From the Dean's Desk

Construction updates

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 15 June 2020
Although the campus currently is relatively quiet, we have lots of ongoing construction activity in Mendoza and Stayer as we get ready to welcome new faculty members and begin a new academic year. Here are recent updates:
Mendoza IT Offices: The IT team’s new location in Mendoza’s lower level — L054 as the main office and L048 housing academic support — is near completion. The goal is to have the team moved in by August 10.
Mendoza Suite 321: We are very fortunate to have 18 new faculty members joining us this year. To help fill our critical need for more offices, we are converting the former Mendoza IT suite to seven individual faculty offices. Construction is well underway and should be completed in early July.
Mendoza L062: Starting Spring 2021, all Mendoza undergraduates will be required to take a coding course. To provide the necessary classroom resources, L061 and L062 will be permanently separated with L062 being rebuilt as a business analytics lab. Particulars of the classroom are yet to be determined, but work should begin after Thanksgiving, so that both L061 and L062 are fully available for the full fall semester.
Stayer B003 (Commons C): We added a second MSBA cohort to accommodate the increased interest in this program. The B003 classroom in the Stayer basement will feature eight five-seat student tables with dual displays similar to those in the Mendoza L068 classroom. The tables will provide a collaborative learning experience for students, while also allowing them to swivel their seats to a smaller table placed behind them so all students can face forward for lecture presentations.
In this past, this would have been a computer classroom. However, this classroom is designed as a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) space where students can plug their laptops in to share a screen at their table. Access to specialized software for teaching and learning will either be installed on the student's own laptop or be provided using a virtual cloud-based computer lab. In addition, we’re adding comfortable seating and tables inside and outside the room to provide students with an attractive space to study and socialize. I want to thank Rob Easley and the ITAO faculty members including Fred Nwanganga and Sharif Nijim who were integral in providing feedback to optimize the design. We plan to complete this project by August 17.
We also continue to make small improvements to the Mendoza and Stayer buildings, including installing new hallway lighting and replacing ceiling tiles. We plan to install three new “phone booths,” made possible by the MBA Class of 2020 gift, which will provide students with privacy to make phone calls and conduct video interviews. The larger “H to A” north addition will proceed when we gain primary benefaction.
There are many people who contributed to the design and execution of these projects. My particular thanks to Chris Maziar in the Provost’s Office; Doug Marsh, Jeff Day and Natalie Troyer in the ND Facilities Design and Operations Office; Deb Butler of Business Furnishings; Doug Franson and his team; Chris Fruehwirth and the Mendoza IT Ed/Tech team; the Kaneb Center for Teaching and Learning for reviewing and advising on classroom plans; and again, to the ITAO department, for their support and input.
In Notre Dame,
Martijn

Statement on racial injustice

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 8 June 2020

Like many of you, I watched the news stories following the killing of George Floyd in police custody with horror, sadness and outrage over the brutality shown to this man, and grief and frustration over the racism that continues to infect our society.

We mourn together as a community and raise prayers for the Floyd family and friends. We also must acknowledge the pain of colleagues, friends and other members of the black community, who bear the burden of racism in ways that are personal, deep and persistent. I join Father John in saying that I am sorry for the pain and the hardship of that burden in your lives and the lives of those you love.

As a community and as individuals, we must do better in addressing issues of racial justice, diversity and inclusion, based on the universal and inviolable human principle of the inherent dignity of every person.

Professor Viva Bartkus recently wrote a Mendoza Business magazine essay about finding solutions to seemingly intractable society problems in the context of how she teaches Business on the Frontlines students:

“First and foremost, we must acknowledge at a very fundamental level that our society’s most pressing problems cannot be solved only by business or government or charities or even just by those who agree with us. The solution to difficult problems lies in the common ground we imagine and then create together.

Second, we must recognize the value of dialogue in society. We must be willing to engage in conversation with those whose perspectives, life experiences, opinions are different from our own. From those discussions, sprout the early ideas that, after much work, become potential solutions.

Third, through the process of reflection, we must be willing to reevaluate honestly and comprehensively our own perspectives as we gain new information. Future progress depends on such ongoing reassessments of what we actually think.

Therefore, perhaps the most important thing that I or any one of us can do at this time is listen with open hearts and minds to those who suffer. We must also commit to educating ourselves and engaging with those who are different from us, with different experiences and world views, precisely in order to seek understanding and find common ground."

