NEWS

‘WHAT DOES THE DISNEY CHANNEL LOOK LIKE IN 2025?’
In an age of screen proliferation, streaming video on demand and evolving social media usage, the traditional television programming model is in flux. That’s one of the reasons why three Disney executives traveled to Mendoza College of Business in January to ask Wendy Angst’s Innovation and Design Thinking course a question: “What does the Disney Channel look like in 2025?”

“You can’t just chase trends,” Mendoza graduate Sean Cocchia (FIN ’96), executive vice president of business operations and general manager of Disney Channels Worldwide, told the class. “You have to understand where those trends are leading to long-term shifts in behavior and figure out how you’re going to adapt best to be where you need to be down the road.”

Angst, assistant department chair and associate teaching professor in the Department of Management & Organization, had students in the three sections of her course create ethnographies and journey maps as they worked in teams to design a Disney channel that will appeal to parents and children seven years from now.

“Tell us what business we need to be in next,” added John Rood, senior vice president of marketing for Disney. He told students to also think about what the Disney brand promise should be for that target audience and what kind of third-party partnerships might be needed to execute their plan.

The real-world assignment gave students the opportunity to experience firsthand how design thinking concepts can be applied to business problems. They worked in teams to develop proposals. The top four teams flew to California after spring break to present their plans to Cocchia and the other Disney executives and tour Disney Studios.

“The students have been referring to this experience as the ‘pinnacle’ of their time here at Notre Dame,” Angst said. 

INTERIM DEAN NAMED
K.J. Martijn Cremers, Bernard J. Hank Professor of Finance, has been named the interim dean of Mendoza College effective July 1. Cremers, who joined Mendoza in 2012, previously was a faculty member at Yale School of Management. He earned his Ph.D. in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University. Hailing from the Netherlands, his undergraduate degree in econometrics is from the VU University Amsterdam.

Cremers’ research focuses on empirical issues in investments and corporate governance. His paper “How Active is Your Fund Manager? A New Measure that Predicts Performance” introduced a measure of active management named Active Share, which has become widely used in the financial industry and incorporated in Morningstar Direct and FactSet.

MANAGEMENT PROFESSOR WINS UN TEACHING AWARD
Jessica McManus Warnell, associate teaching professor for Management & Organization, received the 2017 United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN PRME) North America Teaching Excellence Award.

UN PRME is an initiative of the U.N. Global Compact and is the largest organized relationship between the United Nations and business schools. McManus received the award during the Fourth PRME Regional Meeting North America in October at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

McManus joined Mendoza in 2001 and specializes in business ethics, sustainable business, values-based decision-making, managing millennials and business and culture in Japan.

FINANCE PROFESSOR FEATURED IN ‘WOMEN LEAD’ PROJECT
Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate teaching professor of finance and director of special projects, was one of seven scholars highlighted in an International Women’s Day 2018 “Women Lead” online feature for the University of Notre Dame. Read the profile here.

MBA TEAMS WIN CASE COMPETITIONS
Notre Dame MBA students took first place in several case competitions. In November, Austin Gilbertson (MBA ’19), Zachary Kozak (MBA ’18) and Christopher Kunnen (MBA ’18) winning out over 10 schools at the International Case Competition hosted by the Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business. The case focused on operations strategy, supply chains and sustainability.

In February, Faith Miller (MBA ’18), Gilbertson, Kunnen and Kozak took first in the Illinois MBA Strategy Case Competition, winning out over 15 other business schools at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They analyzed a complex business strategy case provided by event sponsor Lockton Companies. Frank Germann, assistant marketing professor at Mendoza, served as faculty adviser.

Also in February, Erin Wehe (MBA ’18), Gilbertson, Kunnen and Kozak won first place out of 10 teams at the Emerging Markets Case Competition hosted by the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The case challenged teams to develop a sustainable business model for Tunapanda Institute, an ed-tech social enterprise that offers free tech courses to youths in East Africa.

JONAH SHAINBERG
Sabreur Jonah Shainberg (MGTC ’18) became the 26th four-time All-American in Notre Dame’s program history during the 2018 NCAA Fencing Championships, where he helped the Irish clinch their 10th national title.

Shainberg received the 2018 Management & Organization Department Student Service Award and served as a teaching assistant in Business Problem Solving and Innovation and Design Thinking courses his senior year.

