It is with great sadness for our Corporate and Foundation Relations team but happiness for Lori McDonald that I announce she has officially taken a new role with the University – Assistant Director of Post Award Financial Management in the Office of Research. Liz Rulli and her team are getting a highly effective and dedicated employee, as we all already know. Lori’s transition date will be March 1^st so please work with Lori now on your outstanding projects and try to limit new projects so that she can complete the tasks currently at hand.

Please join me in congratulating Lori on this move as well as wishing her the best in all future endeavors.

Thanks,

George Keegan

 

Dear Friends,

Next Monday, January 23^rd, at 4 p.m. at the Log Chapel, the Alumni Association will lead a simple prayer service for Life.  You are welcome to join us and please feel free to pass the attached invitation to students, colleagues, community members, etc.

Blessings in the coming semester.

Angie

Angie Appleby Purcell, MDiv ‘97, Spirituality Program Director

I am thrilled to announce that Cathy Windeatt has accepted the position of Administrative Assistant in the Office of Corporate Relations effective January 9, 2012. Cathy has recently relocated from Erie, PA with her husband, Bruce, and will be supporting CR Directors, Gary Girzadas and Jeff Arnold.

Cathy’s ability to build strong relationships combined with her over 15 years of experience as an Executive Administrative Assistant will be a tremendous asset to the Corporate and Foundation Relations team moving forward.

Cathy’s background includes her most recent assignment as the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Advancement at Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA.  During that time she also supported the Director of Corporate Relations and has tremendous experience in development, corporate accounts and all aspects of travel and event planning.  She has also held posts as an AA for the Director of Tourism in the Hollywood, Florida Office of Tourism, the EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Birks & Mayors, Inc., and the President and Chief Operating Officer of Dean Foods in Franklin Park, Illinois.

Cathy arrives in South Bend with her husband, Bruce, and two dogs and looks forward to spending more quality time with her four daughters who live in Chicago area.  Cathy also has a son who works as a journalist in their home state of West Virginia.  Please join me in welcoming Cathy Windeatt to the University Relations Team!

Gary Girzadas

Holy Cross Harvest becomes part of Neighbors in Need Food Drive

Did you know that the Food Bank of Northern Indiana distributed enough food in 2011 to fill every seat in Notre Dame Stadium with 60 pounds of food?

As you may have read, the campuses of Notre Dame, St. Mary’s and Holy Cross are once again joining together for the Holy Cross Harvest, the joint food drive to benefit the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. This year’s drive will be held January 23, 2012 through February 14, 2012. Food barrels will be placed in some buildings around campus but the main focus of the drive is monetary. Every dollar we donate, the food bank can turn into seven or eight meals.

The first Holy Cross Harvest in 2010 collected more than 6,600 pounds of non-perishables and $2,700.00 in monetary donations. Last year’s Neighbors in Need partners collected 6,106 pounds of non-perishable food and $11,943 in cash. The Food Bank of Northern Indiana said those donations provided the equivalent of up to 89,707 meals for the hungry in the communities it serves. Together, this year’s goal is 50,000 pounds of non-perishable food items and $18,000! Together we can achieve this goal!

For more information about the drive, go to HolyCrossHarvest.nd.edu. There you will find a link to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana’s Neighbors in Need donation web site. Click on the Notre Dame Donate link. At HolyCrossHarvest.nd.edu, you’ll also find a list of department and building representatives if you wish to donate by check, and a list of the barrel sites on campus if you wish to donate food items.

Contact information:

3 Area Representatives:

ESC: Patty Smith 3^rd Floor

Grace Hall: Mark Zeese 8^th floor and Lori Kish 7^th Floor

Main Building: Jan Verwilst – Admissions and Jim Malloy – Financial aid

3 Barrel Locations:
ESC-Hammes Bookstore Café

Flanner Hall-Front Lobby

Main Building-First Floor, Back Lobby

Doug Leyes’ mother, Virginia “Ginny” Leyes, passed away on Sunday at the age of 84.  She was a very strong lady who battled a number of ailments in the past few months.  She was fully supported by a dedicated family who truly honored her life by providing her unwavering care and comfort.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 am on Friday, January 20^th in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.  Friends may visit at 4:00 pm on Thursday in Palmer Funeral Home.  More information will be available in the obituary published tomorrow in the South Bend Tribune.