This idea is reinforced in Notre Dame Law School Dean Marcus Cole’s profoundly moving essay, “I Am George Floyd.” Dean Cole writes:

“One thing that each and every one of us can do is to end the cycle of hate by ending the separation that leads to it. This racial separation and violence will not end until we stop waiting for African-Americans to enter our circles. Each of us needs to get to know people who differ from us. We must all make a conscious decision and effort to expand our circles.”

Dean Cole ends his essay with a challenge for each of us to do three things to change the world for the better. I will be discussing this challenge with our associate deans, department chairs and directors. I also ask you for your direct input and ideas for how we can better address issues of racial justice, diversity and inclusion in the College, to which I am very much committed. Please email me directly.

As I think that God’s help is necessary above all, I will end with a prayer to overcome racism that I thought was quite beautiful and invokes the intercession of Mary, Notre Dame:

Mary, friend and mother to all, through your Son, God has found a way to unite himself to every human being, called to be one people, sisters and brothers to each other.

We ask for your help in calling on your Son, seeking forgiveness for the times when we have failed to love and respect one another.

We ask for your help in obtaining from your Son the grace we need to overcome the evil of racism and to build a just society.

We ask for your help in following your Son, so that prejudice and animosity will no longer infect our minds or hearts but will be replaced with a love that respects the dignity of each person.

Mother of the Church, the Spirit of your Son Jesus warms our hearts: pray for us. Amen.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

New org structure rollout

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 1 June 2020

I am pleased to announce the rollout of the comprehensive restructuring of our graduate programs organizational structure, which involves about 80 staff members in the College who serve in our graduate programs. You can view the new organizational chart here. Transition has already begun with the expectation of being fully integrated as of July 1.

The guiding principles for this integrated “matrix” model are threefold:

  • To elevate all of our graduate programs through increased strategic clarity and focus on the full student journey particular to each program.
  • To increase the intersection of functions (such as admissions, student services and operations, and career services) and academic programs, in order to enhance connectedness and cooperation among staff – across programs by function and across functions by program – and increase interaction between faculty and staff serving the same program.
  • To support academic and functional excellence through developing specialization by program and providing opportunities for staff development.

Since last fall, Kara Palmer and associate deans Mike Mannor, Walt Clements and Kristen Collett-Schmitt have devoted considerable time and effort to meet with graduate program staff as well as academic and program leadership. They also conducted focus groups and one-on-one conversations to gather valuable input that helped to shape the resulting organizational structure.

I encourage you to review the chart to become familiar with your colleagues’ new positions and roles. We found a spot for all staff members, where some are taking on new roles and responsibilities. There also are a number of open positions, which we cannot fill at the present due to the University freeze on staff hiring. When the freeze is lifted, these positions will be opened first to internal candidates to provide career advancement opportunities for Mendoza staff members. 

There are a number of important details still to be arranged, including space considerations, budget allocations/R&Es (Revenues and Expenses) by academic program, and the creation of new position descriptions. Kara, the associate deans and program directors will continue to work through these remaining steps. 

The scope of this restructure is significant across the College. As we have seen especially in these past months, being flexible, innovative and responsive to change is absolutely critical to Mendoza’s future as a business school committed to developing servant leaders who contribute to human flourishing. 
I’m thankful to the many of you who provided candid feedback and asked hard questions during the planning process. I especially want to thank Kara and the associate deans for their diligence and commitment to the well-being of our staff and the excellence of our programs.

While we do not anticipate having to undertake further changes of this scale, we most likely will need to make adjustments as priorities change and new opportunities arise. Engaging in an ongoing dialogue with staff and academic leadership is of paramount importance to understanding where these adjustments need to be made and to working together to adjust along the way. Please contact me, Kara, the associate deans, the academic directors or program directors with any concerns, suggestions or feedback.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