ONBOARDINGS
Angela Logan was named St. André Bessette Director of Nonprofit Professional Development. She leads the team that manages the Master of Nonprofit Administration degree program and the Nonprofit Certificate programs. As a concurrent professional specialist in the Department of Management & Organization, she also teaches the MNA Field Project course, which serves as the capstone course for the degree program. Logan, who joined Mendoza in 2013, has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and philanthropy, with a focus in the areas of education and diversity. She is the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

Chris Fruehwirth was hired as director of information technologies for Mendoza. He has been with the University since 2000 and spent the majority of his time in Notre Dame’s Office of Information Technology. He managed Application Services and was responsible for the design, delivery and maintenance of the technical infrastructure used to deliver many of the University’s IT services. Last year, Fruehwirth completed Notre Dame’s Leadership Rotation Program, during which he spent time with the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research, Division of Student Affairs, Finance and Office of Research.

IN MEMORIAM
Michael L. Hemler, associate professor of finance, died unexpectedly Feb. 14, 2018, of natural causes. He was 64.

Hemler, who joined the Mendoza faculty in 1992, studied investments with an emphasis on financial derivatives. A former Kaneb Teaching Fellow, he taught derivatives, financial management and Applied Investment Management (AIM) classes.

“Mike was a personal friend, someone I’ve played tennis with for 18 years,” said Roger D. Huang, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. “He was always willing to help with department needs, from hosting prospective faculty to teaching the complicated subject of derivatives. Mike will be greatly missed on a personal and professional level.”

NEWSMAN BILL KURTIS REFLECTS ON HIS CAREER
“You have to be ready and recognize opportunities when they come to you.” That was some of the advice award-winning broadcaster Bill Kurtis, co-host of the NPR quiz show “Wait, Wait ... Don’t Tell Me!” gave when he spoke at Mendoza in February about his 30-year journalism career. Kurtis, who covered the fall of Saigon, broke the Agent Orange story and created numerous A&E shows including “Cold Case Files” and “American Justice,” noted the importance of persistence. “It becomes easy only when you do it over and over again,” he said, adding, “What does it take for any career choice? It takes everything you’ve got.”

UNDERGRADS PRESENT AT BUSINESS ETHICS CONFERENCE
Four Mendoza juniors presented at the 24th annual International Vincentian Business Ethics Conference at DePaul University in Chicago. Charles Trense, Cynthia Tran, Steven Campillo and Samantha Walker shared case studies about international business ethics challenges at the conference, held in October. The cases were submitted to CurateND, which will allow them to be shared free of charge with faculty at other institutions.

The students volunteered to develop the cases after taking Introduction to Business Ethics with Jessica McManus Warnell, an associate teaching professor for Management & Organization. This is the second year McManus and Joan Dubinsky, former chief ethics officer for the United Nations, guided teams.

RETIREMENTS
James Fuehrmeyer, an accountancy teaching professor, retired in December after 10 years at Mendoza. A gifted teacher, he received the Blessed Basil Anthony Moreau, C.S.C., Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2010, the Dincolo Outstanding MSA Professor in 2012, the Dincolo Outstanding Undergraduate Accounting Professor 2013, and a Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching in 2013.

During his time at Mendoza, he served as academic director for the Master of Science in Accountancy program. He was also involved as a mentor in Notre Dame’s Building Bridges Program, which supports incoming freshmen from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Fuehrmeyer served as an Army infantry captain for five years. He earned his MBA in accounting and finance at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

David Ricchiute, the Deloitte & Touche Professor of Accountancy, will retire at the end of June after nearly 41 years at Mendoza.

In addition to being a prolific writer and holding positions on the editorial boards of accounting and auditing journals, Ricchiute was an award-winning teacher who was recognized twice as Outstanding Teacher of the Year in the Master of Science in Accountancy Program; three times as Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of the Year; and once with a Kaneb Teaching Award. Throughout his career, Ricchiute was engaged by public companies and public accounting firms to testify or consult in proceedings brought in federal and state court and before the American Arbitration Association and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He earned his DBA and MS degrees from the University of Kentucky.

MAGAZINE REDESIGN WINS GOLD
The newly redesigned Mendoza Business magazine won gold in the external publications category of the 33rd Annual Educational Advertising Awards sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report (HEMR). The contest was judged by a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals and the HEMR editorial board.

