Dear Mendoza Colleagues,

I want to provide an update regarding two of our graduate programs — the Master of Science in Management (MSM) and the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA). After an extensive review of peer schools and market trends, we decided to reduce the annual tuition for both programs starting in the 2020-21 academic year. The new rate for MSM is $44,900, a reduction of about 15%. MSA’s tuition also will be $44,900, or reduction of about 20%.

I approved these changes as part of my commitment to “reimagine, recommit and reinvest” in the College’s graduate programs. Our goal is to provide greater access to two world-class graduate business programs to high-performing prospective students who value Notre Dame’s unique educational experience as part of their life and career goals, but who may have been deterred by the previous “sticker price.”

The review of our peer schools and market trends in business education revealed the following:

♦ The tuition rates for MSM and MSA were at the very top range compared to peer schools, which essentially put them out of alignment with the larger market for specialty master’s degrees.

♦ The tuition rates for MSM and MSA did not accurately reflect their respective value propositions — which take into account such things as starting salaries, student demand and other market forces at the program level — when compared to our other graduate programs.

We anticipate that the average out-of-pocket expenditures for future students will remain approximately the same as for current students, since we will also adjust fellowship levels for MSA and MSM in 2020-21 in accordance with market trends. We will be informing current students about the new tuition rates tomorrow and prospective students on Wednesday.

The MSA and MSM programs are vital offerings as part of Mendoza’s graduate degree portfolio and I am committed to continued innovation and support to the programs’ students and alumni. I’m thankful to those who were instrumental in bringing about these changes, including Kristen Collett-Schmitt, Mike Brach and his admissions team, Sandra Vera-Muñoz, Keith Urtel, Kelli Kilpatrick, Tim Bohling and Doug Franson.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn 

One of the most cherished traditions at Mendoza is the arrival of Santa during the annual Christmas party. For more than 20 years, he’s patiently listened to hundreds of our kids’ wishes and requests, and calmed more than a few who were decidedly not Santa fans.

Of course, we know he is the real Santa. But for the rest of the year, he does have another identity. Here’s a brief Santa bio:

• Richard (Dick) Schinkel lives in Berrien Springs, Michigan, on the same 70-acre farm he grew up on. He earned bachelor and master degrees in education and science from Western Michigan University. He spent his career as an educator and trained naturalist, teaching science at Niles Community Schools and also as an adjunct professor for Western, Lake Michigan College and Michigan State.
• Dick’s first “Santa gig” wasn’t actually as Father Christmas. At a special holiday dinner while he was teaching in Niles, he decided to play Santa’s brother (mostly because he had a red beard at the time). He did the opposite of everything Santa would do. He wore a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sunglasses. He sat on the kids’ laps and took things from them. It went over so well that "Santa's brother" became a tradition.
• His first appearance as Santa proper was for the Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor, where he worked as a naturalist. Initially, he wore a store-bought Santa suit, but as he received more and more requests to appear in local parades and other events, he hired a local seamstress to fashion the authentic Victorian-style St. Nicholas robes he wears today.
• Some of you might remember Santa bringing his reindeer to the Mendoza Christmas. He raised two calves on his farm and trained them to pull his sleigh. He later owned four reindeer — Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen — but eventually decided to sell them because of the cost (and the fact that they were scared of parades).
• Dick and his wife Patricia have been married for 53 years. They have three daughters — Kara, Marna and Jennifer. They all have been Santa’s helpers in various ways over the years, but he does NOT play Santa for his family.

It seems we never outgrow Santa. Dick has played St. Nick for generations of families and communities. He's collected many of his stories into a book, “My Life as Santa,” which is available at Fernwood Nature Center in Buchanan.

I hope you and your family will join our Mendoza family for our annual Christmas party at 4:30-7 p.m. on Friday in the Stayer Center Morris Commons. My thanks to Karma Grundy, who spends the better part of the year organizing this beautiful event. And let’s remember to wish our Mendoza Santa a very Merry Christmas.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

Mendoza faculty members have continued to publish research at a robust rate. Following are mentions of recent papers either published or accepted at some of the top academic journals:

• Brad Badertscher, Accountancy Professor

"Private versus public corporate ownership: Implications for future changes in profitability"

Journal of Management Accounting Research (accepted)

Managers have long debated the implications of public and private corporate ownership; however, little empirical research has provided insight into the issue. Among their findings, Brad and his co-authors discovered robust evidence that public firms are associated with significantly lower future changes in operating profitability compared to private firms matched on current profitability, size, growth and industry. The results provide insight for managers and investors into the differential future changes in profitability of public versus private firms and into the factors that drive the differential profitability.

