Greetings! I hope your summer is going well, and that you have had (or will soon have) some time for relaxation. I’m glad to be back on campus after spending nearly three weeks traveling Europe with my family, including visiting 11 cities in Italy alone! We also spent time with family and friends in the Netherlands and had a great time. 

On Tuesday, we held one of my favorite annual events during the 1Mendoza Summer Meeting: a reception to announce the recipients of the 2024 Dean’s Awards for Excellence. The awards recognize the exceptional dedication and hard work of teams and individuals at Mendoza in three categories: Cooperate, Elevate and Integrate.

We had many deserving nominations submitted by colleagues and leaders across the College. The nominations were reviewed by a diverse committee of Mendoza staff and faculty, with the Dean’s Cabinet giving final approval to the winners. 

The recipients are as follows:

Cooperate Award: Laura Glassford, program coordinator for Undergraduate Studies. This award is presented to an individual staff member who has gone above and beyond personal interests for the benefit of the community.  Laura consistently seeks ways to enhance projects and support initiatives beyond what is required, actively improving student experiences and operational efficiencies within the Undergraduate Studies advising office. Her proactive approach is evident in her meticulous data collection and responsiveness to advisor needs, ensuring that student watch lists are continuously refined. She has significantly enhanced advisors' ability to support students by maintaining thorough tracking and a deep understanding of student needs. Her genuinely caring and positive presence resonates strongly with both students and colleagues, creating meaningful connections and contributing to a vibrant and cohesive office environment. She embodies a spirit of joy and dedication in the 101 office. Laura is a role model and a valuable asset to the department, College, University and the broader higher education community.

Elevate Award: The Graduate Student Life MBA Team of Christine Gramhofer, Teresa True, Samantha Crisp, Sherry Nadai and Cathi Kennedy. The Elevate Award is presented to a team or individual who identifies new opportunities for Mendoza to compete in the business school landscape and shows exemplary accomplishment toward a significant achievement through innovative thinking. The Graduate Student Life MBA Team significantly improved the course registration experience for our MBA students. The Fall Pulse Survey showed a remarkable rise in satisfaction scores, from 2.8 to 4.1 historically (and from 3.5 to 4.1 in just one semester). This improvement is attributed to the innovative registration video series launched in October that provided students with a valuable resource to supplement traditional advising methods. This initiative not only enhanced understanding of the registration process but also garnered high praise from students.

Integrate Award: The Experiential and Global Learning team of Megan Piersma, Ben Wilson, Lara Brian, Stephanie Drudge and Gabor Holtzer. The Integrate Award is presented to a cross-functional team that has worked together to accomplish a goal or complete a project supporting the vision, mission and priorities of the College. Under Megan's leadership, the College made the strategic decision to bring in-house the sourcing and execution of Grow Irish projects last summer. Thanks to their commitment to excellence, the Experiential and Global Learning team members successfully sourced 28 diverse and impactful projects for the MBA program this spring. These projects span multiple industries including technology, financial services, retail, health care, real estate and nonprofit, with eight international projects. The team also secured projects for other key programs within the College.

Please join me in congratulating these individuals and teams for their significant contributions to the College. Thanks also to those who submitted their colleagues for award consideration. 

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

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

What a wonderful commencement weekend, from the sunny weather and the beautiful ceremonies, to seeing graduates with their families celebrate this important occasion in their lives. 

The weekend brought a number of special moments, including Father John’s farewell address and a rousing performance by the High Kings. 

During the Graduate Diploma Ceremony, we had a very literal illustration of the Notre Dame family. We celebrated a mother-daughter graduation as Denise Wright received her Executive MNA while daughter Kelley Wright earned her MBA. And two other MBA grads, Roger Loesch Jr. and David Sobek, graduated with the same degree as their fathers 38 years later! (Both named after their fathers, as well!) 

During the Undergraduate Diploma Ceremony, Andrew Daigneau, who nearly lost his life in a motorcycle accident about two years ago, fulfilled his goal of walking the stage with his classmates to receive his degree on time. (He also had a special cover made for his prosthesis with real gold from the dome regild!) The applause was thunderous as he received his diploma.