Please keep Doug and his family in your prayers.

Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen Koepfle, C.P.A., UND ’96, SMC ’78,  Director, Finance and Administration

The Parents Program is happy to announce the launching of a new website for current, past, and prospective parents. The parent website is: parents.nd.edu It will replace the link that is on the Notre Dame website’s homepage. This new website: – will serve as a source of information for all our parents: current, past, and prospective. – invites past and current parents to become involved with Notre Dame through volunteer and gifting opportunities. – showcases the accomplishments of the University on a regularly updated homepage. – provides answers to frequently asked questions from current and prospective parents. – provides links to over 100 departments and programs across the University. – serves as an opportunity for a central information site for parents from all departments and programs. Many of the pages on this site were a collaborative effort with several departments and programs across the University, including Student Affairs, the Admissions Office, First year of Studies, The Office of the Registrar, The Financial Aid Office, and the Alumni Association. The parent website is part of the communications effort between the University and parents, resulting from the new Parents Program established in June. In addition to this new website, the Parents Program has been sending a monthly e-newsletter to all our current parents. Thank you for your continued support.

Barbara Barbara M. Kelly,  Parents Program

I am pleased to announce that the position of Director, Donor Services is now posted on the HR jobs site. This position will be responsible for leading the processing and acknowledgement of all gifts received by Notre Dame, as well as the maintenance of records for Alumni, parents and friends. The Director will also serve on the Development Operational and Administrative Strategy leadership team.  This is a time of significant change in Donor Services as we transform our processes and organization to meet the significant and exciting challenges expressed in the vision of Notre Dame Advancement Services, and the Director will be a fundamental part of leading efforts to meet these goals. Competitive candidates will have a strong ability to lead with an unwavering commitment to high performance culture, teamwork, accountability, and process improvement. The Donor Services team has already begun to show significant progress, setting new standards for efficiency and effectiveness, and the new leader will be charged with moving the organization to the next level of achievement in support of Our Lady’s University. We encourage all potential candidates to review the job description and requirements, and to apply if they are interested in this remarkable opportunity. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Brian J. Dean ‘87, Senior Director, Operational and Administrative Strategy

It is with a heavy heart that I share the sad news of the passing of Vicki Trimberger’s grandson, Anthony Strauss.  He passed away on December 29, 2011 at Harborview Hospital in Seattle, Washington.  Anthony would have turned 10 years old January 10, 2012. 

The funeral was held on Thursday, January 5, 2012. Vicki’s mailing address is 54630 Whispering Oak Dr., Mishawaka, IN46545.

Memorial contributions may be made in this way:

     Go to any Chase Bank location
     Account Name = Association For the Benefit of Anthony Strauss
     Account Number = 927597526

Please keep Vicki and her family in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.

God Bless,

Rob

Robert A. Ortiz, Jr. ’94, Academic Advancement Director

Please join us in welcoming Trevor Thomas Baranowski to the Notre Dame Development family!

Trevor Thomas was born on Tuesday January 10^th at 1:10 p.m. and

weighed 8 lbs. 2 ounces. 

The proud parents, Ashley and Tim Baranowski, and his big brother Jonathon are all doing well.

Congratulations may be sent to:

333 N. Coquillard Dr., South Bend, IN 46617

or Ashley.Baranowski@nd.edu

The Annual Giving team (all staff) will be out next Tuesday, January 17^th for an all-day Office of Continuous Improvement training.  The Sorin Society’s 1-5198 line will be answered by Janelle Green most of the day, and the Law School’s 1-2768 line will be answered by Catherine DeRue.  Out of office voicemail will be active on all individual phones directing callers that their calls will be returned on the 18^th.