GRAD BUSINESS CAREER SERVICES OFFICE RELOCATES
Mendoza Graduate Business Career Services relocated in January to the fifth floor of Duncan Student Center as part of Notre Dame’s newly centralized Center for Career Development. The floor features more than 45 interview and meeting spaces, including eight custom-built video conference-capable rooms that can accommodate virtual interviews between corporate recruiters and students. Career services offices for undergraduate and graduate programs are also housed in the center along with a shared employer engagement team, which cultivates relationships with recruiters. Mendoza Graduate Business Career Services provides career coaching and professional development opportunities to MBA, EMBA, MSA, MSF, MSBA and MSM students.

MSM CANDIDATE NO. 8 PICK IN THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S SOCCER LEAGUE DRAFT
Soccer midfielder Sandra Yu (MSM ’18, ND ’17) was selected with the No. 8 overall pick by Portland Thorns FC in the National Women’s Soccer League Draft in January. Yu, a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American, is the fourth Irish player to be drafted in the NWSL. She is the 13th Notre Dame athlete named as a first-team Scholar All-American and is also the University’s 53rd United Soccer Coaches All-American. The Strongsville, Ohio, native was also named to the 2017 All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team.

ETHICS WEEK 2018 FOCUS ON LOCAL IMPACT
“Lead Local, Lead Global” was the theme of Mendoza’s Ethics Week 2018 in February. The event included presentations from the Notre Dame and local community that exemplify business leadership focused on advancing the greater good through entrepreneurship, civic contributions, education and training, and other efforts. It featured 11 speakers, including Bob Burke ’94, founder of LadderUp, a Chicago nonprofit that provides low-income families and individuals with tax assistance and financial planning tools. Burke challenged students to work at a nonprofit for a year after graduation. “You will learn far more doing service than in any for-profit job you can find in America,” he said. “There’s no risk at your age. The only risk is not taking that chance and do something different.”

CMO SUMMIT BRINGS MARKETING LEADERS TO CAMPUS
“Meaningful Marketing: The Future of Customer Engagement in a Digital World” was the theme of the Notre Dame Chief Marketing Officer Summit in April. The event brought top marketing executives to campus from Intel, Google, Kellogg, TD Ameritrade, American Eagle Outfitters, Constellation Brands, Link AKC, Edward Jones, Green Stone, USAA and more. Jennifer Rooney, editor of the Forbes CMO Network, moderated the panel discussion “Panel: Pockets of Opportunity: The Diversity of Work in Marketing Today and the Skills Required to Succeed.”

ACCOUNTANCY STUDENTS NAMED GILMAN SCHOLARS
Accountancy juniors Frank Chung and Edwina King received Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships to study abroad in 2018. Chung, from Palisades Park, New Jersey, spent the spring semester in the United Kingdom through the Notre Dame London Global Gateway. He will remain overseas for the summer academic term. King, of Minneapolis, will study in Europe through Notre Dame International’s summer program in Toledo, Spain.

UNDERGRAD APP DEBUTS
The Office of Undergraduate Studies launched its SmartSophomore app for Apple and Android devices in October. The app features a number of points-based challenges designed to help sophomores as they prepare to declare a major in the spring. The activities encourage students to reflect on their personal strengths and interests, evaluate their major options, explore career paths and attend Mendoza events.
Students can use the points to earn prizes, such as preferential registration for a future class. The app is a beta version of the new MendozaSMART app, which went live in April for rising sophomores.

STUDENTS CROWDFUND FOR CAUSES
Each semester, assistant teaching professor Chris Stevens challenges his management classes to fundraise for a nonprofit organization or cause. For the spring semester, students chose to crowdfund for two efforts: the Logan Center, a local nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities, and 15-year-old Anthony Borges, who was wounded in the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Their efforts yielded $3,280 for Logan Center and $3,279 for Borges.

“The project is in keeping with the Mendoza mission to ‘Ask More of Business,’ or to utilize business as a force for good in the world,” said Stevens. “Business creates the wealth of the world, and business needs to do more to support those in need.”

PROFESSOR RANKS NO. 1 FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP RESEARCH
Entrepreneurship professor Dean Shepherd was identified as the leading scholar in worldwide academic entrepreneurship research in a study published in the Journal of Small Business Management. Shepherd, the Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship, was the No. 1 contributing author of entrepreneurship research, according to the study “Contributing Forces in Entrepreneurship Research: A Global Citation Analysis.”

His prolific research career includes investigating both the decision making involved in leveraging cognitive and other resources to act on opportunities and the processes of learning from experimentation — including failure — in ways that ultimately lead to high levels of individual and organizational performance. He has published papers primarily in the top entrepreneurship, general management, strategic management, operations management and psychology journals and has written or edited more than 20 books.