• Emily Garbinsky, Marketing Assistant Professor

"Love, Lies, and Money: Financial Infidelity in Romantic Relationships"

Journal of Consumer Research (accepted)

This article introduces the construct of financial infidelity, defined as “engaging in any financial behavior expected to be disapproved of by one’s romantic partner and intentionally failing to disclose the behavior.” Emily and her co-authors develop and validate the Financial Infidelity Scale (FI-Scale) to measure individual variation in consumers’ proneness to financial infidelity. The work is the first to introduce, define and measure financial infidelity reliably and succinctly and examine its antecedents and consequences.

• Dean Shepherd, Management & Organization, Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship

"Violence against women and new venture initiation with microcredit: Self-efficacy, fear of failure, and disaster experiences"

Journal of Business Venturing

Using primary data from rural Bangladesh in collaboration with a microfinance institution that provided small collateral-free loans to a group of married women, Dean and his co-authors found that women who experienced physical or sexual violence by their husband before receiving a loan are less likely to initiate a new business with their loan than those who did not experience such violence. The adverse impact of domestic violence is more detrimental for women who recently experienced another potentially traumatic event — an environmental disaster — than for those without such an experience.

• Daewon Sun, ITAO Professor

"Incentive‐Compatible in Dominant Strategies Mechanism Design for an Assembler under Asymmetric Information"

Production and Operations Management

An assembly system involves assembling various components sourced from multiple suppliers into a final product. Often, however, the assembler lacks complete information regarding the marginal cost of each supplier, which subsequently poses a challenge in designing contract mechanisms. In this study, Daewon and his co-authors proposed a contracting mechanism that can significantly outperform an alternative mechanism that was previously presented in the literature, especially when the uncertainty regarding customer demand is significant.

My thanks to all of the faculty members who contribute in important ways to a greater collective understanding of business and society through their research.

Also, as an early Christmas gift, copies of the book, "What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence," have been made available to faculty and staff members. You can pick up a copy in the Faculty Support Office before Friday (Dec. 13).

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

Over the last year, we have introduced many changes in the College in order to leverage the strengths of our people and programs to support our Catholic mission and commitments to academic excellence and human flourishing. Today’s higher education landscape is characterized by disruption. It is imperative that we continue to innovate within our programs in order to be distinctive and prepare our students for the changing nature of business.

We are starting to see some positive results from the integration of the Marketing and Graduate Enrollment Department and a new approach to our marketing and admissions, including a notable increase in inquiries and applications, operational efficiencies from shared practices and increased opportunities for collaboration. We want to build on those successes by continuing to identify opportunities to elevate, cooperate and integrate toward our goal of providing best-in-class service to our students across their entire journey at Mendoza. This includes:

• Elevating our graduate programs through continuing innovation in order to be distinctive and competitive in the b-school market.
• Cooperating through strong communication and working relationships both across graduate programs as well as across the functions within a program (Marketing, Admissions, Student Services, Career Service and Alumni Relations).
• Integrating business analytics and experiential learning.

I recognize the importance of seeking input from those closest to the programs, i.e., all of you who work with students day in and day out. In the coming weeks, we will be holding feedback sessions with our graduate programs directors and staff, as well as the associate deans and chairs. Kara Palmer will lead the discussions, collect feedback and share input with me and the associate deans.

I am confident that our strategic vision will position the College to excel in this challenging B-school market. I also understand the strain that change and disruption can put on individuals as well as departments. As always, your input is valuable. Even if you are not directly involved in these feedback sessions, I encourage you to send your ideas and comments about ongoing opportunities across the College to me, Kara or the associate deans.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I also send my appreciation to the Mendoza family for the service you provide to the College and Our Lady’s University. I am very thankful to all of you for your daily contributions to our work here and your patience with me! May the holiday be a blessed time of peace, rest and togetherness.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn