2020 has been tough on everyone. Through our struggles as a society to grapple with a global pandemic, tribalism, systemic racism, police violence and shortcomings in diversity, equity and inclusiveness, we also have a moment to reflect on how our institutions serve our society in support of our collective values.

Tragically, recent news brought more reports of suffering in the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This tragedy, together with the heartbreaking stories of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many more — going back to Emmett Till and the untold numbers of victims  before and since — bring the sobering realities of inequality and discrimination into clearer focus.

At Notre Dame, our values as a Catholic institution guide us forward. In addition to recognizing the gravity of the moment, we are committed to taking substantive steps to improve the diversity of our community and to foster inclusive excellence throughout our College. We must grapple with our legacy and current shortcomings with a spirit of transparency and openness, and, I believe, pursue change as both a moral and professional obligation.

To this end, good steps forward are happening throughout our College. Nearly every week, there are new opportunities for our community to come together and listen to each other and discuss these issues. Some recent examples include the Mendoza sessions organized by Kara Palmer with Eric Love and Pamela Nolan (make sure to mark your calendar for our next meeting at 3 p.m. Sept. 24 with Angela Logan, who will focus the conversation on implicit bias).

There is also the University’s Diversity Practitioners Group and a series of opportunities to build an anti-racist vocabulary. If you have not explored the resources provided in the “Diversity and Inclusion” section of the Mendoza Exchange website, I would encourage you to review the 127 content items currently included on the topics of racism at work, faith, teaching, books, films and more.

Much of the hard work of change requires specific and sustained attention, which is often only possible through concentrated efforts in smaller groups. I was particularly encouraged by the M&O department’s session recently on inclusive excellence with a focus on racial justice and equality, which included a reflection on Dean Marcus Cole’s essay, “I am George Floyd. Except, I can breathe. And I can do something.” This is part of an ongoing series of inclusive excellence workshops that occur multiple times a year with all of the faculty in M&O. I know other departments and administrative groups have conducted or are working on similar initiatives.

Our undergrad students recently worked to build awareness about racial injustice with the Notre Dame Strike for Black Lives virtual demonstration. Students shared a message of solidarity in their Zoom classes and left after one minute, using that time to educate themselves on racial justice issues.

In the MBA program, our students have risen to this challenge. A task force of students, administrators and alumni met throughout the summer to hold listening sessions, reflect on our program’s shortcomings and draft recommendations for moving forward. I am pleased to share the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force recommendations with all of you. In total, the team iterated over many issues, consolidated, negotiated and advanced 44 targeted recommendations across four thematic areas of focus: transparency, investment, mentorship and signaling. Fifteen of these recommendations are highlighted as top priorities and cut across all parts of the MBA program experience. I encourage you to read these recommendations and consider how you might join with me, Martijn, Kelli Kilpatrick and the entire MBA program team to move forward in these important areas.

Like many of you, I come to all of this with a thankful spirit and an open mind. I am thankful for the commitment of our students and alums to dedicate themselves toward progress. I am thankful for the legacy of Father Hesburgh and Notre Dame to take steps forward over the last 50 years. And especially, I am thankful to all of you for your partnership in joining together in this challenging and important work.

#GoIrish!

Mike

Michael J. Mannor, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for the MBA Program
John F. O'Shaughnessy Associate Professor of Family Enterprise

On Friday, Father John announced the good news that we will resume in-person teaching in our undergraduate program as of Wednesday (September 2). Following the University’s directions, we will be using a phased approach with some classes starting this week and some the following.

I’m proud of our students and the efforts they’ve made in these past weeks so that we can get back to in-person teaching, as the University also improved its systems and procedures. I ask all of you to do what you can to encourage them to continue to follow the University safety guidelines, especially those of you who have a direct relationship with them. The University sends them regular updates, but I’m sure words of concern and personal interest from the faculty and staff carry a lot of weight.

We remain committed to in-person teaching and doing everything we can to keep each other safe so that we can be here together. At all times, we each must examine how we can do better and work toward doing better for each other, as we continue to hold each other accountable as well.

I think that it is always useful to share these public health protocols – essential to our being able to continue in-person instruction – with our students: Wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid any social events with more than 10 people, avoid any social events where physical distancing or mask-wearing is not practiced, wash hands regularly, complete the daily health check and show up when selected for surveillance testing.

In addition, this has been a stressful time for many. We should encourage students — as well as all of us — to seek support through University resources and advisors. As you have opportunity, ask students what the on-campus experience has been like for them and for any suggestions they have to improve their learning experience. I, along with the associate deans and academic directors, am always interested in hearing from you and our students.

As Father John said, “Together, we are writing one of the great comebacks in Notre Dame history.” That “comeback” certainly could not happen without the incredible efforts of our faculty and staff, for which I’m most thankful.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

In last week’s Mendoza Exchange, I briefed you about developments on the facilities side of my job as director of finance and facilities. This week, here are a few updates on the finance side:

Annual Budgets: Today is our deadline for submitting the College’s 2020-2021 budget. We are still under “essential” spending guidelines, which means the provost expects significant reductions in our first-quarter non-labor spending compared to the previous year. We are submitting an annual budget that reflects a 2.5% cut in expenses for the next two years and we’ve pulled back on filling vacant staff positions.

This year, we’ve met with many of the College’s budget directors to review 2020-2021 proposed budgets with enough time to make any needed changes in advance of the deadline. We also have met with graduate program associate deans and academic/program directors to review the latest version of Revenue and Expense Reports by program.

The next steps will be to work with the academic/program directors and directors of the functional areas of marketing, admissions, operations, student services, experiential learning and career services in order to set budgets by graduate program. Unfortunately, we are not yet able to implement the organizational changes we are making across the College in the University’s budget systems, so please have patience with us as we work toward budgets by program and by functional area.

Travel Policy: The University recently issued a new travel policy for the fall semester. You can view it on the HERE.nd.edu website. Briefly, the policy states that all University-related travel will be strictly limited to essential travel, regardless of whether the University is paying for it. Permission must be approved in advance by the dean based on the following: 1) an assessment of the need for the requested travel during the semester instead of at some later time; 2) the immediate importance of the requested travel to the University’s core mission of teaching and research; and 3) the potential long-term consequences to the University of not undertaking the requested travel during the semester. All approved travel must be booked through TravelND or Anthony Travel. Before returning to campus, you will be required to contact the Wellness Center to determine whether any measures must be taken to help safeguard our campus community.

All Resource Planning (ARP): ARP helps us to be good stewards of the University’s resources by actively managing our budgets. The tool allows campus users to set and adjust their operating plans throughout the year as warranted, forecast year-end results and develop five-years of strategic plans for all of their funds. We successfully rolled out ARP to a few early adopters in the College in 2019-2020 and now are prepared to expand its use to all budget directors. Our finance team, along with colleagues in the University Budget Office, will be offering training sessions in the coming weeks.

To be sure, it’s a challenging time financially. I greatly appreciate the attitude of many of you as we’ve worked together to reinvent the “new normal.” If you have any finance-related questions, please contact me and finance team — Tracey Plenzler, Angela Byce and Emilia Taylor — Mendoza.Finance@nd.edu.

Today is certainly a momentous occasion as students return to campus. My thanks to Chris Henderson, Dana Pierce and the many others who put in countless hours to get us to this point. Good luck to everyone as we start the new year.

In Notre Dame,

Doug Franson
Director of Finance & Facilities