COLLEGE NEWS

ARRIVING AT A COMMON GOAL AMONG PARTIES WITH DIVERGENT IDEOLOGIES

AN EXPANDED VISION: $15 MILLION GIFT TRANSFORMS MBA EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM

The Notre Dame MBA course Business on the Frontlines launched in 2008 rooted in the belief that there is dignity in work and all people can be empowered to contribute to society.

BOTFL teams have worked on more than 60 projects in 25-plus countries, utilizing the dynamic skills of business to address issues including post-conflict rehabilitation, poverty, illicit economies, isolation and prejudice.

In 2020, thanks to philanthropy including a $15 million gift from Ken and Susan Meyer, the course expanded to become the Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program with several significant developments:

• Viva O. Bartkus, management professor and program co-founder, was named as the Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program faculty director, and the team increased to include assistant teaching professors of Management & Organization Joe Sweeney (MBA ’12, ND ’06) and Kelly Rubey (MBA ’16).
• A second Business on the Frontlines course section was added, allowing the program to increase the number of partner organizations and capacity for MBA and other ND graduate students.
• Frontlines in America, a four-credit-hour domestic-focused course (one mod and an interterm), launched in fall 2020. FIA students work with partners on projects in the U.S. focusing on similar core themes to the BOTFL course while also examining barriers to work unique to the U.S. (Read more about FIA at mendoza.nd.edu/ news/frontlines-in-america.)
• A two-credit hour, internationally focused course, Frontline Engagements, will launch in the 2021-2022 academic year if travel resumes. The course continues the work of BOTFL teams in Central America, northern South America and island nations in the Caribbean.
• A two-credit hour course, Ways of Rebuilding Community (WORC), will launch in the 2021- 22 academic year with a focus on serving local organizations near campus.

Business on the Frontlines is often described as a “journey of discovery” for the students. In addition to gaining practical and extensive real-world experience in problem solving and consulting, they encounter people, places and circumstances that often change their life perspectives. In fact, a stated objective of the course is for students to gain a visceral sense that the imagination and creation of common ground — finding solutions to arrive at a common goal among parties with divergent ideologies — is both possible and worthy of the effort.

GROWTH BY DEGREES

A one-year Master of Science in Finance (MSF) begins in June 2021 with a seven-week business fundamentals module. The full-time, 38-credit-hour residential program is aimed at early-career professionals with a quant-focused background who want to enter the financial services sector. The College also offers a part-time MSF for working professionals at its Chicago campus.

Mendoza also partnered with Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs to begin offering a dual master’s degree program in global affairs and business administration. The MGA/MBA program enables students to complete two two-year degree programs within three years.

For details, go to mendoza.nd.edu/graduate-programs.

VIP & VIBE

The Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing pivoted to assist students whose summer internships and career discernment opportunities were disrupted by the pandemic. It rolled out two opportunities, the Virtual Internship Program (VIP) and the Virtual Investing Bootcamp Experience (VIBE). Both programs included access to Wall Street Prep, a rigorous online program used in the financial services industry, guest speaker sessions twice a week. VIP also required a capstone project provided by an industry partner.

Read more at ndigi.nd.edu.

STEM DESIGNATION

Five STEM-focused concentrations are now available in the Notre Dame MBA program. Starting with graduates in May 2021, students who complete a concentration in business analytics, corporate finance, investments, supply chain management or a new STEM-focused marketing concentration receive a STEM-designated MBA degree.

TOM MENDOZA PRESENTS

Tom Mendoza, retired vice chairman of NetApp, hosted an engaging webinar speaker series with top business executives, including: tech investment expert Carl M. Eschenbach, partner at Sequoia Capital; Silicon Valley growth leader Jayshree Ullal, president and CEO of Arista; and technology industry leader Guy Chiarello, head of technology and innovation, CAO at Fiserv.

Watch at mendoza.nd.edu/news-events/speaker-series.

UNDERGRAD HONORS

Mendoza began accepting applications for its new Business Honors Program and Research Honors Program in Business. With an emphasis on the importance of scholarly research and the development of the whole person, the competitive programs prepare undergraduate students for corporate leadership roles or to enter a doctoral program.

For details, go to mendoza.nd.edu/undergraduate.

“AS A COMMUNITY THAT RECOGNIZES EVERY PERSON’S INTRINSIC HUMAN DIGNITY, IT IS INCUMBENT ON US TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FLOURISHING OF EACH INDIVIDUAL, RECOGNIZING OUR RECIPROCAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER. A SPIRIT OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION REFLECTS THIS ESSENTIAL BELIEF AND UNDERLIES ALL THAT WE DO.”

Dean Martijn Cremers