I have often talked about the three Cs as the pillars of our mission: Contribute, Cooperate, Compete.

In these past days as disruption, uncertainty and social-distancing have overtaken all parts of our lives – personal and professional – three different Cs have been much in evidence: Community, Connection and Compassion.

Despite the challenges we have faced in figuring out how to totally change the way we do our jobs, we have pulled together as a community to share information and learning, and to treat each other with patience and grace while still endeavoring to do our best to serve our students amidst difficult circumstances.

This is what it truly means to compete as the business school of the University of Notre Dame; to serve the most vulnerable among us through contributing and collaborating, even at a time when we ourselves might be the most vulnerable.

To be sure, everything hasn’t gone perfectly and there’s been a lot of stress. But we can draw a measure of comfort in knowing that although we’re “socially distant,” we’re still a community.

I’m thankful to so many of you who have gone above and beyond. Just to name a few: Our IT team led by Chris Fruehwirth has done an amazing job quickly bringing resources online while supporting each one of us with our individual tech questions and needs. Kristen Collett-Schmitt has reached out to coach faculty members (including me) about teaching online, even as she had to teach her own EMBA class online for the first time.

The Chicago EMBA students who participated in their residency online (rather than the campus experience they expected) reacted by organizing a fundraising effort for the Greater Chicago Food Depository to ensure underprivileged school children don’t go hungry.

These are real life examples of how we Grow the Good in Business. They are humbling reminders that we share a meaningful mission and that we can make a difference.

Please continue to share these stories. We will highlight them in Mendoza Exchange.

Please also share your needs. Even though we need to observe the critical social distancing policy, we also should remember that many people in our community stand ready to help each other.