Both Mendoza ceremonies were grand, meaningful and very well executed, and represented the spirit of service of our faculty and staff. (Watch the Undergraduate recap video here and the Graduate recap video here!)

They also took an army of faculty and staff volunteers. I am thankful to the many of you who played a part in the success — some with public roles, some behind the scenes. My special thanks to the following:

Undergraduate Commencement Committee and Volunteers: Katherine Alan, Brandy Babcock, Tammy Bilotta, Deb Coch, Mary Coghlin, Carol Elliott, Nick  Farmer, Claire Fitzgibbon, Kari Friestad, Laura Glassford, Ron  Grisoli, Ashley  Heberling, Lisa  Heming, Helen  High, Rachel  Karnafel, Helen  Keefe, Rob  Kelly, Tabitha  Kingsbury, Santhosh  Lakkaraju, Shane  McCoy, Minhee  Myung, Maggie  Neenan-Michel, Jessica  Noffsinger, Kara  Palmer, Dana  Pierce, Amy  Radvansky, Amanda  Rink, Emily  Sharp, Gina  Shropshire, Jessica  Tezich, Tess  Tullman, Charissa  Warne, Kyle Way, Andrew Wendelborn and Barbara Westra.

Graduate Programs Commencement Committee: Teresa True, Christine Gramhofer, Cathi Kennedy, Sherry Nadai, Regan Nadai, Chad DeWeese, Samantha Crisp, Meghan Huff and Zoe Bonnichsen.

Graduate Programs Commencement Volunteers: Angela Sienko, Annette Tysver, Bill Schenher, Brandy Babcock, Cassie Kline, Cassie Smith, Christopher Fruehwirth, Claire Fitzgibbon, Crystal Boser, Dana Pierce, Dave Grundy, Diego Wang, Emily Marrese, Hermalena Powell, Jessica Stookey, Jodi Campbell, Katherine Alan, Kim Brumbaugh, Kyle Way, Lisa Michaels, Michael Mueller, Nadia Ewing, Nick Farmer, Nicole Velasquez, Phil Drendall, Richard Yoo, Santosh Lakkaraju, Shane McCoy, Sherry Nadai, Stephanie Brown, Stephanie Drudge, Suzanne Witt, Tabitha Kingsbury, Tahra Taylor, Tim Cichos, Tracey Plenzler, Tracy Kulwicki, Vasilisa Mikhailova, Zach Stabrowski, Megan Huff, Wendy Walker, Shelley Arredondo-Rice, Joseph Torma and Connie Varga.

Video and Photography Support: Lauren Slygh, Lucas Eggers and Carol Elliott.

Swag Sale Volunteers: Chris Grenert, Carol Elliott, Zara Osterman, Minhee Myung, Stephanie Brown, Rebecca Wood, Shane McCoy, Dave Grundy, Phil Drendall, Nick Farmer, Jen Wade, Barb Westra, Chad DeWeese, Dana Pierce, Vasilisa Mikhailova, Hank Gettinger and Santhosh Lakkaraju.

Below is more information about the two diploma ceremonies and a list of the teaching awards bestowed by the University, the College, the academic departments and the degree programs.

My sincere gratitude to all as we closed out another successful academic year!

In Notre Dame,

Martijn

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UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

A total of 594 undergraduates received their diplomas:

• Accountancy: 61
• Business Analytics: 126
• Business Technology: 3
• Finance: 300
• Management Consulting: 50
• Marketing: 54

UNIVERSITY TEACHING AWARD

Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Awards for Excellence in Teaching: Mitch Olsen, Richard J. Huether Associate Teaching Professor of Marketing

COLLEGE LEVEL - UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

Joe and Gina Prochaska Family Teaching Award: Robert Lewandowski, Associate Teaching Professor of ITAO

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT TEACHING AWARDS

Accountancy

• James Dincolo Outstanding Professor Award: John Donovan, Gerspach Family Associate Professor of Accountancy
• James Dincolo Outstanding Research Award: Andrew Imdieke, Associate Professor of Accountancy
• James Dincolo Outstanding Teaching Award: Sandra Vera-Muñoz, Associate Professor of Accountancy
• James Dincolo Outstanding Teaching Award: Tonia Hap Murphy, Teaching Professor of Accountancy
• James Dincolo Outstanding Service Award: Tim Morrison, Associate Teaching Professor, and Fred Mittelstaedt, KPMG Collegiate Professor of Accountancy

Finance

• Outstanding Undergraduate Professor Award: Walt Clements, Teaching Professor of Finance
• James Dincolo Outstanding Research Award: Ben Golez, Associate Professor of Finance
• Prochaska Outstanding Teaching Award: Sophie Shive, Associate Professor of Finance
• Department of Finance Outstanding Teaching Award: Margaret Forster, Teaching Professor of Finance
• Department of Finance Distinguished Service Award: Katherine Spiess, Associate Professor of Finance

IT, Analytics, and Operations

• Zachary Plantz Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award: Sharif Nijim, Assistant Teaching Professor of ITAO
• Outstanding Research Award: Nicholas Berente, Professor of ITAO
• Prochaska Family Teaching Award: Yoon Seock Son, Assistant Professor of ITAO
• Outstanding Teaching Professor Award: Jennifer Waddell, Teaching Professor of ITAO
• ITAO Department Faculty Service Award: Corey Angst, Jack and Joan McGraw Family Collegiate Professor of ITAO

Management & Organization

• Outstanding Undergraduate Professor Award: Wendy Angst, Teaching Professor of M&O
• M&O Distinguished Researcher Award: Cindy Muir, Professor of M&O
• Prochaska Outstanding Teaching Award: John Busenbark, Mary Jo and Richard M. Kovacevich Associate Professor of M&O
• M&O Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award: Tim Balko, Associate Teaching Professor of M&O
• M&O Faculty Service Award: Jason Colquitt, Franklin D. Schurz Professor of M&O

Marketing

• Outstanding Undergraduate Marketing Professor: Susan Kleiser, Teaching Professor of Marketing
• Department of Marketing Outstanding Research Award: John Costello, Assistant Professor of Marketing
• Prochaska Outstanding Teaching Award: Yixing Chen, Assistant Professor of Marketing
• Department of Marketing Outstanding Teaching Award: Tim Bohling, Teaching Professor of Marketing
• Marketing Faculty Service Award: Robert Essig, Associate Teaching Professor of Marketing

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Altogether, we awarded 613 graduate business diplomas:

• MBA-OY: 38
• MBA-TY: 96
• EMBA SB: 55
• EMBA CH: 41
• MSBA CH: 20
• MSBA-R: 79
• MSBA-SA: 30
• MSM: 71
• MSA: 67
• MSF: 39
• MNA: 38
• EMNA: 39

GRADUATE PROGRAM TEACHING AWARDS

• Traditional MBA Outstanding Professor Award: Howard Lanser, Adjunct Associate Teaching Professor of Finance
• Arnie Ludwig Outstanding Professor Award for the South Bend Executive MBA Program: Robert Battalio, William and Cassie Daley Collegiate Professor of Finance
• Leo Burke Outstanding Professor Award for the Chicago Executive MBA Program: Michael Meyer, Teaching Professor of Accountancy
• Master of Nonprofit Administration Outstanding Professor Award: Francis Bilson Darku, Assistant Professor of ITAO
• Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration Outstanding Professor Award: Jennifer Waddell, Teaching Professor of ITAO
• Master of Science in Management Outstanding Professor Award: Katherine Spiess, Associate Professor of Finance
• Master of Science in Business Analytics Outstanding Professor Award: Ahmed Abbasi, Joe and Jane Giovanini Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations
• Master of Science in Business Analytics, Sports Analytics, Outstanding Professor Award: Brandon Erlacher, Associate Teaching Professor of ITAO.
• Master of Science in Business Analytics-Chicago Outstanding Professor Award: Fred Nwanganga, Associate Teaching Professor of ITAO.
• Master of Science in Accountancy James Dincolo Outstanding Professor Award: Jamie O’Brien, Teaching Professor of Accountancy
• Master of Science in Finance Outstanding Professor Award: Jeffrey Bacidore, Associate Teaching Professor of Finance

I’m pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of the Mendoza Mission Research Award, an annual recognition of Mendoza research papers published in high-quality academic journals that exemplify the College’s imperative to “Grow the Good in Business.” 