Aug. 17 start date for grad programs

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Tuesday, 26 May 2020
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As the summer term has just started with all residential programs being taught fully online for the full term, we are planning for resuming in-person classes in the fall semester. As Father John previously announced, this is a complex operation with extensive new protocols including testing, contact tracing, social distancing, accommodations for those in high risk groups, and other measures to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff.
The undergraduate program will follow the fall schedule set by the University, with a start date of August 10, continuing without any fall break and concluding the week of Thanksgiving. The condensed schedule will allow the University to keep students on campus for the full fall semester and minimize their traveling (with heightened risk of new exposures to COVID-19). 
However, this early start presented problems for our graduate programs, several of which don’t end their summer term classes until August 14. I’m pleased to announce that provost-elect Marie Lynn Miranda approved our request for an alternate schedule for our residential graduate programs—the MBA, MSA, MSM MSBA and MNA. These programs, along with the EMNA program, will start the fall semester on August 17 and include two seven-week mods, no fall break but with a weeklong interterm. Like the undergraduate programs, we plan to conclude during the week of Thanksgiving. 
There are many details still to be worked out and determined, including the impact of the schedule changes to our executive degree programs on campus and in Chicago. We also are considering the best way to transition our faculty and staff members to working on campus. I will make further announcements as decisions are made.
I appreciate the thoughtful input provided by our associate deans, chairs, and academic and program directors as we negotiate these challenges. Although it’s been a time of uncertainty and disruption, the positive attitude across the Mendoza community has been remarkable. As always, please contact me, the associate deans, the chairs or Kara Palmer if you have any suggestions, concerns or questions.
I also encourage you to read Father John’s excellent op-ed published in The New York Times today. He describes Aristotle’s definition of courage as the mean between rashness and timidity, and reminds us: “Perhaps what we most need now, alongside science, is that kind of courage and the practical wisdom it requires.”
In Notre Dame,
Martijn

Congratulations, teaching award winners!

Martijn Cremers

Martijn Cremers

Monday, 18 May 2020
Teaching and research are core to our mission to develop leaders who contribute to human flourishing, cooperate with others in solidarity and who compete toward becoming the best version of themselves through serving others.
I am pleased to recognize the following Mendoza faculty members receiving 2020 teaching awards:
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching recognizes faculty members who have had a profound influence on undergraduate students through sustained exemplary teaching at Notre Dame. Presented by the Office of the Provost, the recipients are selected through a process that includes peer and student nominations.
The James Dincolo Outstanding Undergraduate Professor Award recognizes a faculty member from each of the five academic departments who exhibit sustained excellence in undergraduate teaching in her or his discipline.
  • Tim Hubbard, Assistant Professor, Department of Management & Organization
  • Andrew Imdieke, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy
  • Vamsi Kanuri, Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing
  • Peter Kelly, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance
  • Daewon Sun, Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations  
Joe & Gina Prochaska Family Teaching Award recognizes outstanding achievement in preparing students to be leaders in the field of business and the recipient is selected by students.
The Management & Organization Department Faculty Service Award recognizes students and faculty who embody the spirit of Notre Dame through the provision of extraordinary and selfless service to Management Consulting students and the Mendoza community.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS 
The students from each graduate program, by vote, recognize a faculty member for his or her excellence in the classroom. 
Arnie Ludwig Outstanding Professor Award for the South Bend Executive MBA Program 
  • Walter Clements, Teaching Professor, Department of Finance and Associate Dean of Executive Education
Leo Burke Outstanding Professor Award for the Chicago Executive MBA Program 
Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration Outstanding Professor Award 
  • Kristen Collett-Schmitt, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Finance and Associate Dean of Specialized Masters
MBA Outstanding Professor Award
  • Walter Clements, Teaching Professor, Department of Finance and Associate Dean of Executive Education
Master of Nonprofit Administration Outstanding Professor Award
Master of Science in Accountancy James Dincolo Outstanding Professor Award
  • Jim Seida, Associate Professor, Department of Accountancy
Master of Science in Finance Outstanding Professor Award
  • Gianna Bern, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Finance
Master of Science in Business Analytics (Chicago) Outstanding Professor Award
  • Fredrick Nwanganga, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations 
Master of Science in Business Analytics Outstanding Professor Award
  • Seth Berry, Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations
Master of Science in Management Outstanding Professor Award
  • Kaitlin Wowak, Assistant Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations
Please join me in congratulating these colleagues. 
Thanks also to all of you who joined in the various virtual celebrations to congratulate our graduates. Your heartfelt congratulations and well-wishes were a wonderful gift to them.
In Notre Dame,
Martijn

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