The News from Mendoza College

WALKING FOR WATER

Michael Meyer willingly subjected himself to being on the receiving end of a water-balloon barrage lobbed by gleeful students. It was all part of an effort to raise funds to build wells in a small, poverty-stricken country in equatorial Africa, Burkina Faso.

The accountancy teaching professor walked a 30-mile course about the University of Notre Dame campus on May 3, raising money through donations and through the sale of water balloons. About 60 students also collected funds in dorms and through a special crowdfunding page.

All told, the walk brought in about $5,280, or enough to build two wells, which can dramatically improve the quality of life in a village where women walk up to three miles each way to get water, often from unsafe sources. The poor water has contributed to the deaths of an estimated one in three children under the age of 10, said Meyer, adding that one well can serve a village of 400 to 1,000 individuals and provide clean water for a lifetime.

CULTURE EXCHANGE

Why do people in Japan walk up or down an escalator to be efficient, but then spend seemingly endless time deliberating over business decisions? Why do Americans find time to ride an escalator from one end to the other, but then hurry through business discussions?

It’s because of cultural paradox, Elizabeth Tuleja, an expert on intercultural communication, explained to 10 visiting business people from Japan. Neither culture believes in wasting time, but how that’s expressed is vastly different, said Tuleja, an associate teaching professor of management.

Over the course of three weeks at Mendoza, the Japanese visitors learned about other such cultural behaviors and American business practices during the Japanese Business Managers Program. Held from June 15 to July 4 at the Stayer Center for Executive Education, the program covered such topics as ethics, business law, financial markets and leadership. The visitors spent their downtime visiting Shipshewana, watching a South Bend Cubs game and celebrating July 4 at Navy Pier in Chicago.

The program was originally started in 1997 by the late Yusaku Furuhashi, a marketing professor and business school dean who created the Center for U.S-Japanese studies at Mendoza. It is organized in conjunction with ChuSanRen, the Central Japan industries association, and is facilitated by Wendy Winovich, program manager for the Stayer Center for Executive Education.

RESEARCH HERO

Paul Schultz, the John W. and Maude Clarke Professor of Finance, co-authored a research paper in 1994 that exposed collusion among certain “market makers” — essentially stock dealers. The research ultimately prompted an SEC investigation and resulted in the settlement of civil cases of nearly $1 billion.

On Oct. 10, during halftime of the Notre Dame versus Navy game, Schultz was recognized by the Notre Dame Office of the Provost for his research contributions such as the market-maker study. The Office selects a University faculty member to honor each home game by recognizing him or her as part of the halftime activities and including a profile in the game program.

Schultz also is the director of the Center for the Study of Financial Regulation, a role that charges him with leading the effort to promote sound economic analysis of current and proposed financial regulation. “I like to think our center advances the broader aims of business education and research at Notre Dame, where we recognize business as a calling that can give dignity to employees and customers while providing for the material wellbeing of society,” Schultz said. Read his full profile at provost.nd.edu/Schultz.

GIVING BACK

For his distinguished work on behalf of the Notre Dame community and those in need, Christopher Stevens (BA ’74), adjunct management professor, received the prestigious 2015 Harvey G. Foster Award from the Notre Dame Alumni Association.

Stevens is a co-founder of Keurig Inc., the top-selling coffee system in America. He left his executive position to return to his alma mater to teach in 2013. In addition to his teaching duties, Stevens personally supports a number of causes, including Wounded Warriors. He also is the founder and CEO of CS 74 Ventures LLC, a holding company of various initiatives in which he has invested or owns with the commitment of donating at least 50 percent of the profits to charitable causes. He is a past board member of Massachusetts CRINC, the ALS Association of America, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce and the Notre Dame Monogram Club.

DIGITAL ADDITION

In September, the Stayer Center for Executive Education launched a new accelerated certificate program in digital marketing in its Chicago classroom in the historic Railway Exchange Building on Michigan Avenue.

The Digital Marketing Certificate Program, offered in partnership with Rutgers Business School Executive Education, was designed for professionals working in a marketing-related field, IT professionals seeking to expand into a marketing role, and individuals responsible for developing a digital or social media plan for their organization. The weeklong program provided instruction in the basics of building a digital marketing strategy across multiple platforms, as well as advanced techniques in customizing the consumer experience and tracking response metrics.

TAX PREP

Teaching Professor Jamie O’Brien was recognized as one of the best instructors by the Becker CPA Review for the summer 2015. The recognition reflects a student rating of greater than 4.9 on a 5.0 scale.

O’Brien, assistant chair of the Department of Accountancy, teaches business law tax and other law- and tax-related courses to Undergraduate, Master of Accountancy, Master of Business Administration, Executive MBA and Master of Nonprofit Administration students. He also advises students concerning course selection, the CPA examination requirements and other academic matters.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

Anne Tsui, adjunct distinguished management professor, received the Academy of Management (AOM) Distinguished Service Award, for her significant contributions to the field of management through service, research, innovative teaching methods and breakthrough developments. AOM, which recognizes four individuals each year, bestowed the award during its 75th annual meeting in Vancouver, B.C., in August.

“Over her 35 years of career as a management scholar, Anne has devoted herself to serve the management community,” said nominating professor Xiao-Ping Chen of the University of Washington Foster School of Business. Tsui’s accomplishments include serving as the editor-in-chief for Academy of Management Journal, the founding president of International Association for Chinese Management Research, and the founding editor of the Management and Organization Review. She was also the founding department chair of Management of Organization at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the founding director for its Hang Lung Center for Organizational Studies.

TOP HONOR

Viva Bartkus, associate professor of management, was awarded the United States Special Operations Command Outstanding Civilian Service Medal — the highest civilian honor — during a May 13 ceremony held on the Notre Dame campus.

Lt. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland, the commanding general of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), presented the award to Bartkus in recognition of her contributions of “energy, experience and intellect” in working with the command on the development of new approaches for stabilizing conflict-torn countries through business.

Bartkus began working with USASOC in 2014 in conjunction with an innovative Notre Dame MBA course and initiative Business on the Frontlines that she helped to found and launch in 2008. The course focuses on harnessing the power, dynamism and creativity of business in rebuilding post-conflict countries as a way of fostering long-term stability and peace.

THEY’RE OFF!

On a cool fall evening, more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students wedged themselves into the Giovanini Commons in Mendoza’s lower level. They came to be part of a lightning-fast pitch competition, the 2015 Ideas Challenge, where Notre Dame students put forth their best ideas for mobile apps, health services, tech products and more that might change the world.

During the Oct. 6 event, 57 participants were given 60 seconds to present their best pitch, with the top five as voted on by attendees receiving prizes. Ideas ranged from a machine that perfectly mixes drinks, to an app that distributes excess food, to charities to swimsuit technology that eliminates tan lines. Undergraduate business senior Rose Walsh took home the top prize for her pitch of a multi-owner vineyard that would allow people to bottle their own wine.

The Ideas Challenge, sponsored by the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship, is the annual kick-off event for the Center’s McCloskey Business Plan Competition, which will hold its final event in April. Some Ideas Challenge participants will ultimately enter the competition, while others simply wanted the pitch experience.