international trade flows, free trade agreements, foreign direct investment, multinational firms and exchange rates has been published in more than 60 articles in such journals as the American Economic Review and as chapters in books. Jeff also has been a visiting scholar at the European Commission in Brussels, the IFO Institute/University of Munich, ETH University in Zurich, and several other institutions, and has advised the European Commission on the effects of EU-U.S. nontariff barriers and EU-free trade agreements on their trade flows. He is a former president of the International Economics and Finance Society.
Matt Bloom, Research Professor Emeritus of Management & Organization (retired December 2023). Matt joined Mendoza in 1996. During his tenure, he launched the Wellbeing at Work Program in which he and his team studied flourishing among the helping and caring professions. He is co-founder of Ritual Media, a platform offering well-being and spiritual practices from some of the world's leading experts. Matt has received almost $10 million in grant funding to support his research and won numerous teaching awards, including the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce CSC Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Traditional MBA Outstanding Teacher Award.
Bob Essig, Associate Teaching Professor of Marketing. Bob has served as an instructor and speaker at Mendoza for more than 25 years at the graduate and undergraduate levels. His professional expertise includes sales management, B2B sales careers and business ethics. Essig was an executive for IBM’s Midwest Region from 1977 until retiring in 2011, where he managed more than 100 sales professionals and account representatives. Essig served as president of the board for United Health Services in South Bend, Indiana, from 2000 to 2006, and as the United Way Campaign chair at IBM for St. Joseph County from 1990 to 2011.
Roger Huang, Professor Emeritus of Finance (retired December 2023). Roger joined Notre Dame in 2000 after previously teaching and conducting research at Vanderbilt University, the University of Florida, MIT and Purdue University. During his tenure, he served as Finance Department chair, associate dean for research, interim dean and the Martin J. Gillen Dean (2013-2018). As a professor, he taught global finance in the Executive MBA program and multinational financial management in the MBA and undergraduate programs. His areas of research expertise included international financial management and financial market microstructure. He was voted the best teacher in the Executive MBA program four times, as well as the best teacher in the MBA program; he also has received the Teaching Excellence Award on three occasions.
Please join me in extending a deep appreciation to Jeff, Matt, Bob and Roger for their scholarship, collegiality, friendship and enduring commitment to Our Lady’s University. Congratulations to you all!
In Notre Dame,
Martijn