Five papers were chosen from nominations submitted across the College, with one award winner in each department:

ACCOUNTANCY
Brad A. Badertscher, Deloitte Professor of Accountancy
Assurance Level Choice, CPA fees, and Financial Reporting Benefits: Inferences from U.S. Private Firms (Journal of Accounting and Economics)
Many U.S. private firms choose either a financial statement compilation or review rather than the higher assurance provided by an audit, yet little is known about these choices. The researchers find that CPA fees more than double for each increment in assurance. Commonly used financial reporting quality proxies are higher for both reviews and audits relative to compilations but are statistically indistinguishable between reviews and audits. The study also finds that assurance-level choices are associated with bank debt, trade credit and control concerns.

FINANCE
Jun Yang, Assistant Professor of Finance
Bank Stress Testing: Public Interest or Regulatory Capture? (Review of Finance)
The researchers test whether the influence on regulators affects banks’ stress-test outcomes. They find that the Too-Big-to-Fail banks face the toughest tests. Despite their more conservative capital plans, the large banks still fail their tests more frequently than other banks. In contrast, while the study finds little evidence that political or regulatory connections affect the quantitative element of the stress tests, these connected banks face less scrutiny under the qualitative dimension.

IT, ANALYTICS, AND OPERATIONS
Yoonseock Son, Assistant Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations
Kaitlin Wowak, Robert & Sara Lumpkins Associate Professor of Business Analytics
Corey Angst, Jack and Joan McGraw Family Collegiate Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations
Gender Mismatch and Bias in People-Centric Operations: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment (Journal of Operations Management)
In an increasingly digital world, understanding how gender bias manifests is imperative. In partnership with an online platform offering weight management programs and consultation services, this study shows that revealing the consultant’s gender encourages customers to leave more reviews and higher ratings, with the impact more pronounced when the consultant is female. Gender mismatches, where the client and consultant are of opposite genders, result in higher ratings and increased engagement compared to gender matches. 

MANAGEMENT & ORGANIZATION
Dean Shepherd, Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship
Intersectionality in Intractable Dirty Work: How Mumbai Ragpickers Make Meaning of Their Work and Lives (Academy of Management Journal)
The challenge of dirty work is intensified when it is intractable — when it is difficult, if not impossible, for a person to avoid doing this work. This study of meaning making in the face of intractable dirty work examines ragpickers in Mumbai, India, who handle and dispose of garbage, and are further tainted by belonging to the lowest caste in Indian society and by living in slums. These ragpickers constructed both an overarching sense of helplessness rooted in the intractability of their situation, and a set of positive meanings — survival, destiny, and hope — rooted in specific facets of their lives.

MARKETING
Frank Germann, Viola D. Hank Associate Professor
Frontiers: Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Empowering Female Entrepreneurs Through Female Mentors (Marketing Science)
Governmental and nongovernmental organizations invest billions of dollars every year providing training programs to emerging market entrepreneurs. Many of these programs involve providing entrepreneurs with mentors. Unfortunately, the effects of these programs are often muted, or even null, for woman-owned firms. Against this backdrop, the researchers tested whether gender matching, where female entrepreneurs are randomly paired with a female mentor, could help address the gender gap. Findings from a randomized controlled field experiment with 930 Ugandan entrepreneurs showed that firm sales and profits of female entrepreneurs guided by a female mentor increased by, on average, 32% and 31% compared with the control group. In contrast, female entrepreneurs guided by a male mentor did not significantly improve their performance.

Please join me in congratulating the award recipients. We will celebrate their work during a special event in spring 2025 recognizing the winners of 2024 and 2025. Last year's celebration was a big success, and all in attendance seemed to greatly enjoy hearing a high-level summary of the research projects. Recipients also will be featured on the Mendoza Faculty Awards website and digital signage.

In Notre Dame,

Martijn